Glacier QB Sliter commits to the Griz
FRITZ NEIGHBOR | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 3 months AGO
Glacier quarterback Gage Sliter (7) rolls out to pass in the second quarter against Billings Senior at Legends Stadium on Friday, Oct. 28. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
SPORTS EDITOR Fritz Neighbor is the Sports Editor for the Daily Inter Lake. He oversees sports coverage across the Flathead Valley, including high school athletics, youth sports, and regional competitions. In his leadership role, he helps shape the newspaper’s sports coverage and editorial direction. Fritz’s column, Full Count, taps into his decades’ long career covering Montana sports. You’ll also see Fritz sharing his thoughts and insights on the Big Sky Now podcast. IMPACT: Fritz’s work celebrates the athletes and teams that bring Northwest Montana communities together. | December 6, 2022 10:55 PM
Glacier quarterback Gage Sliter made it official that he’s headed to the Montana Grizzlies Tuesday, announcing his intention to join their football program via Twitter.
“I am excited to announce my commitment to @MontanaGrizFB!” Sliter wrote. “Thank you to Coach Hauck and his staff for this opportunity. Also, thank you to my family, coaches, and teammates for helping me on my journey. Go Griz!”
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound quarterback is coming off two prolific seasons for the Glacier Wolfpack, setting one school record and finishing in the top three of several others.
His 3,175 passing yards this season is second only to the 3,590 Brady McChesney piled up in 2013; Sliter’s 57 career TD passes — including a single-game record seven against Belgade on Aug. 26 — are second only to McChesney’s 82.
A first-team All-State pick this season, Sliter received an offer from UM in the summer — he announced it Aug. 4 — but held off on his commitment until after the Pack completed a 7-4 campaign.
“I stayed in really close contact with Coach (Russell) McCarvel,” Sliter said of the former Flathead High coach and current Dickinson (N.D.) State assistant. “And a bunch of the Frontier Conference schools — Carroll, Tech and Rocky, and Western. I talked to the Bobcats a little bit early on.”
Montana won out.
“I’ve grown up going to Griz games,” said the senior, who would join Glacier products Henry Nuce, Drew Deck and Patrick Rohrbach on the UM roster. “You grow up in this state, you’re either a Griz or a Cat.”
For his career Sliter completed 366 of 585 passes (a school-record 63 percent) for 5,398 yards, with 57 TDs and 25 interceptions. The yardage total ranks third in Wolfpack history, behind McChesney and former Griz quarterback Shay Smithwick-Hann.
Sliter’s 206 completions this season also sits No. 2. His 36 touchdowns rank third on the single-season list; his 21 TD passes on the 8-4 Pack in 2021 rank in the top nine.
The Grizzlies recently completed an 8-5 season with a playoff loss at North Dakota State. They’ve been back in the playoffs their last three fall campaigns under Bobby Hauck, and Sliter has seen quite a few wins in a game day atmosphere he rates second to none.
“I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like on the field,” he said. “It’s going to be awesome. You can’t beat it, for a kid to be able to play for the Griz. I’m so excited to do that.”
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