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Fall Sports Welcome to 2016 football
Times change, but you can’t spell fall without s with virtually everything in life, results follow from the process by which they are produced, and this year, the Free Press annual fall sports preview is taking a deeper look into the processes — the thought process as well as the day-today elements of development — that goes into making local fall sports happen. Part of the inspiration comes from the public involvement that I saw sway the Mountain View School District to approve fall soccer over the summer. The way I see it — as someone who has followed the soccer program closely and will continue to follow it closely — there simply isn’t enough information to judge the merits of that decision. On the one hand, soccer is a departure from the traditional sports I grew up with, and a departure from the sports traditional in this area. But it is a sport with vast and old and deep traditions of its own, which I don’t understand (yet) and am making an effort to learn about, in order to cover it as well as the sports the various school districts in Idaho
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Bench Press By Andrew Ottoson 983-1200 AOTTOSON@ IDAHOCOUNTYFREEPRESS.COM County have seen fit to establish long ago. Football — American football, fútbol americano — is my favorite sport. It’s not even close. When talking to football coaches about the sport for this preview, about the rules changes and points of emphasis and ways that certain kinds of contact are being enforced out of the game, I heard mostly acceptance that the kinds of collisions that put kids at risk of major injury ought not be permitted. But everyone who loves football enough to talk about it laments, on a deep level, the sense of loss that comes with each roll-back of the man-versus-man violence most of us
Clearwater Valley’s Kieran Owens and Zack Krieger welcomed each other to the upcoming football season with a friendly collision on the practice field earlier this month. Football teams with Zero Week games opened regular season play on Aug. 26, and the rest open Sept. 2. PHOTOS AND ARTICLES THROUGHOUT THIS PUBLICATION BY ANDREW OTTOSON
grew up with. The bumps and bruises that came with a bit of fair play, good-natured tackling are the stuff of some of my fond memories. No one can take those from me, and as badly as I want to be open-minded, I can’t shake the feeling that taking the physicality out of boyhood, or young adulthood, or manhood, is a high and unintended cost to pay. Times change, and what comes out of the school districts is composed of what people put into their school districts. And
when faced with a decision over soccer, the Mountain View School District board did what institutions are supposed to do in our society: answer to the public that ultimately foots the bill. The Grangeville Soccer organization is impeccably organized and for that deserves praise. Few people who want society to change in the way they see fit are willing to do what the local soccer community did. They pulled together and gathered support, and took their case directly to the board
with the ability to address their concern. They made a strong case for the viability of soccer, locally, and they put a substantial private fund-raising effort behind their words. Their donations, in essence, bought the uniforms and covered the start-up costs. For a similar example of what I consider great citizenship, check out how the Prairie cross-country team operates. Meanwhile, volunteers at every one of the public high schools in the county have helped build and maintain longstanding football organizations
of obvious, proven excellence. Soccer is the world’s biggest sport by many measures. Here’s hoping that the international game can coexist well with the efforts that have long sustained the sports culture in our area. For now, kudos to the soccer organizers. Going forward, I’ll be covering their games the same way I do our other sports: to the best of my ability. The soccer program — even this season’s schedule — is changing too quickly to keep up with in print. To cover it well, I’ll need to change my process.
An in-depth look at our high school teams Football • Volleyball • Cross-Country • Soccer
Clearwater Valley Rams Grangeville Bulldogs Kamiah Kubs Prairie Pirates Salmon River Savages
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Kamiah Kubs seniors Dennis Hescock, Nathan Kiele, Brad Knight, Chris Olive, Tanner Christopherson, and Will Strahan are the core of Nels Kludt’s first team as KHS head coach.
2016 Kubs Varsity Football Regular season Aug. 26 vs. Salmon River Sept. 2 at Pomeroy Sept. 9 at Clearwater Valley Sept. 16 bye Sept. 24 at Wallace Sept. 30 vs. Prairie Oct. 7 at Lapwai Oct. 14 at Troy Oct. 21 vs. Genesee Oct. 28 vs. Potlatch
Kludt steps up F or Nels Kludt, who steps in for Ryan Ball — who will go down as a legendary coach in Kubs history — a big part of the task this fall is keeping up the routines Ball established during his time. Ball will be coaching basketball in Potlatch this winter, according to the Lewiston Tribune. “It’s tough losing coach Ball,” Kludt
said. “We’ve tried to keep it consistent in our approach.” But that has been tough, especially in terms of keeping up the Kubs’ usual offseason pattern. “We didn’t realize coach Ball was going to be gone until right at the beginning of summer,” Kludt said. “We did our regular team camp, as we usually do, but we weren’t quite as organized as
we were in the past.” Kamiah’s summer weightlifting program saw good turnout, Kludt said, “and they did a lot of stuff on their own, without coaches, as far as learning our offense.” After Kamiah shifted from 11-man football to the eight-man ranks, Ball and Kludt (who was then an assistant) and assistant coach Pat Eades implemented
an up-tempo no huddle offense that became Kamiah’s hallmark after the Kubs ran away with the 1AD1 title in 2012. “We’re going to try to run no-huddle,” Kludt said. “We may not be able to get the tempo, but we’re working toward it.” The Kubs’ paced their way to a narrow semifinal loss to eventual champion Valley last fall.
“That was a senior-heavy team,” Kludt said. “We started seven out of eight kids on both sides of the ball as seniors. We were a pretty good team, and we gave Valley probably the closest game they played all year. We lost most of those kids. We have kids returning who played roles for that team, but noSee Kubs, Page 7C
Four returning starters to power KHS he change-up in Kamiah stands to affect the girls side, too, if less dramatically as a Amanda Henderson steps in for Katie Ball with the volleyball program, as the assistant to head coach Leah York. “It will be different without Katie,” York said. “But if I had to choose someone, it’d be Amanda. She’s excited about it and she works well with the girls.” Last year, the Kamiah girls went 1-11 in the ultracompetitive Whitepine League, and while the high end of the WPL may dip with graduation sapping much from both Genesee and Prairie, York sees strength throughout the league. “Genesee is tough,” she said. “Troy is the favorite and Prairie is the returning champion. Lapwai has a ton of athletes. It’s going to be a rough league.” Kamiah ‘s returning starters — Ashley Flerchinger, Lexy Snyder, Makenna Jagow and Lacey Kludt — give York an array of hitters to work with. “They’re vocal and they’re positive,” York said. “They did lots of open gyms this off-season, they went to camps on their own. I’d drive by the park and they’d be down there playing volleyball.” Snyder, as the Kubs’ tallest player, aligns at middle blocker and serves well. Jagow is “not quite as loud as Lexy,” York said. “She’s a hard worker and that rubs off.” Jagow, an outside hitter, plays all the way around and brings experience to the court in both the front row and the back. Junior Davi Murphy will step up from the JV squad to rotate as a varsity setter, and sophomore setter Kati Wilkins will
Returners Ashley Flerchinger, Lexy Snyder, Makenna Jagow and Lacey Kludt are the vocal core of coach Leah York’s Kubs volleyball squad. “They know it’s not going to be easy,” York said, “and they’re good with that.”
