Written by: Will Hoenike
In the ebb-and-flow of small-school football, there’s no question that the 1A Division 2 Council Lumberjacks are on the upswing. The ‘Jacks went 5-3 overall in 2021 but were just three points away from winning the Long Pin Conference championship and they did so with a roster of 28 kids – only four of which were seniors.
“Our juniors and seniors have played every year since they were freshmen at the varsity level,” said second-year head coach Andy Glenn. “We have a tight-knit group.”
That group has reversed the downswing that saw Council post an overall record of 1-19 between 2017 and 2019. And that downswing came on the heels of four consecutive 1A Division 2 playoff appearances between 2013 and 2016, including a 2013 appearance in the classification’s state championship game.
Glenn’s squad has reached the postseason each of the past two seasons, falling in the opening round to North Gem in 2020 before falling to Dietrich in a shootout in the opening round of the 2021 playoffs. Now, momentum of the swinging pendulum would suggest it is Council’s turn to play deep into November.
First of all, the team returns the reigning Long Pin Offensive MVP in senior QB (and DE) Josh Gipe. Workhorse running back Trinity Hoxie is gone, but junior Mason Roberts returns to help fill the void left by Hoxie. As a group, the ‘Jacks were held below 36 points just two times last season, averaging 41 points per game. Gipe and Roberts will be joined up front by massive lineman Jaxon Thomas and big tight end Wyatt Vining.
“We are a veteran group this year,” Glenn observed. “We have really good size and will run the ball.”
Defensively, Vining returns this fall after earning all-state honors last fall as a junior at defensive end. Gipe and Thomas will play along the defensive front. Roberts is expected to see plenty of playing time at the linebacker position and should reap the benefits of a veteran defensive line occupying the opponent’s offensive line, which will free him up to chase down ball carriers.
Council allowed an average of nearly 51 points per game in its three losses, but just 14 points per game in its five wins.
The Lumberjacks will face three 1A Division 1 foes during the non-conference portion of its schedule. They’ll open the season on August 27 with a neutral-site matchup in Grangeville against Logos of Moscow before returning home the following week to play Western Idaho Conference favorite Notus. Then, back-to-back road games up north as Council travels to face 1A Division 2 Lewis County in Nezperce before going back north to play 1A Division 1 Kamiah on September 16.
Council’s reward for surviving that gauntlet is its Long Pin Conference opener on September 23 at home against the defending conference champion Horseshoe Bend.
The experience and depth will be tested by such a rugged early-season schedule. If the team can survive the first month, it will have its fate in its own hands with a chance to not only qualify for the 1A Division 2 postseason, but to continue the upward swing of the pendulum by playing deep into the playoffs.