Flying to the football

Flathead's Dan Ogden has combined deceptive speed, agility and quickness to help the Flathead Braves to a 2-0 start on the season

There's one play in particular from his high school football career that Dan Ogden will always remember with a smile.

Then a sophomore, defensive tackle/fullback Ogden lined up alongside 3-time all-state defensive lineman Brandon Hoffenbacker against the Butte Bulldogs.

A miscue between the center and the tackle was the only invitation Ogden needed.

He sacked Butte quarterback Matt Paul for a 3-yard loss.

"I guess you can say it was pretty lucky. I just kind of went right through (the line)," he recalled.

The next thing he knew, Ogden was being greeted by Hoffenbacker. who yelled "Oggie!" then head-butted him.

"I wasn't sane for the rest of the game. That kid has the hardest head ever," he laughed.

"A sack in Butte, first time ever playing, it's one of those feelings you never forget," Ogden said.

The Braves went on to win, 27-26.

"I think that game was where (Ogden) realized how good he could be. I think he understood if he just put his nose to the grindstone, he could be good," said Flathead defensive line coach Joel Bemis.

Since then, the big plays, the honors, the college offers - and the Dan Ogden stories - have mounted.

As a junior in 2005, Ogden was all-state defensive tackle, first team all-conference defensive tackle and honorable mention fullback. He placed second in Class AA wrestling (275-pound class) and won the Class AA shot in track.

But Bemis' favorite Ogden story has little to do with the football field.

He talks about Ogden the person - and has this tale.

Ogden, last out the door after a recent practice, was just pulling onto the street when he saw a sophomore player walking alone across the parking lot.

According to Bemis, Ogden pulled over to offer the other boy a ride.

"Just the fact that he would stop and think of someone else shows what kind of kid he is," the coach said.

"He's a good kid. Other kids like him. They like to hang around him. He'll make everybody feel pretty welcome," he added.

That's the part that makes Flathead head coach Grady Bennett the most proud.

"I don't think he embraced leadership until this year. He's really stepped up and tried to be a good leader. That's something I just think is lacking in our society. So, when you see young people step into that and grow, and really become that, that's neat," Bennett said.

Ogden, elected by his teammates as a season-long captain, has helped Flathead to a 2-0 start and a No. 3 ranking in the state.

In those two wins, Ogden has rushed for 75 yards and scored two touchdowns. Defensively, he has 13 tackles and has broken up one pass.

"He's just such a force up front. Usually one guy can't block him. He creates a lot of problems," Bemis said.

"He's got a combination of quickness, such body control and agility … he can make plays a lot of kids can't. He knows how to leverage his weight and use it," Bemis said.

"He's a lot faster than he looks," he added.

Ogden gives his teammates fits in practice.

The Flathead offensive linemen "get so frustrated. They don't know what he's going to do," Bemis said.

"Our offensive linemen, they wind up just shaking their heads," he added.

When that happens, Flathead offensive line coach Mark Harkins comforts them with one line.

'You don't have to face too many kids like him.'

But his own stats don't matter much to Ogden.

"Everybody is really important on the defense. We're all pretty good. We all make plays."

"Our backups for our d-line, they make great reads. They play so hard. We've got so much depth," Ogden said.

Ogden pointed out he didn't play the second half last Friday against Sentinel - but the Braves held the Spartans to minus 11 rushing yards.

"Backups had a lot to do with that," he said.

Ogden's backup, senior Levi Holt, had four tackles and caused a fumble in the win.

"That kid knows how to hit," Ogden said. "My position? No worries there."

And the college offers have rolled in.

Montana State, Boise State, Oregon State and the United States Air Force Academy are just a few.

Those coaches tell him he flies to the ball and for his size, Ogden is very quick.

"People don't expect me to be that quick. (The college coaches) see a lot of potential in me," Ogden said.

Who wouldn't want a 6-foot-1, 256-pound kid who runs a 4.82 40?

"Anything under 5, especially for a high school kid, that's blazing speed," Bemis said.

He hasn't chosen a school yet, but MSU and Boise appear to have come to the top.

The Bobcats have offered him a full ride - and he'd be playing next to Hoffenbacker.

"He's trying to persuade me pretty hard," Ogden said of his former teammate.

Boise "looks pretty nice, too. I'd love to play on the Smurf Turf."

As for this season, Ogden believes the Braves are ready to make a state championship run.

"It's going to take discipline and drive. Our attitudes always have to be up. We can't get down," Ogden said.

"Right now, we have a pretty hard schedule ahead of us. But our boys are willing to make the sacrifices," he said.

The Braves are at Great Falls Russell Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. game.

"They haven't been winning much there, but they're going to come out hitting hard," Ogden said.

Flathead follows that with Great Falls High at home, then travels to Missoula Big Sky and Butte.

It doesn't matter one bit that the Braves are currently ranked No. 3, he said.

"Right now, it just means we're No. 3 on people's list to beat."