Photo By Clayton Bunt - #4 Angus Jordan
Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Prairie
2. Clearwater Valley
3. Lapwai
4. Kamiah
5. Genesee
6. Potlatch
7. Troy
8. Logos
Written by: Will Hoenike
A lot of athletes want to know that their coach has been there, knows what they’re going through, and can show them how to improve.
The Genesee Bulldogs found someone who can fill that role in first-year head coach Justin Podrabsky.
Podrabsky takes over for Alex Schnebly, who led the Bulldogs to a 4-2 record last season before the team’s season was cut short due to COVID-19 complications. He had spent the previous four seasons as an assistant at 5A Lewiston High school, where he also played quarterback during high school before competing collegiately at the NCAA Division 1 level at Idaho, where he appeared in 24 games during his career, totaling 484 receiving yards and scoring a touchdown.
Podrabsky’s offense loses playmaker Dawson Durham but returns junior quarterback Angus Jordan and receivers Cy Wareham (senior) and Wyatt Jordan (junior).
“Skill players are the strength of this team and, offensively, we should have an abundance of guys who can make plays from the backfield or at receiver,” Podrabsky said. “Angus Jordan will have another year at quarterback and he is extremely talented.”
The Bulldogs scored 199 points – almost 50 per game – in their season-opening four-game winning streak that had the community thinking playoffs. But then the issues started to arise that led to the pandemic-induced premature end to the team’s season after just six games.
Development up front will be pivotal for Genesee in 2021, both on offense and on defense. The team returns two linemen from last fall in seniors Jaxon Moehrle and Jacob Krick. With a good group of linebackers on defense, the play of Moehrle, Krick, and the team’s other defensive linemen could be the key to Genesee’s season in the ever-dangerous White Pine League.
“We’re looking to improve up front with our linemen,” Podrabsky said. “We need to be more physical at the point of attack and be able to free up our next-level defenders.”
If the defensive line is effective, linebackers like Kole Riebold (senior), Jordan (junior) and Grant Wolf (junior) will be freed up to pursue the ball and make plays near the line of scrimmage.
“Our linebacker corps should be interchangeable with the ability to play multiple spots to put guys in matchups to allow them to have success,” Podrabsky continued.
Genesee is one of two Idaho schools that forms a cooperative team with a non-Idaho community. Genesee’s agreement is with nearby Colton, Washington. The other is Mullan in District 1, which competes on the football field with St. Regis, Montana. Both teams compete under the Idaho High School Activities Association umbrella and are eligible to earn post-season berths in the Idaho playoffs.
“I’m most excited about our kids’ willingness and excitement to get better,” Podrabsky said. “They have been eager to learn and put in the work to become better football players. I’m excited for the kids to be able to see their hard work come to fruition on the field.”