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2016 Kubs Varsity Volleyball Regular season Aug. 25 at Prairie Aug. 30 at Orofino Sept. 1 at Genesee Sept. 6 at Clearwater Valley Sept. 8 vs. Potlatch Sept. 13 at Troy Sept. 15 vs. Lapwai Sept. 17 at Grangeville Sept. 20 vs. Prairie Sept. 22 vs. Orofino Sept. 24 at Border Battle Sept. 26 vs. Grangeville Sept. 27 at Potlatch Oct. 3 vs. Genesee Oct. 3 vs. Troy (at CV) Oct. 6 at Lapwai Oct. 11 vs. Clearwater Valley
he girls are very excited about playing. They know it’s not going to be easy, and they’re good with that.”
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— Leah York Kamiah Head Volleyball Coach
bring height to the court as well as “good hands,” York said. “She’s 5-8 or 5-9, too, so that helps.” The Kubs are “starting to gel together.” “I have a lot stronger hitters this year,” York said. “I think they’re more deter-
mined than they were last year.” Also boosting Kamiah’s prospects: by raw count, their numbers are up from 19 at the end of last year to 26 now. “I want them to be competitive, and leave nothing on the court,” York said.
Grangeville, Orofino, and Clearwater Valley
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Salmon River The 2016 Salmon River Savages don’t have the same size they had last year, and figure to be faster at the skill positions. “We’re stronger at offensive line, but smaller,” coach Charlie Shepherd said, so that’s kind of a wash.” They are (from left): back row, coach Dennis Fredrickson, coach Ty Medley, Eric Fletcher, Gabe Gonzalez, Clay Ross, Jordan Parham, Reece Jones, Peyton Baugh, Canyon Harper, Randy McClure, Ethan Fletcher and head coach Charlie Shepherd; front row, A.J. Dischinger, Ethan Shepherd, Clayton Shepherd, Tucker Boyd, John Shepherd, Jonathon Swift and Brandon Whittle.
Playback time? I n a split second, Salmon River went from uncertainty to certainty during the 1AD2 title game last fall, with a trick play — the Globe of Death — nuking Deary’s hopes and powering Salmon River’s. The Savages, on the brink of a new season, still stand in the shadow of that play-call.
The long shadow of it also falls on Salmon River’s chief opponents — TriValley and Council — who are caught awkwardly between looking for their own way past the reigning 1AD2 champion Savages and having to prepare themselves for geek football. Part of what made the play so remark-
able was its counterintuition: Salmon River coach Charlie Shepherd has never shied away from trick plays, but the 2015 Savages’ fiery, emotional style set Deary up to bite hard on an elaborate fake. The ball went with Beau’d Hopkins, while the Deary defense went with Tucker Boyd and Canyon Harper.
Boyd and Harper are back in the fold this fall; Shepherd is looking to Gabe Gonzalez to give Salmon River a physical edge out of the backfield, and to Joe Fredrickson for an edge on the offensive and defensive lines. See Savages, Page 7C
Four back, S-R eyes Long Pin run to the state tournament ended with near misses last year, as Salmon River played five-setters against both Lighthouse Christian and Dietrich last October in Lewiston. “We were within three points of both the second-place and third-place teams last year,” coach Paula Tucker said. Five starters return, though a leg injury has kept Payton Branstetter from logging enough practices to be eligible for some of the Savages early action. “We’ve been trying to rotate two freshmen and it’s been rough so far,” Tucker said. “I always do a camp here during the off-season, and the camp was good, but that’s the only thing they did for volleyball during the summer.” Salmon River figures to be strong in the middle with the defense setting up behind Sarah Laritz and Chevelle Shepherd, and between Shepherd and Maddy Tucker, the Savages should be strong in the back row. “Our offense looks OK,” Paula Tucker said, “and Chevelle and Maddy are digging the ball well.” Tucker has two freshmen vying to join the rotation — Emily Diaz and Lexy Pottenger — and three new girls who moved to the Riggins area are joining the pro-
2016 Savages Varsity Football Regular season Aug. 26 at Kamiah Sept. 2 at Colton Sept. 9 vs. Prairie Sept. 16 at Wilder Sept. 23 vs. Lapwai Sept. 30 at Garden Valley Oct. 7 at Tri Valley Oct. 14 vs. Council Oct. 21 bye Oct 28 vs. Cascade
Coach Paula Tucker’s Savages got a taste of the state tournament last year and the returners want to go even farther this year. The 2016 squad is: back row, Alexis Pottenger, Sarah Laritz, Sydnie Scuka; middle row, Miranda Hofflander, Taylor Ledgerwood, Bonnie Stewart, Payton Branstetter; front row, Emily Diaz, Tehya Gubitosi, Chevelle Shepherd and Maddy Tucker.
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2016 Savages Varsity Volleyball Regular season Aug. 24 vs. Summit Aug. 27 vs. SR Tourney Sept. 3 at Meadows Sept. 10 at Nezperce Sept. 13 at Cascade Sept. 15 at Meadows w/Garden Valley Sept. 17 at G’ville Tourney Sept. 20 vs. Cascade Sept. 24 at Summit Sept. 27 vs. Council Sept. 30 at Garden Valley Oct. 1 at Council w/Tri Valley Oct. 4 vs. Meadows Oct. 7 at Tri Valley
gram. The league may not be as strong as last year. “Tri Valley is going to be tough and Council is always right in there,” Tucker said. “Both of those teams put in a lot of summer time, they played a lot, and so they’re sure to be ahead of us right now.”
Even with 12 on the roster and at least one more to add, the Savages have essentially no depth. “Keeping everybody healthy is very important,” Tucker said. “If we don’t have that group of five our chances are not great. It falls off quickly, for experience and even skill-wise. These girls should be
playing JV and we don’t have that.” Even so, the Savages are targeting a trip back to the state tournament. “The girls decided they want to do this one step at a time,” Tucker said. “They want to win the league, and the district and then they want to do better than twoand-out at state.”
