THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: A school shutting down; some gaudy football stats

On Monday, the athletic department at the University of Providence, an NAIA school in Great Falls, Mont., noted that it was "proud to announce" the opening of the First Interstate Bank Recovery Room. 

"The state-of-the-art facility represents a significant investment in the health, wellness, and performance of Argo student-athletes," the school said. 

On Tuesday, the University of Providence, a private, Roman Catholic liberal arts university announced it was closing, effective Aug. 20, 2027, citing declining enrollment and "increasing financial pressure." 

Like most area small colleges, the University of Providence (formerly the University of Great Falls) attracted several local athletes, including a handful currently listed on rosters for the Argos:

Ellie Carlson, volleyball, senior, Lakeland High; Karisa Wallis, women's basketball, freshman, Coeur d'Alene High; Landree Simon, women's basketball, sophomore, Lakeland High; Katie Fleming, women's basketball, graduate student, Post Falls High; and Alyssa Randles, wrestling, senior, Coeur d'Alene High. 

In the case of Randles, a four-time state champion with the Vikings, another school has already reached out, gauging her interest in transferring at semester for her senior season, said her father, Mike, the former Coeur d'Alene High principal, now principal at Lake Stevens (Wash.) Middle School. Also, it's possible Alyssa could wrestle a fifth year in 2027-28 if the NAIA votes that way, or she may pursue a graduate assistant coaching position, he said. 

That would leave Montana with no women's collegiate wrestling programs, and just one men's collegiate wrestling program (Montana State-Northern, in Havre). 

BEFORE AN 8-man football showdown two weeks ago between Coeur du Christ (1A) and Wallace (2A), a reader noted that two of the top three players in passing yardage in the country (among 6/8/9-man players, according to statistics reported by schools to MaxPreps.com, were Grant Clemens (Coeur du Christ, second) and Cooper Miller (Wallace, third), both juniors. 

Coeur du Christ went on to win 54-16. 

Two weeks later, Clemens is No. 1 among 6/8/9-man players with 2,748 yards. He has 42 touchdowns and three interceptions. 

Miller is No. 7 with 2,326 yards. He has 33 TDs and five interceptions. 

In receiving yards, Beckett Beyer (Coeur du Christ) is second nationally with 1,202 yards (20 touchdowns). Lennox Radford (Wallace) is sixth with 1,112 yards (19 TDs), Henry Larson (Wallace) 12th with 989 yards (8 TDs). 

Both teams drew first-round byes for the state playoffs this week, and will play quarterfinal games next weekend. 

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 1205, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @CdAPressSports.