Benedict signs with Western

Whitefish senior Tanner Benedict signed a Frontier Conference NAIA letter of intent to play football at the University of Montana-Western, in Dillon, the university's coach, Rich Ferris, announced last week. Benedict was one of three recruits from Montana to sign with Western.

"Tanner is a very fun player to watch," Ferris said. "He uses the most of his abilities to make plays on both offense and defense."

Benedict earned second team all-conference honors as a defensive end and honorable mention as a running back. He rushed for 556 yards and five touchdowns and led his team in sacks. He also received all-conference and all-state honors in wrestling, and all-conference honors in track.

Benedict has maintained a 3.7 GPA and received academic all-state honors. He is the son of Mario and Terri Benedict and will major in education.