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Grangeville Title defense D
uring the autumn after their 2011 2A title, the Bulldogs saw a jump in numbers and interest, but a similar pop didn’t follow Grangeville’s 2015 title this fall. That’s one of head coach Jeff Lindsley’s worries heading into the 2016 season. Another — seen to a lesser extent after many summers — set off “alarms,” he said. Grangeville, as many football programs do, holds a combine each spring and each fall to chart the physical progress the athletes involved are making. Or, for much of the GHS football squad this past summer, not. Lindsley said five football players showed significant improvement on the Bulldogs’ speed and strength evaluations, but the balance, “the biggest percentage of the rest of the team, went down by 30 percent,” he said on the day before Grangeville’s Zero Week visit to Moscow. “We have a lot of unanswered questions and we’re not in shape so you’re going to see a lot of kids with their tongues dragging on Friday night,” he said. “I suppose that’s part of our growth and maybe some of them will remember it come next summer. They’re kids. They want to do other things. I get it. But it is frustrating.” • The 2016 championship squad sent three players on to college — Austin Parks, Layton Harris and Cole Lindsley — and graduated several other formidable athletes, including champion wrestler Shaydn Wassmuth, formidable lineman Jakob Layman and running backs Jack Lawrence and Jake Kaschmitter. “We had some pretty athletic kids,” Lindsley said. “We also had the right mix of blue-collar kids and strong senior leadership, and younger guys had to play because of lack of numbers.” Each was no doubt gifted, physically, but they also followed a path through the off-season the Grangeville football program has charted during Lindsley’s time. • While earlier squads came into the season perhaps a step ahead of the competition, “We’re really behind in terms of our physical stature as a team,” Lindsley said. “We’re going to hit it hard, as hard as we can, during the season, to try to make some of that up. But other teams are working hard on top of what they accomplished in the weight room over the summer and this group this year, it wasn’t important to them. I hate to be negative about it, but that’s the way it is, and it’s going to be an obstacle for this year’s team that’s going to be pretty hard to overcome.” Turnout for two-a-days was lighter than expected, and Lindsley said the program shed six players after practice started. The mix of factors has Lindsley looking at St. Maries as the team to beat in the Central Idaho League, and at Orofino as the Bulldogs’ equal. • GHS did retain key advantages, including the long-term stability the program has with coaches Lindsley, Jeff Adams, Chad Hill, Todd Marek, Max Cawley, Jeff Goldman and Mark Craig. (The rare change was that volunteer defensive
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The 2016 Bulldogs, defending the 2A title they captured last fall, will turn to a strong group of seniors (above, from left): back row, Jon Asker, Tristan Roberts, Bobby Remington, TJ Wiltse and Morgan Pilant; front row, Jon Chamorro, Frankie Zumwalt and Luke Stokes.
backs coach Troy Roberg moved away.) Another advantage: The Bulldogs who followed through with their commitment to the team have impressed that longstanding staff with toughness. “To give this group credit, while we’re not physically imposing, when we took this group to camp we had basically 15 guys to take reps for three days of a padded team camp against 5A school teams,” Lindsley said. “That group was probably the toughest group we’ve taken to a Boise State camp.” • Not all who attended the camp have turned out this fall. “We had three sophomores who were projected starters on the JV who on the first day of two-a-days did not show up and decided not to play,” Lindsley said. “We had another six kids that quit at some point during two-a-days....This year we’ve had more kids quit than we’ve ever had.” • Unlike last year, when smoke from fires across the region disrupted preseason practices and drove most teams indoors, the air has been clear this August. Outcomes of some of Grangeville’s position battles may not become fully clear until later this season. “We’ve got some guys we know are going to play a position because that’s what they played last year,” Lindsley said. “We have a lot of unanswered questions. Our roster will change a couple of times position-wise before this season is done.” GHS will field fewer than a dozen upperclassmen out of 39 rostered players, so the Bulldogs will be leaning on younger players out of necessity. •
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Grangeville will start three sophomores who have demonstrated their grip on the game. Booker Bush will start at quarterback and will call the defensive signals at free safety. Justin Fogleman will align at inside linebacker. “With sophomores in the middle of the defense you might worry about it, but with those two guys I don’t,” Lindsley said. Bush “gets the concepts very easily” and Fogleman is “quite possibly our smartest kid in terms of football knowledge and understanding.” On the edge of the defense and potentially in the middle of the offense, sophomore Noah Kaschmitter projects as a key player on both sides of the ball. “Having Noah Kaschmitter with the speed and aggressiveness on the edge, I like our chances,” Lindsley said. • With senior snapper Jon Asker sidelined so far, Grangeville is likely to start 150-pound senior Frankie Zumwalt at center against Moscow’s big Bears. “I’m confident with Frankie playing inside – he had a great camp,” Lindsley said. Senior TJ Wiltse will line up at tight end with senior Jon Chamorro line up at tailback as an aggressive downhill runner. Senior Luke Stokes proved himself a playmaker last year, and is poised to take on a bigger role — not only at his positions at running back and linebacker, but as an experienced standout with a tonesetting personality. “Defensively, every team wants an identity and Luke Stokes is going to give us our identity on defense,” Lindsley said. “Off the field he’s a nice kid, but on the football field, he’s...a very good football
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player.” • If the Bulldogs are lacking in depth, any injury trouble could be big trouble. “Our main challenges are going to be finding where our fits are and staying healthy, because we just don’t have the numbers, which is odd after a championship year,” Lindsley said. “You’d think you’d get this big infusion. This year, it was just the opposite. Some of those freshmen who were part of it and saw everything last year with the state championship, you’d think they’d want to stay on, maybe get one themselves, and instead they quit.” • The weaknesses the Bulldogs didn’t anticipate may give their CIL rivals the opening they’ve been looking for. “Orofino was young last year and has taken on some age, and we’ve kind of taken on the role of what Orofino was last year,” Lindsley said. “St. Maries only lost two or three of the players that give them prominent production and they get a lot of their interior guys back, guys that caused us problems on film last year.” Getting back to the championship game is Grangeville’s overarching aim — if the Bulldogs can survive league play. “Our one goal will stay the same,” Lindsley said. “We only have one. Any way we can, to get to that championship game. Some coaches will hang their hat on going into the playoffs with an unblemished record. We know we’re not going to do that. We’re not supposed to beat Clarkston and Moscow.” “Sure we want to win them,” he said, “but those games aren’t must-wins. Orofino and St. Maries are.”
