Team Preview:
Written By: Sven Alskog

How do you go about making a team that has made at least a semifinals trip every year since 2014 better? If you’re Mountain View head coach Judd Benedick it appears that answer is you go out and add to what was already an outstanding coaching staff.

This offseason alone the Mavericks have added Brent Koetter, Troy Gleave, Jamie Blandford and former Boise State linebacker and Super Bowl champion Shea McClellin.

That staff will be tasked with coaching a roster with loads of talent returning from a 10-1 season a year ago.

Offensively, Noah Bryant has the patrols again at quarterback, with weapons aplenty around him. Those weapons include tight end Joey Elwell and receivers Blake Jablonski and K.J. Lynch. Elwell has been heavily recruited as he enters his senior year, so there isn’t any question that he will be continuing his football career following this season. Lynch meanwhile earned plenty of playing time as just a sophomore, and should be expected to see even more looks this time around.

Running back Caden Hansen graduated after a First Team All-SIC senior season, meaning a committee effort will be required to step in and replace the productivity of the Mavericks most explosive offensive player a season ago.

Jaymon Barrus and Ace Gibson should both get plenty of looks in the backfield.

Varsity experience returns though in the majority of the other offensive positions. For Benedick, that is what he sees as the biggest strength of the offense.

“Our returning experience at most positions. We run a spread that tries to be equally efficient at throwing and running the football.”

On the defensive side of the ball, the line and linebacker units appear to be in good hands despite the loss of SIC leading tackler Dylan Arrate and relentless pass rusher Cade Ray.

Benedick says the front seven is the strength of the defense, while the Mavericks hope to improve their secondary play this season.

Riley Stark at defensive line and Dylan Martinez at linebacker are two of the players to watch for Mountain View.

For the 11th year head coach, the most rewarding part of the job is always seeing how the next wave of talent handles varsity competition.

“[I’m most excited] to see how the next group of athletes steps up and performs,” added Benedick.

With a new-look conference featuring a nine-game slate where each team plays each other once, thus eliminating non-conference matchups, the challenge will be as tough as ever.

Capital, Borah, Mountain View and Rocky Mountain are all expected to be strong again, with a flurry of teams fighting for the five guaranteed spots out of the SIC and three additional state-wide at-large berths.

The Mavericks begin their season with a rivalry contest at Rocky Mountain on August 24. A tough home matchup with Capital follows the next week.