Written by: Keller Sherman
A 34-30 upset victory over Melba in the state quarterfinals catapulted the Aberdeen Tigers to an appearance in the state semifinals in the first season under Braden Driscoll. Now, can Aberdeen take that next step and play for, and possibly win, a state title?
Seven talented seniors return for the Tigers. These include Gage Driscoll, Nick Medel, Daniel Sandoval, Hiatt Beck, Juan Hernandez, Jase Harris, and Ross Ingersoll. Juniors Luke Shackelford and Ivan Bribiezca are also back.
Juan Hernandez was named to first team all-conference at linebacker while Daniel Sandoval, Hiatt Beck, and Nick Medel were named to the second team at defensive line, defensive back, and kicker respectively. In addition, Medel earned first team all-state honors for his services on special teams.
Four additional Aberdeen players earned spots on all-state teams all of which have graduated. Brody Beck collected both offensive and defensive selections to the first team. Emmanuel Carrillo earned a spot on the first team for his skills on offensive line as well as being a second team honoree on defensive line. Cristian Ortiz and Marshall Elliott earned second team honors at offensive line and defensive back respectively.
Three additional graduated Tigers earned all-conference honors. Cale Adamson earned first team offensive and second team defensive honors while Trace King and Micah Nelson were second and first team offensive selections respectively.
With a talented group of seniors gone, Aberdeen is bringing in nine incoming impact players to fill in some holes on the roster. Of these players, two are returning after missing last season due to injuries. Jase Harris and Jaxon Kendall both missed the 2022 campaign while six additional juniors and one sophomore join the varsity roster. Juniors Luke Shackelford, Ivan Bribiezca, Mitchell Elliott, Eston Beck, Cambell Harris, Canon Foster, and sophomore Lupe Ortiz will look to make an immediate impact.
On offense, expect Aberdeen to keep the ball on the ground and for the offensive line to reload. However, neither of these is what Driscoll is most excited for on offense. Rather, he believes that the hunger of new players to step into and fulfill new roles will be a major driving force for the 2023 squad. After a surprise trip to the semifinals last season, both Driscoll and his players both returning and new, want to pick up where they left off last season.
The backfield is another area that Driscoll points to as a spot where the Tigers find their offensive strengths. “Another strength is our backfield,” he explained. “We have some good returners, but we also add some good, explosive runners. We are hungry up front and deep in the backfield. We’re hoping that leads to some good offensive success.” The main area Driscoll expects improvement on offense is in red zone scoring.
The defense will be talented at the linebacker and defensive back positions, but smartness, toughness, and athleticism will lead the day. Driscoll talks about the defense in depth as he states, “Defensively, we have a solid group of kids at the backend. Our linebackers and defensive backs are smart, athletic kids. We try to play by a bend, but don’t break style of defense. Our goal is to try to force teams to earn scores and not give up big plays. We should be able to achieve that goal with a solid group of players at the back end of our defense.”
Driscoll points to two key areas that he wants to see the Tiger defense improve on in 2023: “We can always improve on 3rd/4th down. We want to make sure we are getting off the field in those situations. The other area of improvement is our turnover ratio. In the games we lost last year, we were at least –2 in the turnover game.”
The youth of the roster and numerous players getting the opportunity to play their first varsity minutes and the amount of work they have put in for this opportunity is something that excites Driscoll for the 2023 campaign. He states, “We have a lot of kids that are getting the opportunity to play their first real snaps at the varsity level. We’re excited to see how those kids respond to that opportunity. We’ve had a really good summer program and are looking forward to seeing the work pay off.” Additionally, Driscoll joins numerous head coaches in emphasizing health as an x-factor to Aberdeen’s success in 2023.
Aberdeen opens the 2023 slate against American Falls before going on the road to face Declo. A home date with South Fremont leads into a challenging three game road stretch that sees the Tigers travel to Soda Springs, Malad, and North Fremont.
This leads into two key games that will determine whether Aberdeen will come out on top in the 2A Southeast Idaho conference. West Side and Bear Lake visit Aberdeen in consecutive weeks to close out the regular season. To win a conference title, the Tigers will most likely need to come out of both contests as winners.
While season-defining games against West Side and Bear Lake to wrap up the regular season are the highlight of the schedule, road trips to Soda Springs and Malad in back-to-back weeks will not be easy either. Driscoll gives reasons why his team cannot overlook the Cardinals or Dragons. He describes both teams as talented, well-coached squads and Aberdeen will need to be on their A game in both games to set up a great opportunity at the conference title.
If there is a year to unseat West Side and Bear Lake, it is 2023. Can Aberdeen do it and perhaps have a storybook season of their own that writes its final chapter with a state title? The pieces are there as the Tigers will leave it all on the field in pursuit of a conference crown and the school’s first ever state title.