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2016 Bulldogs Varsity Football Regular season Aug. 26 at Moscow Sept. 8 vs. Clarkston Sept. 16 at McCall Sept. 23 vs. Parma Sept. 29 at Lewiston Oct. 7 vs. St. Maries Oct. 14 at Orofino Oct. 21 BYE
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Grangeville targets district tourney n Grangeville, volleyball turnout had jumped so high two years ago the school board heard public testimony over whether or not a cut policy was needed. Coach Kelcey Edwards didn’t have to cut anyone this year to reach a total of 36 participants among the Bulldogs’ C, JV and varsity teams. In the Central Idaho League, Grangeville and Orofino are looking up at the St Maries team that represented the district at state last year, as the Lumberjacks lost perhaps less to graduation than the seven seniors who graduated from GHS last spring. As has been the pattern the past eight years, the team participated in a summer camp in Grangeville under instruction by Bill Neville. “He comes every other year,” Edwards said. “We had a turnout of 24 girls. It's a two-and-a-half day camp. He brings a couple of people with him, younger people to help him run drills. He's been a big part of what we've done – it's his fourth time here. That was the biggest part of our off-season.” All of the GHS coaches are back: Edwards for his 12th year, assistant Pat Sullivan for his 11th and assistant Sarah Hagen for her 10th. Serving figures to be one of Grangeville’s strengths. Part of Neville’s instruction focused on “moving our serves around, shorter serves, longer serves, and not being afraid to target someone. Some people think that sounds mean, but why do you think other teams serve the way they do to us? If a girl misses a pass we’ll go at her. Our serving can carry us early on.” Edwards’ off-season affords opportunity for Grangeville players to hit the weight room when it’s open — he noted the facility is open to the athletes morning and evening — but said he doesn’t push that. “The weight room is open,” he said. “Kids are busy. I'd say most of them came in in good condition. It helps them when they know there are spots open on varsity and that they're competitive.” Grangeville’s early-season adjustments are about getting five returning players — four who return to the same positions they played last year — into cohesion with several younger players. Junior setter Kally Arnzen is a player Edwards is “looking to take charge as a setter to get the offense going and get everyone involved.” Two senior outside hitters are solid: Maicee Conner and Katrina Frei, who Ed-
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Grangeville’s seniors — Katrina Frei, Sophia Bush, Kenzie Kennedy, Maicee Conner, Kortney Sims and Rachel Kelley — will host the first home volleyball match of the season on Sept. 1 against McCallDonnelly “St. Maries returns a lot as the state representative last year,” GHS coach Kelcey Edwards said. “By default they're the top team. Orofino lost a few kids. We lost seven. I like what we have. We're young and hungry and want to get to state. On paper, St. Maries is supposed to be the best.” Grangeville will visit St. Maries on Sept. 24 and will host them on Oct. 15.
wards said is “almost a mirror to Maicee.” A Bulldog who made strides during the off-season, senior middle Rachel Kelley, is seeing an expanded role with serving in addition to her front row duties. “Rachel has worked hard in the off-season, and she's ready to go,” Edwards said. “She hasn't served for us in the past, but she can serve great.” Senior Kenzie Kennedy has moved from libero to opposite so that she can play all the way around. “I'm carrying one official setter on varsity, but we have two or three who can do well with that,” Edwards said. “She has worked on her serve and like every libero she can pass. We've got her covering stuff for us.” Junior outside hitter Kate Lutz had “a good camp and has kept it going,” Edwards said. “I'm rotating those three. They're all playing at such a high level. They're working hard and that helps.” Sophomores Chloe Dame and Paige Lindsley are “figuring out they belong...and the other girls believe that too,” Edwards said.
He’s seeing a need for the team to communicate better on the floor. “We’re overcovering stuff and having to back off a bit, but that’s a better problem to have than having people standing around,” he said. “One thing we're working on is playing as a team, know your role and know what you're supposed to do.” Grangeville is also working on rolling more with the flow of the game. “Not every ball you hit is going to be a kill and not every serve is going to be an ace,” he said. “That's not a failure, that's part of the game. Sometimes the ball has just got to go over the net. If you do go for a hard serve or a hard hit, and you hit it out, what do you learn from that? We're talking a lot about that.” He’s seeing more talking on the floor and less of the kind of body language young athletes sometimes use to show irritation. “I think part of that is coming through,” Edwards said. “Sometimes girls kind of drop their heads and roll their eyes and get mad at each other. I'm seeing
a lot more of teammates coming over to each other and saying 'Hey, step it up.’” League play starts Sept. 20 with a home game against Orofino, and GHS is set to visit St. Maries on Sept. 24. “We're going to be right there,” Edwards said of how he sees this team stacking up against the CIL. “St. Maries returns a lot as the state representative last year,” he said. “By default they're the top team. Orofino lost a few kids. We lost seven. I like what we have. We're young and hungry and want to get to state. On paper, St. Maries is supposed to be the best.” “We have games and the district tournament for a reason,” he noted. Edwards said Grangeville has goals beyond what he wants to say publicly. “We have some goals,” he said. “Win the district. Get to state. We have others. The girls have ones that are personal for them.” Grangeville’s schedule includes a number of team the Bulldogs haven’t often played in recent years, including McCall and Colton.
2016 Bulldogs Varsity Volleyball Regular season Aug. 25 at Kendrick w/CV, 5 p.m. Aug. 27 at Logos, 2 p.m. Sept. 1 vs. McCall Sept. 6 at McCall Sept. 8 vs. Cascade Sept. 13 vs. Colton Sept. 15 vs. Prairie Sept. 17 vs. Grangeville Tournament, 9 a.m. Sept. 20 vs. Orofino Sept. 24 at St. Maries, 1 p.m. Sept. 26 at Kamiah w/Deary Sept. 29 vs. Kendrick Oct. 1 at Genesee Tourney Oct. 11 at Prairie Oct. 12 at Orofino Oct. 15 vs. St. Maries, 1 p.m. Except as noted, JV plays at 6 p.m. with varsity to follow.
The first-ever Grangeville soccer team has taken the field three times already, against Moscow, Timberlake and Orofino. Hosting the team’s first-ever home game on Sept. 6 against Orofino will be (from left): Faith Bruzas, coach Mike Connolley, Brenda Gomez, Tessa Godfrey, Mickey Nelson, Ryan Ruklic, Ethan Bonn, Patrick Schumacher, Michael Told, Amador Perez, Mauricio Valle, Alejandro Kopczynski, Clayton Brown, Jesus Perez, Adrian Ramirez, Abby Asker, coach John Cuffe, Illyana Barela, Yadira Rojas and coach Joel Gomez; not pictured are team members Noah VanDomelen, Hunter Connolley, Ammon Dewey, Lauren Goldman, Zach Stoner and Victoria Williams.
Bulldogs home date slated 5 p.m. Sept. 6
The GHS soccer program is competing co-ed this fall, and aims to have boys and girls teams competing in the Intermountain League next fall.
As of Aug. 24, Grangeville’s official soccer schedule, which is online at SCHEDULES . SCHEDULESTAR . COM / GRANGEVILLE-HIGH-SCHOOLG RANGEVILLE -ID listed a total
Pictured are Abby Asker and Jesus Perez on the field during Grangeville’s Aug. 20 visit to Moscow.
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of seven dates for this, the squad’s first season, and three of those have come and gone. Up next is the first home game in the program’s history, Sept. 6 against Orofino.
