Leaving A Mark At Loyola

For the past four years the halls of Loyola Sacred Heart High School have been walked by one of the most electrifying personalities Missoula has ever seen in David Koppang who will stay in Missoula to continue his academic and athletic career at the University of Montana.

Koppang committed to the University of Montana Grizzly football program in September to play safety which had been a life long dream, “It’s always been a goal of mine to play for the Griz because my dad played for the Griz.” In his junior year David began gathering all his film and started the process to follow in his fathers foot steps. Montana was not his only choice as he sent his tapes in to Montana State, Carroll, and Western, but he had his eye on Montana.

David was introduced to varsity level football as a freshman and was thrust into one of the toughest levels of sports in Montana, Class B, where the boys are true iron man. Football being his favorite sport, David was excited to step on the practice field for the first time and understood the magnitude of the situation, “I told myself my freshman year that I was going to give my all and some day be like those seniors and then hopefully some day move on to the next level.” Looking back at his career Koppang has done that and more not just on the football field but in the classroom as well.

Following in his fathers foot steps Koppang is a natural born leader and has done so even at an early age. Loyola Ram head football coach Todd Hughes saw something special in Koppang at the junior high level. Even as a freshman Koppang showed the drive to be a champion, coach Hughes stating that he was a gym rat from the beginning. To coach Hughes Koppang is an example to others, “He’s an outstanding young man on and off the field, his kindness and his community service projects, he’s a special kid.” You can see that on game day as the fans poor onto the field post game to be with their players and Koppang is shrouded in love.

As with so many of the Ramily athletes family is their foundation. David follows in the foot steps of his father Chris Koppang who made his way on to the Grizzly football team as a humble Bigfork graduate living his dream to wear the Montana copper and gold. Lurking in the wings is another young talented Koppang in David’s little sister Syd who is a force on the soccer field and a leader on the basketball court. David talks about his sisters limelight as a local sports hero, “She’s a little stud, it’s amazing that she is a naturally born athlete that can do what ever she wants.” David say that Syd looks up to him and comes to him for advice on an occasion.

Currently Koppang is riding the wave of his final year of high school while helping his Rams make another run at the Class B State Football Championship game, and possible bring home a state title to the Ramily. David has played at the varsity level on the football field all four years as a student at Loyola and has willed his team to victory countless times, but he doesn’t want to be remember as just a football player, “I want the to be remembered by what I left at Loyola, how hard I worked and how much of a role module I was. I do not want to be known as that guy that went on to play college football, I want to be that one guy that left his mark on Loyola.”

David Koppang is an electrifying young man who as in example not only to his peers, but those who came before him. long time friend Kellen Round has had the advantage of watching Koppang grow as a person, Kellen shares his view of what makes David so special, “There is no limit to his energy. I think that’s makes him so good at the things he is passionate about.” Kellen went on to say that Koppangs curiosity has always intrigued him, ” He’s the type of person who breaks his wrist dunking a basketball, and uses his time rehabbing his injury to get even better at dunking a basketball.”

Following his fathers foot steps as one of the the Montana Grizzlies Koppang is following a legacy his father started, but in the same token he is leaving a legacy behind at Loyola for young Rams and Breakers to look up to as they grow in the Ramily.