Written by: Keller Sherman
The Fruitland Grizzlies have been among the most dominant and storied teams at the 3A classification for a long time. That made the 2021 season all the more disappointing as they failed to make the playoffs and lost to intra-county rival Payette for the first time since 2009. Longtime coach Ryan Tracy is no longer with the program, and with a new head coach in Dane Cook, the program will seek a fresh start.
There is plenty of returning talent from last year’s team. Second team all-conference quarterback Luke Barianga is back as well as Theo Jackson, who was named to second-team at wide receiver and defensive back. Other key returnees include Marcus Jones, Brody Holaday, Lane Roberts, Marcus Jones, and Parker Barnes.
On offense, Barianga brings leadership and experience to the quarterback position and the offensive line should be talented as well, as Cook looks to bring a pro-style offense to the program. On defenes, Fruitland will utilize a 4-2-5 scheme that will seek to create more takeaways.
Even with the challenges that the program has faced in recent seasons, Cook is excited in how his players “have demonstrated a positive attitude and a willingness to adapt to new systems.” To get back into the conversation of being among the top 3A teams in the state as the program has been in recent years, Cook states that his team has “to be relentless and continue to improve as the season progresses.”
The Grizzlies face a difficult schedule in 2022 and it kicks off with two straight games against 4A competition as they travel to Columbia then face Emmett at home. Fruitland then faces another difficult road date at Kimberly before finishing the non conference schedule with a home game against 2A foe Nampa Christian.
Conference play begins with a road game at McCall-Donnelly followed by a home game against Parma. Two straight road games follow as the Grizzlies travel to Payette looking to avenge a loss that likely cost Fruitland a playoff bid from last season then do battle with five-time reigning conference champion Homedale. One last home game closes out the regular season as they will host defending state champion Weiser looking to play spoiler against the Wolverines.
Though Homedale and Weiser have gained separation from Fruitland in the conference, the Grizzlies are ready to show that they are still in the discussion with those teams for being among the top teams in their league and the 3A classification as a whole. There is plenty of work to be done to bring Fruitland back to the elite level the team has played at for several years, but they will still be a tough out every Friday night.