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Prairie Shooting at top spot A
close encounter with a second consecutive 1AD1 title ended with Valley holding the trophy and the Pirates wondering what might have been. This fall, across the Whitepine League, eight-man teams are reloading and setting their sights on the next Milk Bowl. “Obviously we had experience, guys who had been playing on varsity three years, good leadership and good talent all-around,” coach Ryan Hasselstrom said. “Coming off the state championship the year before, we knew we'd be pretty good. Going into the year last year, we didn't miss a beat. Kids knew what they were supposed to do, so we got into stuff pretty quick. This year, at the end of June we had a good week of football camp over in Butte, Mont. and we only had a couple of guys with any varsity experience. The kids stepped up pretty well for camp.” That was in June, and the Prairie boys stepped into August with a sense of how they’d line up this fall. “Camp was a lot of position filling, figuring out who was going to be in the positions we had left after the seniors last year graduated,” Hasselstrom said. “Lucas Wemhoff and Brandon Anderson were the only two returning defensive players and offensive players we had. We had six po-
Powering Prairie’s push for a playoff return will be seniors Brandon Anderson, Tyson Schlader, Raice Dalgliesh and Lucas Wemhoff. Anderson and Wemhoff return with significant varsity experience. “We're building off of a JV group that went undefeated last year and we've got to look at the fact that everybody in the league is going to be a little more even this year,” PHS coach Ryan Hasselstrom said. “A lot of games are going to come down to who makes the best decisions and who plays the hardest.”
2016 Pirates Varsity Football Regular season sitions to fill on defense and six on offense to fill. So we had guys who stepped in and had mini-tryouts.” After sorting out some position battles PHS “didn't really do much, some weight room time, but not a lot,” for the remainder of the off-season, Hasselstrom said. “We had kids scattered all over the place. It's hard to get them to commit to too much....We like to give them those six or seven weeks off from camp until fall ball
starts. I think it's good. It rests them up a little bit. These guys have been all the way through state, then all the way through state basketball, then all the way through state baseball. A little bit of rest, I think, is good for them.” One of the fixtures on Prairie’s sideline, assistant coach Ron Sigler, stepped aside. “He's been a staple to the staff the last 12 years, 13 years,” Hasselstrom said. The Pirates are leaning on many more
Sept. 2 vs. Genesee Sept. 9 at Salmon River Sept. 16 at Council Sept. 23 vs. CV Sept. 30 at Kamiah Oct. 7 vs. Troy Oct. 15 vs. Wallace, JV at 1 p.m., varsity follows. Oct. 21 at Potlatch Oct. 28 vs. Lapwai
younger players than they have in recent years, drawing on a strong JV squad — and it happens to coincide with big transitions elsewhere in the Whitepine League. “We're building off of a JV group that went undefeated last year and we've got to look at the fact that everybody in the league is going to be a little more even
Except as noted, 7 p.m. kickoffs.
See Pirates, Page 7C
PHS girls gunning for a threepeat s of press time, Prairie’s winning streak on the volleyball courts — a run that began in August 2015 — continued into the tough early part of the 2016 teams Whitepine League slate. The Pirates finished 29-3 overall and won their second consecutive state title, and last lost a match at the Lewiston Tournament. The same tournament falls on Aug. 27 this year, and close after, PHS will put the streak on the line against two of the Whitepine League teams coach Cheyenne Hudson sees as contenders in the district. “Our hitting was incredibly strong last year,” she said. “We had a lot of firepower. We didn't have just one hitter — we had three or four we could go to on a consistent basis. Our defense was pretty strong, so obviously that helps our offense be able to hit. Defense and offense go hand in hand.” Prairie’s deeper strength grew from unity of purpose and sharp floor talk. “Our overall strength was our communication, and that all those girls wanted to be there,” Hudson said. Graduated are outside hitters Krystin
Five Prairie players return as the Pirates aim to defend their 1AD1 titles: Angela Wemhoff, Chaye Uptmor, Sydney Bruner, Mykaela McWilliams and Leah Higgins.
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Uhlenkott and Sarah Seubert, middle Shayla VonBargen and setter Hailey Danly. Prairie will lean on two hitters to work in Uhlenkott’s role, two setters in Danly’s, two in VonBargen’s and Chaye Uptmor to bring the kind of calm confidence Seubert brought to the floor. Stepping into VonBargen’s shoes means contending with one of the state’s strongest middles, Abbey Blum of Troy. “Shayla was an amazing hitter but her blocking was even more important because it allowed our defense to set up and perform,” Hudson said. “But they're all big
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holes to fill. I think we're going to do it. The girls are hungry for more. They want that third title. Threepeat is the girls' motto this year. They come to practice with that purpose every day – they've had a taste of it and they're working very hard for it. Everybody says 'Oh, you lost so much.' And we did, but these girls are stepping into that.” Angela Wemhoff — a junior who will share setting responsibilities with sophomore Madison Pecarovich in a 6-2 system — made the point on the first day of Pirates practice.
“She said it perfectly,” Hudson said. “We have to step up. Nobody else is going to do it for us. We have to step up.' And everybody has taken that to heart...There's going to be a lot of progression throughout the year as they step into those roles.” Prairie’s off-season included a setters clinic, a team camp and attendance at the LCSC team tournament. “Then we just do a lot of open gyms, things like that,” Hudson said. “I give
Devin’s
See PHS v-ball, Page 7C
Aug. 25 vs. Kamiah Aug. 27 at Lewiston Tourney Aug. 30 at Genesee Sept. 1 at Troy Sept. 8 vs. Lapwai Sept. 13 vs. Orofino w/CV Sept. 15 at Grangeville Sept. 20 at Kamiah Sept. 22 vs. Genesee Sept. 24 at Border Battle Tourney Sept. 27 at Lapwai Sept. 29 vs. Troy Oct. 4 at Orofino Oct. 8 at CV w/ Potlatch Oct. 11 vs. Grangeville Oct. 13 at Potlatch Varsity plays after a JV match most nights.
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For their second season, the Prairie cross-country squad has six regular season dates lined up for their run to the state meet at Pocatello. They are (back row, from left) coach Jenny Arnzen, coach Dave Young and head coach Glenn Poxleitner, James Villamor, Luis Samper Flores, Ryan Glimp, Brandon Latimer, Grant Gehring, Kendra Duclos; and, front row, Callie Perrin, Jessie Sonnen, Kylie Tidwell, Ciara Chaffee, Madison Ulmer, Kodi Tidwell, Jacey Rambo, Hope McIntire and Sierah Poxleitner.
