Team Preview:
Written by: Will Hoenike
There’s a line of thought out there that old, veteran coaches become set in their ways. Many would likely argue that Declo’s Kelly Kidd, one of the state’s longest-tenured (and successful) head coaches could be viewed that way. Declo does what it does on the football field and it’s up to the opponent to stop the Hornets.
But don’t accuse Kidd, entering his 21st season at Declo, of being an old stick-in-the-mud. How many coaches do you know that have a returning all-state running back from a team that reached the state championship game, and yet would take its returning all-state offensive lineman and move him to … quarterback?
That’s what is happening at Declo this fall, at least some of the time. Kidd is taking McKay Breshears, who was second-team All-Idaho as a sophomore, and using him part-time at quarterback this fall.
“Last year’s starting quarterback, Tanner Schroeder, will share time with Breshears at QB,” Kidd told IdahoSports.com. “Breshears is a big, rugged QB. Tanner is small and quick.”
So, you may ask, why would Kidd do that?
Two reasons. First is the presence of Keegan Duncan, a junior running back who ran for nearly 2,000 yards as a sophomore. A bona fide state player of the year candidate, Duncan was first-team All-State as both a running back and safety last season. No matter who is at quarterback, opposing defenses will always have to know where no. 2 is when Declo is on offense.
And the second reason is this – the Hornets return a lot of their offensive line from last season’s state runner-up. Sy Osterhout, Luis Esquivel and Tyson Matthews are all back up front for the Declo offense, leaving the team with plenty of experience and strength along the offensive (and defensive) front.
“We are excited about our team as a whole,” Kidd said. “We are very deep on the ‘O’ and ‘D’ lines.”
That gives Kidd the luxury of maximizing Breshears talents and abilities without compromising the team’s offensive line.
The Hornets return plenty of strength on the defensive side of the ball, too, after holding 11 of the team’s 13 opponents to 22 points or less last season. Osterhout and Breshears will spearhead the defense from their linebacker positions. The team also returns most of its defensive line (two-way All-State standout Bryson Robinson graduated). Richard Robertson and Caleb Moore will man the defensive end positions with Matthews and Esquivel inside on the defensive line.
Declo’s secondary will be led by Duncan from his strong safety position, but Kyle Hanson and Garret Darrington will also provide quality play on the back end of the Hornet defense.
The Hornets play in the two-team Canyon Conference in District IV with their lone conference game coming at home on October 20 against Wendell. Of the team’s other eight games, five of them are 3A teams, so Declo should be well-tested by the time the 2A state playoffs roll around. To that end, the team’s goals are pretty clear.
“We hope to return to the state championship game again this year,” Kidd concluded.
It’s a team that appears to have all the pieces to be able to accomplish that mission.
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