Malta names football coach, AD

The vacancy at the position of Head Football Coach at Malta High School was filled on the morning of Monday, July 22, as Nick Oxarart agreed to coach the team for a second stint.

Oxarart had been a part of the team as a head coach or assistant coach all but one season for 2006. According to a previous PCN article, Oxarart spent eight seasons as a Mustang assistant football coach from 2006 to 2013.

Oxarart replaces Jim Benn, who left MHS to take on a position in Missoula so he could be closer to his family. Benn had been head coach of the Malta Mustangs for the past three seasons, leading them to the playoffs in all three years.

Oxarart has served as the Mustang’s head football coach the past three seasons compiling an 18-11 win loss record, three straight play-off appearances and one conference championship (2015).

The hire was the first move since the school hired it’s newest Athletic Director (AD) Travis Somerfeld, who applauded the board’s move to hire Oxarart.

“We are just excited to have Nick back as a head coach,” Somerfeld told the PCN. :I think he will do a great job and continue to take Mustang Football in the right direction. I have coached with him for a few years when he was head coach before and I think we have great expectations and he will do great things as head coach.”

Somerfeld takes over a position that former MHS AD Scott King had held since 2012.

Somerfeld was born and raised in Power, Mont., where he graduated from Power High School in 2010. He participated in basketball, football, and track. He found out that he would be taking the position late in June.

“It’s a huge honor to be awarded this job,” Somerfeld said of accepting the AD position. “I look forward to doing the work and keeping the integrity of Malta Athletics that Coach King and Coach Flatt created over the years.”

After graduating from Power High School, he went to the University of Montana Northern in Havre and eventually earned an Educational degree in Social Science Broadfield in 2014.

He started teaching history at Malta High School in 2014-15. He also has coached various sports at MHS. He started as an assistant boy’s basketball coach in 2014. He would join the Mustangs Football Coaching staff in 2015 as well at track in the spring of 2016. He held each of those positions until we stepped down from track in 2019 to take over as the school’s golf coach.

As a basketball coach, Somerfeld helped lead the Mustangs to a state title in 2017 under the leadership of Head Coach David Costin.

“I want to thank Coach Costin for being my mentor for the last five years,” Somerfeld said. “He has proven to be a Zen Master.”