Ten years ago, the Shelley Russets were the kings of Class 3A football. The 2013 squad had just wrapped up an 11-1 campaign, complete with a 17-14 win over Fruitland in the state championship game. The state title marked Shelley’s sixth in the past 11 seasons.
But a decade of winning (five titles from 2004-13) was followed by a decade of silence, at least by Shelley’s lofty standards. Complicating matters was the Russets’ jump to Class 4A competition in 2018. Shelley took their lumps early as a 4A team, compiling a 5-20 record in their first three seasons of competition.
But the tide has slowly turned under fifth-year head coach Josh Wells. The Russets went 7-4 in 2021and 5-6 against a more difficult schedule in 2022. Both years ended with road losses in the quarterfinals against Sandpoint.
Needless to say, Shelley very much wants to advance beyond the quarterfinals and into the final four this season. To do so, they’ll have to lean on a blend of returning players and varsity newcomers.
On offense, not much has changed. The Runnin’ Russets will continue to employ their Wing-T offense, piloted by third-year starting quarterback, senior Brecker Williams.
The bigger question is: who handles the rock in the running game? Shelley said goodbye to their top three running backs (Ryker Clinger, Caden Johnson and Kaden Kidman), as well as top offensive lineman Hunter Higham.
The answer likely lies in a committee of some kind, but Wells isn’t concerned. Shelley’s Wing-T offense always creates opportunities for whoever lines up at running back. “We want to improve our passing game,” Wells admitted.
To that end, Williams will look for senior tight end Micheal Clegg and senior wideout Austin Cannon.
On defense, Shelley welcomes back all four starting linebackers from a year in juniors Chance Waite and Luke Wray, and seniors Cannon and Carter Balmforth. Three of the four picked up All-Conference honors.
That quartet of ‘backers will pair nicely with senior Seth Jacobsen at defensive tackle and senior Kayson Eaton at defensive end. In fact, Shelley’s front seven is shaping up to be among the best in the High Country Conference. It’s the secondary that has the most questions marks.
“We want to limit big plays and make people work for every yard,” said Wells.
That goal will be especially critical given the Russets’ rigorous schedule. Their conference alone boasts the three-time defending 4A champ (Skyline), along with Blackfoot, Hillcrest and Bonneville, all playoff teams from a year ago. They’ll also host 4A District 5 champ Pocatello and Star Valley, Wyoming, which went 10-2 and claimed the 3A championship in the Cowboy State. Plus a road trip to three-time 3A champ Sugar-Salem in an annual rivalry game.
Needless to say, Shelley will need to hit the ground running in 2023. And coach Wells believes he has the athletes to do it. “What excites me the most is our speed and quickness,” Wells said. “This may be the fastest team I have ever had at Shelley. They are very coachable and work very hard.”