Photo By Clayton Bunt - #20 Brody Hasselstrom
Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Prairie
2. Clearwater Valley
3. Lapwai
4. Kamiah
5. Genesee
6. Potlatch
7. Troy
8. Logos
Written by: Will Hoenike
The Prairie Pirates were one yard away from reaching the 1A Division 1 state championship game for the fifth time in the past seven seasons in 2020.
Now consider: 2019 Idaho 1A Division 1 Player of the Year Cole Martin missed virtually the entire season due to an injury. And eventual 2020 Idaho 1A Division 1 Player of the Year Dean Johnson was injured during the postseason and not on the field when the Pirates came up just a couple feet short of a trip to the title game.
When you can take two players of that magnitude out of your lineup, two college-level athletes, and still be inches away from the top of the hill, you know you’ve got a deep program. That narrative should continue in 2021. Will it be enough to add the school’s fourth football championship banner since 2014?
“We have a lot of key pieces from last year’s team,” said veteran head coach Ryan Hasselstrom. “I am excited with the leadership of our senior class.”
Leading the way is Hasselstrom’s son, Brody. The reigning White Pine Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-State performer at running back and linebacker comes into his senior season with 2,082 career rushing yards and 34 scores on the ground on offense and has drawn the interest of colleges to continue his playing career once his high school career is complete. He’s not alone in the backfield as senior Tayden Hibbard chipped in seven rushing touchdowns and two more through the air. The team’s front line of senior Jesse Cronan, senior Chase Kaschmitter, and junior Shane Hanson all saw plenty of reps last fall. Senior Wyatt Ross, who hauled in three touchdown passes last season, is back at receiver.
All of that experience and talent should help ease the transition of first-year starter Lane Schumacher at quarterback. He steps in to replace two-year starter Cole Schlader but his name is well known around Cottonwood (cousin Spencer quarterbacked the Pirates to the 2017 1A Division 1 state title) and he has made his own name on the field, having appeared in eight games at multiple positions last season.
“Being able to establish the run game has always been key for us,” said Hasselstrom. “So we will stick to our tradition of trying to establish a physical run mentality and mix in as much passing as we can.”
The Pirate offense gets most of the attention but the defense has been steadily effective as well. The group allowed an average of 14 points per game in the regular season while substituting liberally to get younger players valuable experience.
“We have always tried to play aggressive, yet disciplined as possible, on the defensive side of the ball,” Hasselstrom said. “That will not change this year. Physicality and eight-guys-to-the-ball on each play will be our main focus.”
Playing in the tough and deep White Pine League will place a premium on staying healthy and developing depth for all teams, including a perennial power like Prairie. Hasselstrom says he expects almost 30 players in the program this fall, which allows Prairie to field a full junior varsity team. Not all eight-man teams have that luxury and it is something that allows the Pirates to gain more valuable game-speed repetitions for its players. The White Pine is again expected to be deep and strong, with challengers like Lapwai, Clearwater Valley, and Kamiah among the teams anxious for their opportunity to knock the Pirates off the top of the pile.
“With a large group of junior varsity players moving up, we will try to get quality minutes for those younger guys,” Hasselstrom noted. “As the season wears on, that depth will play a huge factor in our success.”