Written By: Sven Alskog
What does Travis Hinthorn not coach at Bonners Ferry?
The new head football coach for the Badgers will also continue to coach girls basketball and track at the school, making him one of the busiest guys in Idaho high school sports.
He inherits a project on the football field, but one that he is excited to tackle and get to work on, especially considering the young talent coming up through the program.
“We have a large group of talented freshmen that will help us build a culture of success over the next few years,” said Hinthorn.
In the meantime, returners like Ty Bateman, Jake Jelinek and Larry Hoehne will provide senior leadership to the youthful group.
Sophomore lineman Quinn Tucker is another player to watch on each side of the ball.
As is the case in most programs, the first season under the new coach is expected to be a building year in a wide-open Intermountain League beyond Timberlake.
“We are looking forward to creating a culture of high character players that will help our success in the future,” added Hinthorn.
On the offensive side of the ball, Bateman will be relied upon from the quarterback position, with Jelinek one of his go-to targets on the outside.
The Badgers struggled at points to reach the end zone in 2018, getting shutout twice and being held to a single digit point output six times.
Bonners Ferry also allowed over 38 points per game to opponents last season, making it clear that plenty of work will go in to slowly improving both sides of the ball. It will not be an immediate process, however the future looks bright with the new class that has entered the high school.
Hinthorn will lead his team on to the field for the first time as head coach on August 30 at home against Lincoln County (MT). One thing is for certain though, the new head coach is no stranger to the program, having announced games for the team the last few years and also twice serving stints as the offensive coordinator. That should serve him and the Badgers well moving forward, giving optimism that the on-field product can string together some strong seasons in the near future.