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Gooding High School
School Info
Conference: 3A Sawtooth Central Idaho Conference
Classification: 3A
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Head Coach: Cameron Andersen
Years as Head Coach: 7th Season
Previous Experience: 3 years Head Coach Hansen, 2 years Assistant Murtaugh
Record Last Year: 9-3
State Titles: 1984, 1985
Assistant Coaches:
Adrian Celaya
Chuck Pavkov
Ed Pinger,
Tyrone Hutchings
Chris Comstock
Kelly Jennings
Brodie Parrott
Lonnie Funkhouser
Shawn Newland
Returning Players:
Offense:
Bryson Comstock – WR – Senior
Jack Darcy – WR – Senior
Shawn Pamplona – WR – Junior
Cayden Loveland – WR – Sophomore
Mike Needham – RB – Junior
Derik Wright – G – Senior
Colton Adkinson – C – Junior
Paul Inglin – G – Junior
Andrew Carter – T – Junior
Gavin Gaspar – T – Sophomore
(Started D but moving to QB) Tyler Visser – QB – Senior
Defense:
Tyler Visser – CB – Senior (Moving to QB)
Sam Funkhouser – S – Junior
Ruger Jennings – LB – Junior
Jed Hilt – SS – Senior
Austin Ericson – S – Senior
Sam Brown – DL – Senior
Dylan Reeves – DL – Senior
Shawn Pamplona – DB - Junior
Returning Players with Honors:
Bryson Comstock – WR – 1st Team All-State, 1st Team All-Conference
Shawn Pamplona – WR – 2nd Team All-Conference
Mike Needham – RB – 1st Team All-Conference
Derik Wright – G – 2nd Team All-State, 1st Team All-Conference
Colton Adkinson – C – 1st Team All-Conference
Paul Inglin – G – 2nd Team All-State, 1st Team All-Conference
Andrew Carter – T – 2nd Team All-Conference
Defense:
Tyler Visser – CB – 2nd Team All-State, 1st Team All-Conference
Sam Funkhouser – S – 1st Team All-Conference
Ruger Jennings – LB – 2nd Team All-Conference, 1st Team All-Conference
Key Players lost from last year:
Offense:
Wyatt Williams – QB – 1st Team All-State, SCIC Conference Offensive MVP, USA Today All-Idaho
Defense:
Jed Pierson – FS – 2nd Team All-State, SCIC Conference Defensive MVP, Leading Tackler
Clancy Cockerham – CB – 1st Team All-State, 1st Team All-Conference, USA Today All-Idaho
Walker Mink – DL – 1st Team All State, 1st Team All-Conference, Most Sacks
Brandon Johnson – DL – 1st Team All-Conference
Spencer Ferguson – SS – 1st Team All-Conference
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Photo By: Kelly Magee - #4 Bryson Comstock
Incoming impact players:
Tyler Visser – QB – Senior
Cade Morris – SS/RB – Sophomore
Dane Chance – DL – Junior
Blake Craig – DL – Sophomore
Jake McGinnis – DL – Sophomore
Brady Metcalf – CB – Sophomore
Jayden Mullins – LB – Sophomore
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Team Preview:
Written by: Sven Alskog
After a playoff run that will be remembered for many years, the Gooding Senators are back in 2016 looking to start off right where they left off.
First Team All-State quarterback Wyatt Williams hands the keys to the ignition of the offense to new patrol man Tyler Visser. Fortunately for the new signal caller, the Senators return every other starter on offense, giving him plenty of firepower to work with.
The returners on the offensive side of the ball are led by a dominant offensive line featuring three First Team All-Conference players from last season and one Second Team honoree. Guards Derik Wright and Paul Inglin open up gaping holes from the inside of the line, with both being named Second Team All-State for their work in 2015.
With the beef back up front, Gooding should once again be able to spread the field at will, starting with a receiving core led by one of the top all-around athletes in the state in Bryson Comstock, who is complemented well by Shawn Pamplona.
The strength is obvious.
"Experience! We return 10 starters from the 3A State Championship game on offense. Bryson Comstock might be the best receiver in the state regardless of classification," said Head Coach Cameron Andersen. "Tyler Visser brings a big arm and playmaking ability with his feet to the quarterback position. Offensive line is the biggest we have ever had. Mike Needham was a 1400-yard back as a sophomore and [we] look for big things as a junior."
With the expected success of the offense, the success of the 2016 Gooding Senators will hinge heavily on how a youthful defense does in slowing down the opposition.
Andersen has a good piece back in place to bring the leadership needed to make that happen.
"[Our] strength is speed and physicality. Ruger Jennings has the highest football IQ of any defensive player I have ever coached. Sam Funkhouser will move to free safety and at 6’3" and 200 pounds he will bring a hammer to that position," said Andersen.
Replacing stalwarts such as free safety Jed Pierson, cornerback Clancy Cockerham and defensive linemen Walker Mink and Brandon Johnson will be a tough task for Gooding, but one that the squad is looking forward to trying to accomplish.
The head man mentioned the run game on both sides of the ball as an area of focus. Offensively the Senators need to improve at running the ball in big situations, while defensively they have to find a way to stop the ground game.
One thing is for certain though, Gooding will be tested early and often with what Andersen is calling one of the toughest schedules in school history.
"In the non-conference we play South Fremont, Nampa Christian, Fruitland, Jerome and Shelley. Hopefully it prepares us for what should be a tougher Kimberly team in conference," he said. "We must use the non-conference schedule to prepare for an improving Buhl and Filer team, but most importantly for a very strong Kimberly team. We expect Kimberly to be among the best teams in the state."
Gooding begins 2016 with what will be a high-emotion season opener hosting South Fremont on August 26, a rematch of a 2015 State Quarterfinal which the Senators took 34-33 on a missed game-winning field goal try.
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