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MISSOULA — Inside the warm confines of the Grizzly Indoor Practice Facility were Junior Bergen and six of his former Montana teammates going through drills Thursday morning while the temperature was 36 degrees outside.

Also nestled in the practice facility, which opened late in the fall, were 21 scouts from NFL and CFL teams. Bergen, a Billings native and Senior grad, was certainly one who drew interest after a record-breaking four seasons with the Grizzlies as a returner and receiver.

"As a kid I'd fake sick and skip class and watch 'Path to the Draft,' so it's been a dream of mine for quite some time," he said. "I'm just grateful that a lot of teams came out and were able to come watch. I'm grateful that these guys were out here as well and we were able to do it one more time."

All eyes were on Bergen's time in the 40-yard dash, where tenths of a second can alter a player's draft outlook. He posted a time of 4.52 seconds, which would have been 30th among receivers at the NFL Combine.

He had been hoping to break 4.5 and was "happy" with his time although he knew he "could have done better" in both the 40 and the 20-yard shuttle. In the latter, he ran 4.22 seconds, which would have been ninth in his position group at the NFL Combine.

He put up 17 reps on the bench press, which would have ranked third among receivers. The battering test included six drills as well as position work catching passes and fielding punts, the latter of which he did outside in the stadium later in the morning as the temperature warmed up to 40 degrees.

"It was a stressful process for sure," he said of the preparation. "Obviously nice to get out and just compete with all the guys one last time. It was just nice to kind of get it over with. I felt like I put in a good couple months of preparation and was just ready to cut it loose."

Bergen did his training at X3 Performance and Physical Therapy in Fort Myers, Florida, with co-founder Jordan Luallen. His schedule was lower-body lifts Monday, shuttle drills and upper-body lifts Tuesday along with position work, an off day Wednesday, full-velocity sprinting Thursday, full-body workouts and more shuttles Friday, more position work Saturday and an off day Sunday.

Bergen said he has been in contact with "a few teams" and has heard them interested in him as both a punt returner and receiver. He was a first-team All-Big Sky receiver and an All-American returner whose eight punt return touchdowns are tied for the most in FCS history.

Now he turns his attention to decompressing after the "rollercoaster" training regimen. The NFL draft is April 24-26 and the CFL draft is April 29.

"I had a lot of people text me last night and this morning just like, 'Good luck, we're proud of you no matter which way it goes,'" he said. "It was just a boost of confidence."

Thirteen of the 32 NFL teams came to Missoula: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.

Eight of the nine CFL teams were in attendance: BC Lions, Calgary Stampeders, Edmonton Elks, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Montreal Alouettes, Ottawa Redblacks, Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Receiver Keelan White, a former walk-on from Canada, might very well hear his name called in the CFL draft later this month and follow in the footsteps of his father. He was projected to be selected first overall in the CFL draft, according to a mock draft on the league's website this week.

"Just grateful to have the opportunity for that," he said. "I've been working to play professional my whole life. So just to have that opportunity is super awesome."

White's shuttle time of 4.10 seconds would have ranked third among receivers at the NFL Combine. His 40-yard dash time was 4.60 seconds.

He did his training at DeLaCruz Sports Performance in Orlando, Florida, and felt like he got into "really good shape right now."

White said he will have interviews with CFL teams on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. He'll be in town to watch the spring game next Friday, will head back to Orlando for training and will return to Missoula for the draft.

"It gives you a little more calmness being out here with your guys you played with for your whole college career," he said of being back with his teammates. "It was fun. We all had a good time out here. It was awesome."

White might be joined in the CFL by defensive end Hayden Harris, who holds dual citizenship. Harris was projected to be chosen 11th overall in the same mock draft that predicted White to be picked first.

His 25 bench press reps would have been the ninth most in his position group at the NFL Combine. His shuttle time of 4.51 seconds would've been sixth.

He spent six weeks training in Annapolis, Maryland, and four weeks in Phoenix, Arizona, while working on the final five credits to earn his MBA. He'll attend the Seattle Seahawks local pro day next week.

"It was good seeing the guys again, being able to compete out here one more time with the guys and try to do my best," he said. "It was great. I think the training paid off. I'm just excited how it went and I'm excited for the future."

Running back Nick Ostmo put up 25 bench press reps, which would've been first in his position group at the NFL Combine. His shuttle time of 4.27 seconds would've been third. His 40-yard dash time of 4.57 would've tied for 19th.

Offensive lineman Brandon Casey repped 27 times on the bench, which would've tied for sixth in his position group at the NFL Combine. His shuttle time of 4.65 seconds would've placed him seventh.

Receiver Aaron Fontes ran a 4.78 in the 40-yard dash. Like Ostmo, he was injured in the regular season finale and missed the two playoff games.

Fairfield native Ryder Meyer had his day cut short when he came up limping while running the 40-yard dash in the second on-field workout.

Tight end Cole Grossman did not participate in the Pro Day but was in attendance the entire time cheering on his teammates. He has been working his way back from a torn ACL in the second-round playoff loss at South Dakota State, his agent, Mike Fingado, told the Missoulian and 406 MT Sports. He has received an invite to the Arizona Cardinals local pro day, he posted on social media.

BILLINGS — Every year, seven teachers in the Billings School District are recognized with the prestigious Golden Apple Award, honoring their dedication to education and their students.

This year marked the 40th anniversary of the awards, and seven teachers were surprised with the awards during assemblies at their schools on Thursday.

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Among the recipients were Jodi Ervin, a fourth-grade teacher at Boulder Elementary, and Stacey Lemelin, the principal of Meadowlark Elementary. Both have served the district for more than three decades.

"I love teaching and I love the kids," said Ervin after receiving her Golden Apple. "When they don't get something and we work at it and they get it, it's so cool to see the light bulbs come on."

Ervin has taught for 42 years, all in the Billings school system. She said that while the landscape has changed, she's never regretted becoming a teacher.

"There are changes for sure, but in a way the kids help me with those," Ervin said. "You don't get a better job than the one I have."

Ervin was the first stop of seven for the Golden Apple crew, and she said she was shocked when they called her name.

"Oh my gosh," Ervin said, with tears in her eyes. "I couldn't believe it. This is quite an honor and very, very humbling."

About an hour later, it was a similar scene at Meadowlark Elementary, as Lemelin was overcome with emotion receiving her award.

"I was very surprised," Lemelin said. "It's super humbling."

For Lemelin, the award came at the perfect time, with this school year scheduled to be her last.

"This is my 35th year in education, and so I'm retiring at the end of this year," Lemelin said with a pause to gather herself. "To end your career with a Golden Apple is quite an honor."

She agreed with Ervin that the job has certainly changed, but she said the teachers and students always made the hard work worth it.

"Just being with the kids every single day," Lemelin said. "I wouldn't change that for anything."

An annual tradition, providing teachers with some well-earned recognition.

"Knowing that I'm helping my kids be better people, but not just for fourth grade, but for life," Ervin said.

The other five teachers who earned the accolade were Raye Alwood (fifth grade teacher at Beartooth), Erin Small (music teacher at Eagle Cliffs), Jessica Spencer (special education teacher at Castle Rock), Angela Hammang (Career Center) and Timothy Lantz (custodian at Castle Rock).

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