Photo By Patty Theurer - #54 Collin Tvrdy
Written By: Sven Alskog
Valley strung together consecutive 42-40 wins to end last season, topping Wilder in the semifinals and Oakley in the championship to bring home the third state title in school history.
As can be expected, team leaders like quarterback Jason Hardy, wide receiver Zane Mussmann, running back Zack Gomez and talented pieces like Alex Korom and Nic Anderson have all departed to graduation.
That all means more opportunities for new faces to step into larger roles during the 2019 season, something which brings a level of intrigue to what the Vikings can do.
“I am most excited about watching this team learn to play together,” said head coach Ryon Jarvis. “We have many new faces [on defense]. They will have to find their role and learn.
Junior quarterback Rawlin Godfrey and fellow junior Julian Rocha, who was hurt most of last year, will be integral pieces on offense, with wide receiver Brody Mussmann a big target option on the outside. Senior wide receiver Ike Godfrey should see plenty of opportunities this season as well.
Linemen Collin Tvrdy and Tito Garcia are a couple of key returners who add size to the field for Valley.
Mental toughness and doing the dirty work in the weight room have been a couple of focus areas in the offseason according to Jarvis. Some of the most physical football in the 1AD1 classification is played on a weekly basis within the Snake River Conference, meaning developing players with a mean streak and bulking up are always critical components to success.
There is one clear difference from the state championship team of a year ago though.
“We are really young and inexperienced,” added Jarvis.
The Vikings start the season on the road at Rockland on August 30 before heading to Middleton on September 7 to meet up with Genesee.