Written by: Will Hoenike
When IdahoSports.com reached out to Meadows Valley head coach Jared McIlvain in July, the first-year boss was working on finalizing the team’s schedule. Seems so mundane, but the Mountaineers haven’t fielded a football team since 2010, so even having a schedule … or the need to schedule practices … or the need to order game uniforms is exciting in the tiny central Idaho town of New Meadows.
“I am excited to get football back in New Meadows after such a long time without it,” said McIlvain, who came to the school after serving two years as an assistant at Lewis County in District 2. “It is an interesting dynamic that we have, with most of our upperclassmen coming in without any football experience, but we look forward to the challenge and are optimistic after a great spring camp that showed lots of growth in these young men.”
The program is still growing but McIlvain said a dozen kids participated in the school’s spring camp and he anticipates a few more could trickle in during the fall. Once the season kicks off, the Mountaineers will be in search of their first official victory in football since 2009.
“There is a lot of great athleticism in this group, but that ability is met with minimal experience in the game of football,” McIlvain continued. “We will make mistakes early on but, if we can learn from those mistakes, then this team will become more dangerous every week.”
McIlvain said he expects freshman Anthony Larrea to start at quarterback with senior Hunter Brown, junior Jacob Gwinn, and sophomore Bradley Steiner competing for roles along the offensive and defensive lines. Senior Corbin Rivas, junior Joseph Edwards, and freshmen Hayden Steadham and Cody Padgett will fill roles at skill positions on offense and provide big-play potential.
On defense, the Mountaineers will lean on Koby Rivas to lead the charge from his spot at middle linebacker. He has a background in wrestling that has translated that to solid tackling skills. Sophomore Joseph Padgett should also see playing time at multiple spots.
The school does have a middle-school program so incoming players will have some real game experience. It provides a solid ground floor for McIlvain’s high school program in future years.
“All of the players show great potential and engagement in football and I look forward to seeing them grow into their roles,” McIlvain concluded.
The Mountaineers will be competing as a 1A Division 2 independent this fall. One of the first games inked was a home game on September 3 against nearby Salmon River in Riggins. The two towns are separated by just over 30 miles and some Meadows Valley students had played football for Salmon River in recent years, though McIlvain says it has been a few years since that happened. The Mountaineers travel to Lewis County on September 28 as McIlvain will face off against his former boss, head coach Monty Moddrell and the Eagles.