Written by: Will Hoenike
A not-so-uncommon practice for sports fans during the offseason is to attempt to forecast a sleeper team for the upcoming season.
Allow us to introduce you to the Tri-Valley Titans, a cooperative team between three communities (Cambridge, Midvale, and Indian Valley) in District 3, north of Weiser. The Titans won ten games and reached the 1A Division 2 state championship game in 2017. The team won four games the following season before hitting the reset button. This year’s seniors have won zero, one, and three games in their three seasons. Each step getting progressively farther and, this season, head coach Justin Mink thinks his team has a chance to push back into that top tier of the Long Pin Conference.
“Last season, depending on the game, we started five or six sophomores and we only lost one starter (from that team),” Mink said. “They are hungry and more focused. The tenacity in drills and competition in practice has grown dramatically and it is very exciting for us to watch.”
Growth and experience at the quarterback position is just one of the places where the Titans have benefitted from past experiences.
“Zane Nichols had never played quarterback before and he started for us last season,” said Mink of his junior signalcaller. “So it was tough for him and a big learning curve. However, this off-season and at camp he's really starting to get it and settling into the role and confident play caller.”
A quarterback’s best friend is a strong offensive line and a good running game. Tri-Valley has the tools to have both. Seniors Josh Martinez and Blake Damon are both back along the team’s offensive front, as is junior Heath Fortin. Senior Cole Busch will challenge for playing time along with incoming freshmen Cash Pearson and Wyatt Moura.
They’ll be charged with opening holes for junior Gage Warren, a north-south runner with good lateral quickness. Fellow junior Trevor Farrens will be ready should his number be called. Junior Luke McHenry and senior Alyas Walker will see time at the fullback position and contribute as both blockers and runners on offense.
When the Titans need to go to the air, Nichols will most likely be looking for junior Claytin Harper, one of the fastest athletes in the state at the 1A Division 2 level. Mink said his speed, combined with his route-running ability, will make him a difficult matchup for Long Pin defenses.
Tri-Valley struggled on the defensive side of the ball in 2021 as the team allowed nearly 40 points per game overall – nearly 55 in the team’s losses.
“We were a young team last year and our pass defense showed it,” Mink said. “We really stressed to the boys this year how we need to improve on that and how we can effectively combat the deep ball.”
McHenry is the heart and soul of the Titan defense at linebacker. He’ll line up behind a veteran defensive line, led by Martinez and Damon. Senior Trenton Hicks joins the fun upfront as a defensive end. That group putting consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks will help the entire defense.
“We have a lot of experience returning for us. Our boys do a great job of tackling and filling in on the run,” Mink said. “With that being said, we know a lot of teams are going to try spreading us out and take more passes down field.”
For a team to be a so-called sleeper, it’s because there isn’t much light shining on it. That could be because of past results (four wins in three years) and it can also be because of the teams around it.
The Long Pin Conference is shaping up to be a strong, deep conference. The three teams that made the postseason in 2021 (Horseshoe Bend, Council, Garden Valley) all have impressive rosters coming back and will not be easy to defeat. What Salmon River lacks in total numbers, it makes up for in game experience after starting several younger players last season. And the same goes for Meadows Valley, now a full member of the Long Pin after playing a varsity/junior-varsity hybrid schedule last fall.
Mink’s Titans have the look of a team that should contend for a 1A Division 2 state playoff berth. But the window doesn’t seem to be a one-year opportunity. With a number of key juniors and sophomores, expect Tri-Valley to take another step forward and, no matter how 2022 ends, be in position to contend next fall.