Written by: Brandon Baney
North Fremont lived life on the edge in 2021. A sterling 8-0 regular season record was littered with several games that could have gone a different way.
There was the 34-27 win at Filer in the season opener.
There was the 48-38 shootout win at Melba in Week 2.
There was a tighter-than-expected 34-22 win at West Jefferson in the conference opener.
And there was the 22-21 win over Firth in the regular season finale and de facto Nuclear Conference championship game.
Every time, though, the Huskies answered the call, expertly walking the tightrope and remaining calm while doing so.
They faced Melba in a rematch in their playoff opener, and just like the first matchup, North Fremont earned a hard-fought 44-38 shootout win.
The Huskies' luck finally ran out in the semifinals. Firth nipped North Fremont 12-8, getting revenge for the regular season loss. It was the second year in a row that Firth ended North Fremont's season one game shy of the championship.
Nuclear Conference Player of the Year Jordan Lenz graduated after piling up more than 1,000 yards rushing, but otherwise, North Fremont's offense is set to dominate on the ground once again.
Seniors Jacob Belles and Val Wynn, and junior Teysen Gunnell are back along the offensive line. They'll pave the way for a stable of quality runners, including Carson Packer, Angel Romero and Jacob Hill.
Tight ends Hank Richardson (6-foot-2, 190 pounds) and Dax Cherry (6-foot-3, 185 pounds) are both back as well, providing physical blocking on the edge and tall targets in the passing game.
Like the loss of Lenz on offense, North Fremont said goodbye to its defensive leader, linebacker A.J. Hill. But overall, several outstanding players return to that side of the ball as well.
Romero, Richardson, Belles and Wynn will play up front on the defensive line. Packer and Cherry will pick up the slack at linebacker. And Jacob Hill and Jed Hill will anchor the secondary.
With veteran coach Ben Lenz returning a strong stable of athletes to North Fremont this year, this could finally be the year that North Fremont shakes off their semifinal blues and competes for a championship.
Statewide, most agree that the 2A football race is wide open this year. Three-time defending state champion West Side suffered significant graduation losses, so there's no better year for North Fremont to make a play for the title than in 2022.