Written by: Brandon Baney
It was one of the most shocking results statewide from the opening round of the playoffs in 2021. The Minico Spartans, 9-0 and the #3 seed according to MaxPreps, fell to 14th-seeded Vallivue 28-14 on their home field. One bad night ended Minico's season prematurely.
Where did it all go wrong? It's hard to tell. Minico's defense, which allowed 9.8 points per game, gave up 28 to Vallivue, a season high. Minico's vaunted rushing attack, which was used so often to grind teams into submissions, doesn't really work if you're trailing on the scoreboard.
Questions have also persisted about the overall strength of Mincio's league, the Great Basin Conference. For the second consecutive year, Great Basin teams went 0-3 in the opening round of the postseason.
No matter how you choose to chalk up the shocking upset loss, one thing is clear: Minico is mad. That's a problem for a team that returns 34 upperclassmen.
"This is probably one of the biggest, meanest, physical team that I have ever had," said fifth-year coach Keelan McCaffrey. "They have a significant bond of brotherhood between them. They play for one another and respect the process."
Although Minico's graduation losses were light, there were not insignificant. For staters, defensive leader Treyton Bischoff is gone. "He did everything for us," McCaffrey said. "(He was) a tackling machine, and probably the best athlete we have had here in a long time."
Also gone is Dantee Ruiz ("A defensive lineman that never came off the field), Easton Arthur ("A coach on the field and communicator that got our team lined up and ready), and Luke Arthur ("The anchor to the O-Line the last three years").
The offensive line will feature the most turnover, with Jimmy Rasmussen expected to lead a group of newcomers that includes Sam Gibbons, Braxton Molina and Oakland Edwards. "They have been working hard all summer and I am excited to watch them impose their will," said McCaffrey.
Minico's WIng-T based offense also welcomes back the top three ballcarriers from a year ago: Jafeth Bendele, JT Garza and Joe Terry.
Junior Carson Wayment is expected to take the reigns at quarterback. McCaffrey is hoping Wayment can add a different element to the Minico offense. "(Last year) we were very powerful in the run game, but were never truly balanced and it cost us an early exit," McCaffrey said. "We need to be able to move the ball in different ways to compliment our run game."
On defense, throw a dart at the wall and you'll land on an All-State caliber player. The linebacking unit of Nick Gibson, Brevin Trenkle and Finn McCaffrey is particularly devastating to opponents.
Chris Torres is the top defensive lineman, while Stockton Chandler leads the secondary.
"Last year we were young and new to the scheme," McCaffrey said. "This year, the guys know the scheme and will be very comfortable inside our defense."
So if Minico returns almost everyone from a year ago, the question remains: how do the Spartans avoid a similar fate to last year's team that was upset in the first round?
"The schedule," said McCaffrey. "We feel that our schedule is one of the best in the state. It features two powerhouses from Utah (Ridgeline and Beaver) and a 5A school (Thunder Ridge)."
At the end of the day, questions will continue to persist from outside observers about whether Minico can truly be a state power, or if they are simply a big fish in the small pond that is the Great Basin Conference. McCaffrey says that's just fine.
"These dudes play with a chip on their shoulder," he said. "They feel disrespected by the conference and the state. When people say, 'Minico this' and 'Minico that', these dudes take it personally. This is an incredibly tough group of young men."