Team Preview:
Written By: Will Hoenike

If you’re a staunch believer that a team wins games in the trenches, allow us to introduce you to a team to watch in the 1A Division 1 White Pine League – the Kamiah Kubs.

Third-year head coach Nels Kludt has two all-conference performers returning on each side of the line (remember, in eight-man football, teams only use three linemen) in senior Peyton Whipple and junior Layton Gould.

“Our power running game will be a strength,” Kludt said. “Our pass rush and defensive line play should be a strength (as well).”

Those are two critical pieces to success in the deep and competitive White Pine. A strong running game will wear down the opponent’s defense while, obviously, keeping its offense off the field at the same time.

The player who figures to tote the rock the most for Kamiah in 2018 is Titus Oatman. The junior is coming off of a productive sophomore season that included key touchdown runs against Wallace and Lapwai. He won’t be the lone weapon in Kamiah’s ground attack as senior Brett Raymond and sophomore Gabe Eades should also factor into the Kubs’ offensive attack.

An important piece of the puzzle for Kludt and his staff is finding a replacement for departed senior quarterback Caleb Oatman. First in line is senior Chad Simmons.

“We hope, with the addition of Chad Simmons and (junior) tight end Trent Taylor, that our passing game will improve from last year,” Kludt said.

The Kubs offense showed flashes last fall but, overall, averaged just 24 points per game. Mixed in were performances of 48, 40 and 36, so there is optimism for big things on offense.

Defensively, the Kubs will feature a defensive front led by Whipple and Gould with Simmons and Eades at linebacker in front of a secondary that features Oatman, Raymond and Taylor.

“We hope to do a better job in pass coverage this year,” Kludt stated. “We hope to do better with a change in scheme and added experience with our returning players.”

As usual, the White Pine appears strong in 2018. The Kubs face a daunting end to their regular season when, in a four-week stretch, they’ll face Genesee, Lapwai, Prairie and Clearwater Valley. The good news for Kamiah fans is that three of the four will be in Kamiah, with only the Prairie game on October 12 being played outside the confines of Lewis County.

(Side note: the Kubs will also play the team known as Lewis County, a 1A Division 2 co-op between Nezperce and Highland High Schools, in Kamiah earlier in the season)

Does Kamiah have enough to jump up into that top tier of White Pine teams in 2018? If the Kubs run the ball as effectively as Kludt and his staff expect, they’ll be a tough team to overpower. But that’s only part of what has the head coach excited about the upcoming season.

“I am really excited about the team chemistry we have already built in camp this year,” he concluded. “And with the addition of several players who will have a big impact on this year’s team.”