Werk headed to 2021 Indigenous Bowl at U.S. Bank Stadium

Dodson's Dwight Werk, a senior, has been selected to play in this year's Indigenous Bowl, an annual football game put on by 7G Foundation in which Native American players from around the country are selected to showcase their skills in an All-Star format.

Werk was one of nine Montana athletes selected and will be representing the Aaniiih (Gros Ventre) tribe. The game will be held at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn., the stadium where the Minnesota Vikings play on Sunday, December 5, at 10 a.m. Central Time.

"It feels pretty good to go out and play football again and do what I like," Werk told the PCN. "It feels pretty good to go play in the Vikings' stadium."

Werk shined as a Malta Mustang football player for four seasons and earned All-Conference honors in 2021. He was a first-team selection as an offensive lineman and as a second-team defensive lineman.

He will compete at center, defensive end, and defensive tackle during the bowl.

Werk started his football career with Malta in seventh grade as a Malta Middle School Colt. During his freshmen year, Werk was one of the first students at Dodson High School to co-op with Malta High School.

"Frank Benson told me about it," Werk said. "He wanted me to play."

He was asked what it was like being a Malta Mustang.

"It was good," he said. "I met a lot of people. It was a good program and it was fun to be around."

At first, Werk admitted that he didn't like having to travel close to 40 miles round trip every day to play the sport, but after a few trips, he really started to enjoy playing in Malta.

Even as a freshman, Werk was an imposing lineman, typically taller and heavier than anyone else on the field. Werk was listed at 6'5" and 365 pounds last season.

"A lot of people say, that's a big boy," Werk said with a laugh.

Despite his height, weight, and strength advantage, Werk didn't realize that he was good at the game until his junior season.

His favorite moment of his high school career was beating Malta's rival Glasgow Scotties in Glasgow this year.

He was asked what made that game his favorite.

"They are our rivals," Werk said. "It is always so loud all of the time, everyone is hyped, and facing them is a fun game."

Werk was a big part of Malta reaching the post-season for the past four seasons.

We are very proud of and excited for Dwight's selection to the 2021 Indigenous Bowl," Malta Mustang Head Coach Nick Oxarart said. "Dwight has been fun to coach and has been a huge part of Mustang Football's success these past four years. It is fun to see his hard work and his commitment to making the trek from Dodson to Malta pay off for him and for him to be recognized.

"Dwight had a great senior season for the Mustangs and was a vital player to help us win the Northern B Division," Coach Oxarart continued. "We can't wait to see him compete against other players from across the nation. We hope Dwight has a great time, develops new friendships, and creates some lifelong memories."

Werk learned of his selection to the 2021 Indigenous Bowl in the last week of October by email.

Werk will travel to Minnesota and meet his teammates on Wednesday, December 1.

According to the Indigenous Bowl website, The Indigenous Bowl is the premier event for the 7G Foundation to further the goal of molding the next 7 generations of Native leaders through education, athletics, culture, and real-world support. The first Indigenous Bowl was played in 2017. The Bowl is open to High School Seniors of American Indian descent who have not yet enrolled full-time in college. The event is an opportunity for young, Native athletes to showcase their talent on the football field, work with coaches and mentors, and develop the skills necessary to move to the next level of competition.