Written by: Christian Weaner
Shortly after the conclusion of the 2022 high school football season, St. Maries’ beloved head football coach Craig Tefft announced on social media the devastating news that he had been diagnosed with stage four liver and colon cancer.
The entire community has rallied around the Tefft family, organizing fundraisers to help pay for treatments and providing for his family, but with football season around the corner, the Lumberjacks football team will be without their 12-year head coach.
But in this challenging moment, a new and experienced leader has arisen to take charge in longtime St. Maries defensive coordinator Greg Rouse.
Despite some key losses from last year's graduating class, the Lumberjacks have some talented players returning, and following the first complete season and offseason since before COVID, Rouse is hopeful that his team can compete for a 2A Central Idaho League (CIL) title in 2023.
"After COVID, finally being able to get a full season in last year will pay huge dividends this year," Rouse explained. "We were young and inexperienced last year, but this year we’ve been able to go to summer camp for the first time in 3 years and we saw a lot of positive things, plus we’ve been able to get summer workouts rolling again, so things are on the right track again."
On offense, St. Maries will have to replace 2022 All-League performers Landon Warren, Jordan Corne, Trace Wicks and Tristun Hill, as well as quarterback Dillon Holder, but two-way standouts Trey Gibson, Wesley Banderob and Jackson Nantell are all returning as senior leaders this year for the Lumberjacks.
While Gibson and Banderob are sure to do damage running behind a stout offensive line anchored by Nantell, Rouse is also excited for the new passing scheme he plans to implement this season to utilize the Lumberjacks young speed and athleticism on the outside.
"We will be focusing on our passing game to stretch the field and it’s looking like there will be some great competition for the open quarterback position," Rouse noted. "Throw in a new passing scheme and a bunch of talented young receivers led by Julien Grimaldo and JJ Yearout and I think we have the recipe for some significant improvement in our passing game."
Defense has historically been a strength for St. Maries, and with that side of the ball being Rouse's specialty, fans can expect no different this season.
Gibson and Banderob will lead the defensive unit at the linebacker position, Nantell and senior Roan Ford will hold down the defensive line and some younger players like Grimaldo, Yearout, Hayden Defoort, Jarrett Brebner and Jason Thompson will make up the core of the Lumberjacks secondary.
"We’ve always been known for a strong hard hitting defense and with our returning seniors like Gibson and Banderob at linebacker, Ford and Nantell on the DL, plus some young talented defensive backs, I think we will see some great results," Rouse said. "We were a little weak in the defensive backfield last year, but with the young talent we have coming up, I believe we will be able to shore that up, plus I feel we will have a significant jump in team speed from our young guys as well."
Last year, after not being able to attend summer football camp or have a normal offseason, St. Maries stumbled out of the gate, losing their first five games in row.
But the Lumberjacks never gave up, and they came back in resounding fashion, winning their final three regular season games by a combined score of 106-12 and earning a 2A state playoff berth for the first time since 2019.
Using the experience from last season and the addition incentive to honor Coach Tefft, who is still battling cancer, the Lumberjacks seem poised to push for the top spot in the CIL this season.