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Salmon River High School
School Info
Conference: 1AD2 Long Pin Conference
Classification: 1A D2
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Head Coach: Charlie Shepherd
Years as Head Coach: 8th Season
Record Last Year: 10-1
State Titles: 1999, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015
Assistant Coaches:
Ty Medley
Mike Shepherd
Dennis Fredrickson
Returning Players:
Tucker Boyd, QB/S, 12
Joe Fredrickson, OL/DL, 11
Canyon Harper, RB/LB, 10
Returning Players with Honors:
Gabe Gonzalez, First Team All-Idaho and All-League DL
Canyon Harper, Second Team All-Idaho WR
Key Players lost from last year:
Devin Buys, RB. Hard to replace league rushing leader.
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Photo By: Jason Duchow - #21 Canyon Harper
Incoming impact players:
Randy McClure, OL/DL, 10
Jordan Parham, RB/DB, 12
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Team Preview:
Written by: Sven Alskog
Everything seemed to turn on the right cylinders for the Salmon River Savages in 2015.
Whether it was a dominant defense holding opponents below 20 points on six separate occasions or an offensive unit slicing up the opposition for over 40 points six times, week in and week out the Savages gave headaches to whoever they were playing.
Expect that trend to continue.
The biggest loss for eighth year Head Coach Charlie Shepherd is one of those guys coaches describe as irreplaceable.
Devin Buys, the leading rusher in the league last season, will now give way to a backfield to be led by sophomore Canyon Harper, a Second Team All-State receiver last year as a freshman. While Harper has large shoes to fill, he will be helped by the return of senior quarterback Tucker Boyd and line stalwart Joe Fredrickson.
"[We have] a balanced attack and a good experience base of players," said Shepherd.
Salmon River will look to reduce mistakes by playing more disciplined on the offensive side of the ball.
According to the man who has helped lead the Savages to four state championships during his time at the patrols on the sideline, this group will need to win the time of possession battle and the turnover ratio to reach its peak potential.
While the group played well for the most part defensively last year, there is always areas for improvement.
"[Our] defensive line is very strong," said Shepherd. "Defense is experienced. We are hoping to create more turnovers."
That defensive front is highlighted by Gabe Gonzalez, a First Team All-Idaho selection for his efforts last season.
With a program which has been so successful over recent history, the key is to continue to respect the tradition, which is the theme for the upcoming campaign.
Council and Tri-Valley will be big matchups for Salmon River. In 2015 the Savages pulled out a six point victory over the Lumberjacks and a two touchdown win over the Titans. The Council game could very well be for the conference title, with the battle scheduled for October 14 in Riggins.
On a yearly basis you can expect this team to be competitive for a state title, and there is no reason to expect anything less this time around either.
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