Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Timberlake
2. Bonners Ferry
3. Kellogg
4. Priest River
Written by: Brandon Baney
A young Priest River squad struggled against more seasoned opponents in 2020, finishing 0-7 and leaving head coach Jared Hughes still in search of his first win at the helm of the Spartans program. Hughes will enter his third season as head coach, although this is his second stint as the leader of the Priest River football team. Hughes also coached the team from 2007-09.
Priest River had to rely upon several freshmen and sophomores a year ago, and were outscored 280-20. Coach Hughes says the offense has to get better in 2021. "We were last in the state in offensive scoring a year ago," coach Hughes said. "We have to improve our consistency, maintain drives and have better blocking."
The blocking should improve tremendously, as Priest River started four freshmen on the offensive line in 2020. Landon Reynolds, Hayden Strange, Levi Hanna and Kemper Rayne are all sophomores now, and are a year older, faster and stronger.
That unit should pave the way for running backs Kam Salesky, Michael Johnson, Deegan Goins and Jesse Poisel. Matyus McLain is a good tight end, and Connor Berns and Hayden Sorbel are expected to lead the wide receivers. The only unsettled position? "We will be looking for a quarterback and depth at the QB position," Hughes said.
Defensively, Priest River allowed 280 total points last year, or an average of 40 points per game. Hughes said those numbers are deceiving, though. "We are pretty solid on defense and return several outstanding athletes," he said. "We will need to lean on the defense until we get the offense going. We also have to get off the field. We spent two-thirds of each game on defense last year."
Salesky earned 1st-Team All-Intermountain League honors at linebacker last season, and will headline a group that includes Johnson, Poisel and Luke Slater. McLain is a standout defensive end, and Berns and Sorbel will lead the secondary.
All things considered, Hughes is looking at this season with optimism. "I'm excited that we will not have the youngest offensive line in history," Hughes said. "They have gotten a ton better and should be a foundation to build on. We have Kam Salesky, Matyus McLain and Landon Reynolds that are solid on both sides of the ball, but we are excited to see who else can step up."