Written by: Will Hoenike
Call it a blessing and a curse.
Members of the 1A Division 1 Whitepine League don’t have to fret scheduling nearly as much as some other leagues, especially in north Idaho, by virtue of having nine members. That’s the blessing.
The curse? The Whitepine is annually one of the tougher leagues in Idaho. Last year, five of the 12 teams that qualified for the 1A Division 1 state playoffs came out of the Whitepine. That makes the 5-2 league record for the 2021 Genesee Bulldogs even more impressive. There simply aren’t many layups in the Whitepine.
The Bulldogs finished third last fall, behind Lapwai and Prairie who, unsurprisingly, handed Genesee its two Whitepine losses. Can the Bulldogs surge forward behind a good senior class?
“I’m excited about the seniors we have coming back. All of them should be big contributors to our team,” said head coach Justin Podrabsky, going into his second year atop the Bulldog program. “I’m also excited about this younger group and getting them into the program and seeing them progress.”
Leading the way are Angus and Wyatt Jordan, twin brothers who come to Genesee for football by way of a football co-operative agreement with nearby Colton (Wash.) High School. Angus is going into his third season as the team’s quarterback while Wyatt plays tight end on offense for the Bulldogs.
“Angus is our playmaker. The offense starts with him every play,” Podrabsky said. “I expect Wyatt and Nolan Bartosz to have big years and help make up for what we lost last year.”
Podrabsky is referring to big-play receiver and defensive back Cy Wareham, who was selected first-team All-State on both offense and defense last fall, along with running back and linebacker Jack Johnson, who earned all-conference recognition at both spots. Jordan, Bartosz, Grant Wolf, and Sam Stewart, all seniors, will collectively try to fill that void. Podrabsky would like to see continued growth and improvement along the team’s offensive front to protect its quarterback, which will fall on Wolf and Stewart. If the protection is good, Genesee could match its explosiveness in 2022. Last fall, the Bulldogs totaled 516 points in ten games and were only held below 36 points one time.
Defensively, there is room for growth.
“Our strength will be our linebackers,” Podrabsky said. “Wyatt Jordan and Grant Wolf will play big roles in the middle of our defense.”
The coach says, what the team lacks in pure size, it will make up for in speed.
“(That) will help us cover sideline to sideline,” he continued.
Bartosz (LB), Stewart (DE), and incoming freshman Landon Connolly (LB) will also have an opportunity to earn key roles on a defense that struggled to stop big plays in 2021, which will be a key to success in 2022.
Since we mentioned scheduling above, we should point out that Genesee will host league foes Potlatch, Prairie, Logos, and Kamiah this fall. If the Bulldogs want to return to the 1A Division 1 postseason, they’ll need to have success in those games to give themselves the best chance. The team will be working to develop depth among its younger players among its younger players, so good health is also pivotal to Genesee’s success this fall. Expect the team to be firmly in the mix for a playoff spot but competing in the Whitepine League means the margin for error on a week-to-week basis is pretty slim.