Polson’s Ted Morigeau is helping Carroll College make another

championship run

HELENA - Ted Morigeau always wanted to go to Carroll College.

"A lot of my family went there," Morigeau said. "My grandma, my aunt and my mom. It was kind of my first college on the list. I knew it was the right school for me."

Carroll College has to be certainly appreciative of the choice after the junior safety forced a fumble late in the third quarter of the Saints' 35-21 victory over Azusa Pacific last Saturday in the first round of the NAIA foot-ball playoffs.

It shouldn't come as a sur-prise though, as Morigeau was an all-state player for the Pirates as a senior in high school. He was certainly no stranger to forcing fumbles and scoring touchdowns.

"I loved Pirate football," he said. "It was a great time. I was an all-purpose player, I didn't care where they put me."

Morigeau played outside linebacker, running back and slot receiver while also kicking for Polson during his high school playing days.

He had offers for wrestling and track at other schools but went with the five-time national champions instead.

"Carrol was just academically known for being a tough school and I wanted that," he said. "Everything is so right for me. I love Helena."

Comparing it to a larger Polson, Morigeau said that the community feeling around Carroll College really helps him and all the football players out. The fan support is another plus for the Saints.

"It's nuts," Morigeau said. "If we had the Griz stadium, we'd sell that thing out."

With Carroll College's legacy, it's easy to see why the fans get behind their team. Morigeau said that the team chemistry is also a very big reason for their success.

"Everyone is on the same page," he said. "It's one big family here. You get tons of support and we're just a really tight bunch of guys."

While not having to change uniform colors, Morigeau has made some adjustments since coming to Carroll. The Pirate came into college at 175 pounds and played linebacker before moving to safety where he has a playing weight of 195 pounds.

"It's a pretty big adjustment. It's a lot more time consuming," Morigeau said of the transition between high school and college. "In college, it's about who has the smarts on the football field."

In the regular season this year for Carroll, he's had 39 tackles and two interceptions as the Saints went 10-0.

"Our offense likes to establish a running game and we can open up a few passes," Morgieau said. "We have a lot of threats on both sides of the ball."

Morigeau is definitely one of those threats as he jarred the ball loose from Azusa Pacific's Johnell Murphy last Saturday with a hard hit.

"We're trying to create turnovers every single game," he said.

Morigeau will try and create more turnovers against Marian University at noon, Saturday in Helena as Carroll College tries to continue their quest for a sixth national championship.