Written by: Will Hoenike
The Horseshoe Bend Mustangs roared into the 1A Division 2 playoffs last season, sporting a perfect record and lofty aspirations, only to be greeted by a driving rainstorm and the eventual state-champion Kendrick Tigers.
It turned into a disappointing end for head coach Craig Elliott and his team but it was a continuation of a strong run on the football field for the Mustangs, located about a half-hour north of Boise. The team has qualified for the postseason in each of the past three seasons, winning 21 of its 28 games along the way.
It seems likely the run will continue in 2022.
While the team will have to replace the Long Pin Conference Player of the Year in QB/DB Colton Meyer along with Keegan Smith, who was first team All-State on both offense and defense, the Mustangs return plenty of firepower to make a run at a second straight conference title this fall.
“The offensive strength of this team will be at running back,” said Elliot. “We will be returning Blayne Meyer and Kaelun Jones, Blayne was first-team All-State at running back who has worked extremely hard in the weight room this offseason and I expect him to have a great season. Kaelun is poised to have a breakout season. He was third on the team in rushing last season and, with Colton (Meyer) graduating, Kaelun will get the bulk of those carries.”
Despite the loss of Smith, the team welcomes back its other two starters along the offensive line in juniors Nick Cooper, an all-conference performer at center, and Jared Wolsleben to open running lanes for Meyer and Jones. Senior Kash Smith could fill the other guard spot.
When the Mustangs look to the air, senior Jedi Graham figures to be a primary pass-catching target. Junior Carson Drake is first in line to take over quarterback duties.
“The thing I’m most excited for this season is the development of Carson,” Elliott said. “Carson has put a lot of hard work in this offseason and will be expected to manage the offense, take care of the ball, and get it to the key playmakers.”
Horseshoe Bend’s defense allowed about 23 points per game during the regular season, which is a good number in 8-man football. The 8-man game is played on the same size field as the 11-man game in Idaho, but with three fewer players. Which means there is a lot of space out there and it can be easy to give up big play after big play if your defense isn’t disciplined or is missing tackles. A three-man front of Cooper, Smith, and Wolsleben will be important to the success of the Mustangs defense in 2022.
“They should be able to keep our linebackers clean and allow (Blayne) Meyer and (Kaelun) Jones to run free,” Elliott said. “We need to continue to get better at tackling and improve on our physical play on defense.”
The Mustangs edged Council in the final week of the regular season to secure the conference championship and top seed out of the district into the 1A Division 2 playoffs. While some may have been caught off-guard to see Council vying for the Long Pin title, Elliott was not.
“Council has been my pick for the past two seasons,” said Elliott when asked for potential surprise teams from the Long Pin. “But they aren’t going to surprise anyone this year.”
The third team to qualify for the postseason out of the conference last fall was Garden Valley, another team that won’t sneak up on Elliott - “I think they probably have the best player in the conference (Tacoma Kelly).”
Another team that won’t sneak up on anyone – state-wide – is Elliott’s Mustang squad. With returning experience along the offensive and defensive front as well as explosive and experienced playmakers, Horseshoe Bend is definitely a team to watch in 2022.