Gehring, Tidwell poised for ‘breakout’ seasons lenn Poxleitner’s first season at the helm of the Prairie High School cross-country team saw several Pirates make significant gains, he said, to the degree that a couple are poised for what he called “breakout seasons.” The gains came in part due to participation by cross-country runners in PHS track last spring, and can’t be chalked up to a regimented off-season. That’s because, as a “non-funded deal,” the PHS fall running program doesn’t hold camps or put much pressure on runners to follow a prescription to log more miles on foot. “We put information out as far as running camps people could go to, and we've encouraged them to run through the offseason, but we did not put any pressure on anyone to do that,” he said. “We had a lot of kids run track during the spring, so the track program picked up some of our cross-country kids who had never run track before.” Two — 2015 state medalist Kylie Tidwell on the girls side and Grant Gehring on the boys side — are poised to have big years. “We have a couple of runners who can have break-out type seasons for crosscountry because of the training they got from cross-country and from track,”
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Poxleitner said. “As far as special activities or training, I don't think we accomplished a lot because it's individual efforts by people who decided they want to be in shape for cross-country season.” Of Gehring he said: “I'm expecting a breakout season for Grant Gehring. Last year was the first time he'd ever run anything. Cross-country was new to him, so we did some fundamental things with him. He improved dramatically, and he's now leaps and bounds ahead in terms of his physical condition. I don't want to make it sound like there isn't anybody else there, but he's definitely one I expect to have a great season.” Of Tidwell, he said: “I never know whether to say too much about it but Kylie Tidwell was our state medal winner last year and I think she may improve upon that placing. She definitely has some potential. We have some new girls and we're sitting at 10-plus girls on the team.” He also pointed out leadership shown by the squad’s most experienced crosscountry runner: “I'd mention Ryan Glimp, who has the most cross-country seasons out of everybody on the team. He ran at Craigmont when we didn't have a program, and his leadership on our team is going to be valuable.” The team’s personality is still coming together.
“I think that's a battle every coach takes on during the first part of the season,” he said. “Last year, with nobody having cross-country experience, I don't think they thought they could complete the course and do well. Once we got a few meets under our belt, they gelled into a team concept and whoever came in first was back there cheering on the people behind them. I really feel like this team – a team of boys and more than a team of girls – so I think there's a competitiveness for those positions and I think they just want to do well.” The state meet is to be held in Pocatello, and Poxleitner said the squad is interested in making the cut. “They would all like to go to Pocatello for state,” he said. “There's motivation behind what they do, and because it is individualized, every person matters. Every individual on that team matters how they run, how they do. Our coaches are very centered on making individuals better. It's not about winning, it's about improving and proving to themselves they can do this.” That’s a matter of helping young runners build self-confidence. “There's a lot of building these kids up and proving to them they can compete,” Poxleitner said. While a Sept. 1 meet at Grangeville is possible, the Sept. 10 meet at Asotin is
sure to be a big one, with approximately 50 varsity girls and 50 varsity boys running. “I bet they have 300 kids down there in total,” Poxleitner said. “It's a neat course, it's a short course, but from any point on that whole track you can see the river. It's a really beautiful area to run.” A key meet for the Pirates last year was at Moscow, where they’ll visit on Sept. 21. “I think maybe where our team came together the most was at Moscow,” Poxleitner said. “The Moscow meet is probably the most elevation-changing course. It has a major hill in it, and it's a little bit more rugged. When those kids finished that race, with their sprints to the finish, they proved to themselves they can do this. The Moscow meet is very challenging but it is a confidence booster.” The team is preparing by running hills, including taking on a mile-long incline behind Prairie High. “The neat part is the coaches run and do all the workouts with our kids,” he said. “Dave Young, Jenny Arnzen and myself are probably in the best shape we're in all year long. Hopefully that's a motivation to the kids, too. I think it helps when the coaches are right in the middle of everything.” He’s anticipating a few more will turn out to join the team this fall, with a total count of 15-18 runners.
2016 Pirates Cross Country Regular season Sept. 1 at Grangeville Sept. 10 at Asotin Sept. 17 at Clarkston Sept. 21 at Moscow Oct. 1 at Lewiston Oct. 13 at Troy
PHS v-ball: Defensive strength to translate to strong offense as team grows Continued from Page 6C them information on other camps in the area. Some of them go, some of them don't. Some of them do basketball instead. I try to balance it out, because I don't want them burnt out by the time the season starts,” Hudson said. “I do basic stuff, open gyms and stuff, and I just want them to go enjoy their summer and come
back in August ready to go. Coaching stability has been a strength for Prairie. “Me and Marlene, we work well together,” Hudson said. “I wouldn't want to work with anyone else. She balances me out really well. She's a great person.” Prairie’s immediate strength is defense, and Hudson anticipates the offense will follow. “Defensively, they are relent-
less in pursuit of the ball,” she said. “Not a whole lot drops as long as there's no communication errors. I think it'll get better as the season goes along. Not all of these girls have a lot of court experience so they have to get comfortable playing in their areas....We have new hitters and they have to get comfortable in their new roles and get better as the season goes on.”
The Pirates are also mentally tough, she said. She said 26 turned out, and 10 are rostered with the varsity. “This year, Angela, I'm really excited to have in a 6-2 because she's come a long way as a hitter,” Hudson said. “She gets into the front row and becomes an offensive threat. Everybody wants to hit. Trying to convince a setter to be a setter, a 6-2 allows them
still to hit. For Angela, that plays to her strengths.” The young Pirates may face some growing pains, but “growth will need to happen throughout the season to get us to where we need to be,” Hudson said. “And I mean mental growth, growth in the confidence of their skill level on the floor and creating a cohesive unit. ... Everybody wants that title, but when it comes
down to it, if you win a state title and you're not having any fun, what's the point? So we have to make sure we are enjoying this game as we go through this process. That fun will get us through the frustrating parts.” The journey can be a joy, but it’s also a joy to win. “Don't get me wrong,” Hudson said. “I like being able to say we have two state titles back to back.
