2017 SEASON PREVIEW

 

The 2017 Rocky Mountain Football League season marks the 20 th anniversary of the league in existence as it first began in the fall of 1997. Gradually, the league formed into the spring league it is known for today. This season, the RMFL Great North features not 12, but 11 teams with new appearances from old members. One of those teams featured in the 2017 RMFL Great North season includes the Tri-County Vigilantes of Helena, Montana. In the past, Helena has produced teams to compete on the AA level beginning with the Knights in 2000 to the Titans from 2001 to 2010. The 2011 season brought a new look to the team as the Bearcats emerged for just two seasons. Helena would not see another team until last season with the creation of the Big Sky Avalanche, an organization that struggled to produce a win in eight attempts in the 2016 campaign.2017 is yet another season of renewal for the city of Helena, as the Tri-County Vigilantes put the past in the rear and move forward into a brighter future under new management strengthened by a team board led by Michael Soto. Soto, a member of the 2010 RMFL AA Champion Great Falls Gladiators as a center as well as a member of the Helena Titans and Big Sky Avalanche, provides leadership skills based on his experience in the RMFL as a player and a business owner in his personal endeavors within the Helena community to help the Vigilantes gain recognition on and off the field in their inaugural season. Also providing necessary help on the board is General Manager Brandon McBride (3rd RMFL season), Sales and Merchandise Representative David Iken (1st RMFL season), Treasurer Michael Connolly (11th RMFL season), and Recruiter Nicholas Alamia (6th RMFL season). The coaching staff will also look different this season for the Vigilantes in 2017, as Sonny Silverthorne will assume the head coaching and offensive coordinator positions. Silverthorne enters his first RMFL season with over thirty years of prior experience as a football coach. Eric Shorer will provide the defensive playbook for the Vigilantes and Tyler Lightner offers his experience as the receiver’s coach. Shorer and Lightner also begin the 2017 season as first year RMFL coaches with many years of prior experience in coaching football. Also assisting the coaching staff with team operations will be Josh Iken as the linemen coach. The Vigilantes are thrilled to have new faces in the coaching staff this season and continue to relish the opportunities for new and old members of the Helena semi-professional experience. Tri-County enters their inaugural season with some familiar faces to the RMFL. Team president Mike Soto will suit-up for yet another season, snapping the rock to newcomers Alex Brunett and Joey Klein at the quarterback position. The Vigilante offense will also see playing time from Nick Alamia at the tight end position, Kevin Carter, Sr. (2nd RMFL season) and James King (6th RMFL season) at the running back position, Kyle LaFountaine in multiple positions on the offensive line mainly at guard (9th RMFL season), and Brandon McBride and Jake Nelson (2nd RMFL season) as receivers. New faces to the RMFL on the Vigilantes squad include Jacob Iken, Brayton Overton, and Yagoob Khulfan on the offensive line in addition to the new talents in Brunett and Klein at the quarterback position. Defensively, the Vigilantes gain experience from RMFL veterans Eddie Franke, former linebacker for the Billings Xtreme and Loco Express; Weslee Kidd, who played for the Helena Titans, Bearcats, Glacier Knights, Gallatin Valley Snow Devils, and Big Sky Avalanche before the Vigilantes; Nick Jones, a former Gallatin Valley Snow Devil; and David Nelson, who began his first season in 2016 with the Avalanche. There are several new players on the defensive side of the ball willing to contribute every Saturday to the Vigilantes organization. These include Brett Hall at the linebacker position, Caleb Spangler and Shawn Potter in the defensive backfield, and Dakota Flom, Marcus Buechler, and Billy Garcia rotating around the defensive backfield and receiver positions as needed. The additional personnel will allow the Vigilantes to create different looks on defense and expose offensive weaknesses against future opponents. These are a few of the pre-season contributors that offer a winning attitude to the team’s early hopes of bringing a championship to Helena for the first time. There are many others on the team that look to create a difference on and off the field to ensure the team follows a path on to victory. On Saturday, April 1 st , the Vigilantes will embark upon their first journey as a member of the RMFL Great North, as they open the season at home against the Flathead Monsters of