Summing up the keys to the Salmon River football season, people don’t need to go much farther than one word.
Depth.
Head coach Ty Medley’s team opened fall practice with just nine players. It’s not uncommon for Salmon River’s roster to be shorter than most. The town of Riggins is a little over 200 people and the high school’s enrollment is under 40 students. Not boys, total students. The only school smaller in Idaho that plays football is Mullan and it operates a co-op team with St. Regis, Montana. Two schools with similar enrollments as Salmon River, Kootenai and Clark County, have had turnout issues that has kept them from fielding a squad at times in recent years.
Salmon River, meanwhile, has had a team on the field every year and has won four state championships in the past ten years. They’ll be on the field again this fall, but the margin for error will be thin if the team is unable to add any new players.
“We are starting out with nine guys this season which always puts a little pressure on how things look midseason,” Medley admitted. “Our guys are going to have to be fit enough to compete for four quarters and stay healthy.”
Salmon River is coming off of a two-win season but lost just one senior, versatile all-conference honoree Garrett Shepherd. The team does return a pair of players along the offensive and defensive front in senior Mortaki Celia-Klaudt and sophomore Devon Herzig. Strength and experience in the trenches are always critical in football, particularly in the 8-man game. Those two will help lead the way for playmakers Tyrus Swift, a senior, and Cordell Bovey, a junior.
“We are going to spread the field out to make the defense cover as much ground as possible,” Medley said. “Though we do not have a lot of depth, we only had one senior which will allow us to get deeper into the offense this season.”
Medley’s group did not top 16 points in any of its losses, but the additional year of growth and experience should lead to more success. The head coach is also optimistic that the experience will help cut down on big plays by the opposition.
“Strength-wise, we will be able to cover the field and play assignment football,” Medley said. “We need to be better at capitalizing on opportunities when they are presented during the game. Our pass coverage will also need to improve from last year as well.”
Salmon River starts with three consecutive home games, giving the team an opportunity to gain momentum early in the season before moving into Long Pin Conference play. The conference placed three teams in the 1A Division 2 postseason last season and each one – Horseshoe Bend, Council, and Garden Valley – appears capable of returning in 2022. That’ll make the season challenging, from a wins/losses standpoint, but it is a program that is used to facing, and overcoming, obstacles.
Staying healthy is obviously not just a factor for the team this fall, it’s arguably *the* factor. If Medley’s team is able to avoid the injury bug and continue to grow and develop, Salmon River should be able to take a step forward in 2022. Is it enough to return to the postseason for the first time since 2019? Time will tell.