Pirates: Strong in the league despite uncertainty Kubs: Inexperienced, and gaining confidence Continued from Page 6C
this year,” Hasselstrom said. “I think our young guys should be able to step in and play. A lot of games are going to come down to who makes the best decisions and who plays the hardest. I don't see a lot of blowouts this year. I think the games are going to be a lot tighter. The more we can do to have our kids ready to play this year, I like our chances.” The Pirates face a lack of experience and depth. “We don't have a real deep well we can go to with kids of size and experience, not like we've had in the past,” Hasselstrom said. “It's going to be a big challenge for us. Team speed will
be a big challenge. Troy and Kamiah will both have team speed. Lapwai will have team speed. Hopefully we can figure out a matchup to that.” Around the Whitepine League many teams are in stages of rebuilding — and that makes it hard to tell who might be best. “You've got four new coaches, Troy, Potlatch, Kamiah and Genesee,” he said. “I think most teams lost a pretty good handful of seniors with the exception of Troy. I see it being pretty balanced. Friday night's games [Aug. 26] we're off, so we get to watch how some of the other teams perform. We open up with Genesee next Friday, and that's going to be a big game for us. I don't
know. Right now, it's probably anybody's ballgame. Lapwai, if they get all their kids together like they ended last season with, they're going to be really tough.” Prairie’s lineup features fixtures at tailback, a platoon at quarterback and a young bunch of linemen. “Offensively, we have Brandon Anderson at fullback and Lucas Wemhoff at tailback.... Lucas started there last year and Brandon filled in for Calvin Hinkelman,” Hasselstrom said. “Those two on offense are locked down and on defense at linebacker and corner.” At quarterback, PHS will split time between sophomore Spencer Schumacher and senior
Tyson Schlader, Hasselstrom said. “Those guys are battling for a spot,” he said. “They have their own strengths and weaknesses. We'll probably rotate them – they each bring something different.” On the line, PHS will promote three or four from the JV. “They're just going to have to get it done,” Hasselstrom said. “Receivers, they're inexperienced and tight. Not a lot there right now for sure. Our front line will be ok. Our linebacker core will be ok. Our secondary will be ok. We're 10 days into practice right now, and hopefully by next Friday [Sept. 2] we'll look a little more sharp than we do right now.”
Continued from Page 2C teeth. I do see us working hard and gaining confidence in pracbody but one who actually start- tice.” ed.” • The gap between the That’s Chris Olive, who started at center last year and figures Whitepine League elite and the to line up at defensive end as rest of the WPL appears to have narrowed, though with the likes well this season. Under center will be Kaleb of Genesee and Prairie in their Oatman, a “big, strong kid“ who way, the Kubs now appear to saw varsity time as a reserve last face an uphill climb. “I don’t see any teams runyear. Others who saw limited action include seniors Brad Knight ning away with it this year,” and Tanner Christopherson, who Kludt said. “Finishing at or above figure in at defensive end and .500 would be good. Our first goal is, we want to make the cornerback, respectively. “Gaining experience is the playoffs and win our rivalry number one goal,” Kludt said. game. We need to play well “These kids will have to cut their every week.”
Savages: Non-league schedule holds three Whitepine teams, no letdowns Continued from Page 3C The 2015 titlists “had a fire that wouldn’t quit,” Shepherd said. “Beau’d was a very emotional player Sometimes he let his emotions get the best of him, but to play football, you have to play at a high level emotionally. That team adapted that kind of play and what you could call the love of the game has carried over into this group. If they play with the kind of fire I know they can play with, we should be real effective.” And some more sleight of hand may be in order against TriValley and Council — teams whose physical advantages Salmon River will need to find a way to counter in order to advance. “Our lack of size is our biggest challenge,” Shepherd said. “We’re going to be outsized against Tri-Valley and against Council. We’re going to have to use technique and smarts, be-
cause if it turns into a smashmouth deal, we’ll have our hands full. We just don’t have the mass to match other teams. Big teams, we’re going to have to out-finesse them somehow, and I guess as a coach, that’s where I earn my money. I’m going to have to figure out a way to do it.” A year ago, the Savages “didn’t expect to win our league or district and we definitely didn’t expect to win state,” Shepherd said. This year? “We want to make a run deep into the playoffs,” he said. “We’re trying to go game by game, but our ultimate goal is to at least make the post-season.” The Savages held their first annual football camp, and performed well at it, Shepherd said. “We had five teams show up and I was real pleased with how we performed, having young kids with their first go at the varsity level and they performed re-
ally well, with how confident and effective they were. I was really pleased with our summer workouts.” Shepherd looks at summer rest as an important ingredient in his team’s success. “A few kids were pretty steady at the weight room, but for the most part we had time off, to give the kids a little bit of a break,” he said. “You know they went all 12 games last season and then right into basketball and right into track. They tend to get a little run down and I’m a firm believer of giving them a break...so when they come into football in the fall, they’re hungry again.” And they are. “I think we’re amped up and playing with good enthusiasm for being early,” Shepherd said. “With our schedule as it is, it’s not too hard to get excited for playing some of the better teams in the state early. I don’t think
there’s going to be any letdown from week to week for us.” Salmon River’s early run includes visits to Kamiah, Colton and Wilder, and visits from Prairie and Lapwai. “It’s a great preseason schedule if you’re wanting to make your team the best it can be,” he said. The Savages will face it with the same staff — with Ty Medley coordinating the defense and Dennis Fredrickson developing the offensive line. On the whole, Shepherd sees the team as deeper than it has been in recent years. “At the skill positions I think we’re going to be a little bit faster than we were,” he said. “We might not be quite as physical as we were, and that’s something we can grow into. We’re a little bit stronger at the offensive line positions, and a little bit smaller, so it’s give-and-take there. Inexperience at the offensive line is
going to be a big obstacle to overcome.” Salmon River has much of the 2015 core still in place, minus leading rusher Devin Buys, and got “a couple of pleasant additions,” Shepherd said. “As we get them trained up into our system, they’ll complement it really well.” Note the senior transfer from Capital High School, Clayton Shepherd, who hasn’t played football previously, but who Shepherd knows can be effective. “You might say I know he has potential to be a good ballplayer because it’s in the blood,” he said. “He’s my nephew. He has the physical attributes to play any skill position, if he gets trained up and learned up.” That said, Shepherd sees TriValley and Council as Long Pin Conference leaders. “Tri-Valley is who I’d pick to win it because they bring so
many kids back, they’re so big and so athletic,” he said. “They’ve got a great big team, as far as size and numbers, and they’ve got depth as far as size and speed.” He held out praise for one Lumberjack in particular. “Council in my opinion has the best player in the state in JT Mahon,” Shepherd said. “As far as being an athlete and a football player, he’s the total package.” Salmon River’s key players are no slouches: Harper will “make teams chase him” while lining up at a variety of skill positions. “He’s obviously a playmaker so we want to get the ball into his hands any way and every way we can.” So will Boyd. “He’ll trade off at receiver and at quarterback and we’ll try to keep people guessing,” Shepherd said. And that won’t be Salmon River’s only misdirection.
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August 31, 2016
Clearwater Valley Clearwater Valley’s football team is senior-led and hungry for on-field success in the daunting Whitepine League. Pictured are the 2016 Rams (from left): back row, Ty Dominguez, Kade Ketola, Zack Krieger, Carson Morrow, Trae Dominguez, Keiran Owens, Mitchell Morrow, Lane Schilling, Tyce Pfefferkorn, Davis McElroy and Ashton Mendenhall; front row, Jace Summers, Arden Reuben, Corbin Edwards, Christian Fabbi, Tate Pfefferkorn, Trey Pfefferkorn, Wade Schilling, Austin Corey and manager Kaden Krieger.
