Preseason Coaches' Poll
T-1. Lakeside
T-1. Wallace
Written by: Will Hoenike
The Wallace Miners enter the 2021 season trying to claw their way back into the 1A Division 1 picture and veteran head coach Jared Young believes his team has a good chance to earn a berth in the postseason for the first time since 2015.
“We are very excited about our team this year and expect to be very competitive,” Young said. “Our team chemistry is much better right now and our players are enjoying playing. We want to keep that great attitude and effort every time we step on the field, whether that’s in practice or in the games.”
Following its playoff appearance in 2015, the Miners started the following season with a 3-1 record. Since then, though, Wallace has won just six of its past 36 games. There is a history of success in the small, north Idaho community, though – from 2009 to 2015, Wallace’s combined record was 51-16. The players and the community are ready to get back to that level and it could start this season.
Leading the way on offense are senior center Robbie Morin, senior guard Luke Hull, and junior guard Brandon Travis. The team is looking to replace leading rusher Kody Richardson, an all-conference selection as a senior last fall, but a strong offensive line leading the way for seniors Teagan Goldade and Liam Murdock is a good start. Young will turn the offense over to junior quarterback Landon Streeter, a dual-threat quarterback with solid instincts. The team also has a trio of receivers who can make big plays – seniors Izayah Jaramillo and Blake Allison along with junior Parker Goldade.
“We look to run the ball and mix it up to keep defenses off-balance,” Young said. “Our strength will lie in our balance. With an experienced offensive line we fully expect to be able to run the ball well and mix in the play-action pass to keep opposing defenses off balance and take our shots when we need to.”
Defensively, the Miners will lean on Travis as the team’s nose tackle at 270 pounds. Big and very strong, he’ll be the heart of what Wallace tries to do when opponents have the ball.
“We plan on forcing teams to beat us up the middle, where we will have a stout nose tackle,” Young said. “We have a few athletes out this year that give us options to make us more versatile on defense.”
Streeter, the two Goldades, and Allison will provide support behind the Wallace defensive front.
Young says participation has increased this season, which provides depth and options for the Wallace coaching staff. It’s a big part of the team’s mantra for the upcoming season – “Compete.”
“Football is a game that coaches give the tools and players control the outcome together,” Young explained. “Competing each play in practice and in games is what we need to do with exceptional effort and with a great attitude. If we do those little things, we should put ourselves in a position to be in ball games and pick up wins.”
Wallace is part of the two-team Scenic Idaho Conference, along with Lakeside. One of those two teams will represent District 1 in the 1A Division 1 state playoffs. The two teams meet in Wallace in late September before meeting again on Lakeside’s home field in Plummer in late October. If one team or the other wins both games, as Lakeside did last season, it will qualify for the playoffs. If the two teams split, it goes to a tiebreaker. Last season, the tiebreaker would have been a Kansas City-style tiebreaker on the field to determine the winner.