Written by: Brandon Baney
A tiger is a strong, proud, majestic leader in the animal kingdom. More often than not, the tiger dictates the hierarchy of the food chain, and typically gets what it wants.
The Aberdeen Tigers were poised for a similar perch in 2021, but one of the smallest creatures in the kingdom took down the mighty tiger: a bug. More specifically, the injury bug.
Starting quarterback Brody Beck battled injuries all year, and Aberdeen limped its way through a three-game losing streak to end the regular season. The strength of the South East Idaho Conference allowed the Tigers to claim a playoff spot, and the Tigers hung tough for a half against eventual 2A runner-up Firth, but ultimately fell 43-8 to cap off a 3-6 season.
Veteran coach Jeff Duffin retired after ten seasons at Aberdeen, and so new coach Braden Driscoll will attempt to avoid the same injury-plagued fate in 2022. When asked about his team's biggest X-factor heading into the season, Driscoll simply stated, "Definitely staying healthy."
Staying healthy is the key, because several talented playmakers return for Aberdeen this year. Beck will be moving from quarterback to running back, and will be joined by fellow backs Marshall Elliott and Junior Hernandez.
Emmanuel Carrillo, Cristian Ortiz and Rick Martinez will lead the way up front, and coach Driscoll said that the development of the O-Line will be crucial to establishing a strong ground game.
"Our goal offensively is to efficiently and effectively run the ball," Driscoll said. "We have a group of linemen that are hungry to make sure that happens."
"Behind them, a big strength is our backfield," he added. We have a lot of guys that are real threats with the ball in their hands."
With Beck shifting to running back, the quarterback duties will be assumed by junior Gage Driscoll. When he drops back to pass, he'll look for tight ends Cale Adamson and Taylor Potts.
On defense, Aberdeen will try to stop the run. "The strength of our defense is our interior seven," Driscoll said. "We have a solid, deep group of linemen and one of the best group of linebackers we've had in a long time."
Beck was an All-State linebacker as a sophomore, and will be joined there by Adamson, Hernandez and Logan Palmer. Carrillo and Martinez will anchor the defensive line. Elliott and Driscoll will be counted on in the secondary.
Overall, there is an excitement brewing in Aberdeen. Coaches and players alike feel like a special season could be in store, as long as they avoid those darn injuries.
"There seems to be some excitement," Driscoll said. "They're excited to be more physical. The guys seem hungry to get back to winning games."