Speedy Pfefferkorn gives CV an edge on the edge peed is king in eight-man football, and for pure speed, there may be no faster tailback in the Whitepine League than Trey Pfefferkorn. That’s based in part on the all-league award he earned as a defensive back last fall, and in part on the 1A state track meet, where Pfefferkorn and two Kamiah athletes were separated by two-hundredths of a second. One of those Kubs graduated; the other, Brad Knight, Pfefferkorn nicked by one hundredth. Pfefferkorn is one of seven seniors CV will field this fall, with an alignment featuring Mitch Morrow taking the snap
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from Keiran Owens, who will be flanked by guards Dawson Fisher and Mitchell Nuxoll. In formation with quarterback Mitch Morrow in the backfield will be junior fullback Zack Krieger, senior ends Taylor Roy and Trey Dominguez, and junior end Carson Morrow. “Our lineup for next Friday we know,” coach Kolby Krieger said, “but the beautiful thing about having 30 kids out is we know guys will be working hard in practice.” The Rams struggled last year, but they’ve come into the new season “fired up and ready to play some football,” Krieger said.
Krieger will be assisted by former CV head coach Marty Smith and former Rams standouts Allen Hutchens and Craig Pfefferkorn. “I’ve got a huge senior class and 12 freshmen,” Krieger said. “It’s a talented group. I’m excited.” It would take probably, five wins to land a top-three finish in the Whitepine League, and the pecking order in the WPL is less clear than it has been recently. The Rams won one game last year, in a Week 1 romp over non-league Cascade, but the schedule this year opens with a meet-in-the-middle road game against WPL newcomer Wallace Sept. 2 at the
Kibbie Dome. Wallace is one of several District I football teams to join the WPL; Clark Fork, Lakeside, Kootenai and Mullan have all joined the lower division. The upper division, Krieger said, is “a big huge question mark.” The Rams goal is to climb into the top three and “grab a state spot,” Krieger said. “We’re starting behind. I’ve been pushing these guys. We’ve got to get better quick to catch up with the Genesees and the Prairies that went to a camp this year.” “Prairie could come out and be so dominant again — it wouldn’t surprise me,” Krieger said. “But they lost quite a bit. I think the league is wide open.”
2016 Rams Varsity Football Regular season Sept. 2 vs. Wallace at Kibbie Dome Sept. 9 vs. Kamiah Sept. 16 vs. Timberline Sept. 23 at Prairie Sept. 30 at Lapwai Oct. 7 vs. Pomeroy Oct. 14 at Potlatch Oct. 21 vs. Troy Oct. 28 at Genesee 7 p.m. kickoffs.
The Clearwater Valley varsity volleyball squad boasts a mix of experience and new talent. Pictured are (from left): Mikaela Herrick, Hannah Bandle, Martina Dioni, Kacee Costa, Harmony Edmondson, Jade Dutcher, Emilie Anttila, Morgan Loughran, Averie Proctor, Rauny Davis, Taylor Pfefferkorn and Torrie Pfefferkorn.
Rams make strides “A I n Kooskia, the return of one of Clearwater Valley’s outstanding alums to the sidelines — now as an assistant to head coach Carrie Mangun — is giving the volleyball program a big bump. Mikel Harrington, who went from CVHS to Blue Mountain Community College, coached the junior high squad last year and is boosting the JV and varsity squads this season. “She has been a huge asset to the team,” Mangun said. “She’s able to jump in and show them things that I’m trying to explain.” Some of the Rams made strides this past off-season. “We had a camp in June,” Mangun said. “Unfortunately we only had two returning varsity players show up, but a lot of JV players did show up and a lot of junior high players came. The amount of knowledge they got from that, I can see the difference in those players. They’re advanced more than they were at the end of the season last year.”
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lot of JV players did show up and a lot of junior high players came. The amount of improvement they got from that, I can see...they’re advanced more than they were at the end of last season.”
— Carrie Mangun Clearwater Valley volleyball head coach on the Rams’ summer camp CV has 26 out for volleyball this season, including seven freshmen, one of whom — Kacee Costa — is jumping in with the varsity. “She’s a homeschool kid who looks like she has been playing for quite a while,” Mangun said. “I’ve got five seniors and they were like, ‘Yeah, come on’ and took it on like they’ve all been playing together forever. It’s nice to have a group of girls who are so accepting of each other.” Another newcomer to the varsity roster is Martina Dioni, a 5-6 exchange student who is “a strong hitter, smart and very conscious of where to place it,” Mangun
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said. “She plays year-round, but their year-round in Europe could be different from ours. I wasn’t sure what I’d be getting from her, but she’s very aware of when she needs to pass it or set it instead of going for the hard hit.” Middle Morgan Loughran is “hitting a lot harder and a lot more consistent, and I’ve even got her hitting back row,” Mangun said. “She has beautiful passes and strong hands.” The Rams graduated setter Shalynn Gutzman and are running sophomore Mikaela Herrick at that position now. “Last year she went between JV and
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varsity,” Mangun said. “I’ve seen her getting stronger with her sets. She has big shoes to fill, and she’s adapting pretty well. She’s mixing it up between everybody, not just going to one hitter or one spot.” Taylor Pfefferkorn is hitting outside, with Averie Proctor in the middle and Torrie Pfefferkorn at libero. “Timing is a challenge, moving our feet to get to the ball, knowing which area is whose responsibility, and jumping right in,” Mangun said. “There’s no better way to start than with a non-league game, to work the kinks out.” The league includes a number of tough matchups, including perennial powerhouses at Genesee, Troy and Prairie. “With the amount of seniors we have and the amount of talent on the team, we want to make it through districts and go to state,” Mangun said. Having opened league play Aug. 30 at Troy, the Rams host their first home games of the season Sept. 1 against Lapwai and Sept. 6 against Kamiah.
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2016 Rams
Varsity Volleyball
Regular season
Aug. 25 at Kendrick w/ G’ville Aug. 30 at Troy Sept. 1 vs. Lapwai Sept. 6 vs. Kamiah Sept. 12 at Timberline Sept. 13 at Prairie, 4:30 p.m. Sept. 17 G’ville Tourney, 9 a.m. Sept. 19 at Highland Sept. 24 at Potlatch Sept. 27 at Genesee Sept. 29 at Lapwai Oct. 3 vs. Troy, 4 p.m. w/ Genesee Oct. 8 vs. Prairie, 1 p.m. w/ Potlatch Oct. 10 vs. Highland Oct. 11 at Kamiah Oct. 13 vs. Timberline Except as indicated, JV plays at 6 p.m. most nights with varsity to follow.
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