Written by: Will Hoenike
It’ll be a fresh start for the 2022 Greenleaf Friends Academy Grizzlies. Armed with a new coach (Jeremy Perkins) and a new outlook, the team will look to replace seven departed seniors from last season, including three who earned all-conference recognition from the coaches in the 1A Division 1 Western Idaho Conference.
Senior brothers Aedan and Evan Kincheloe both earned honorable mention accolades following their senior season and Clayton Holloway was voted first-team wide receiver.
The team’s roster listed 18 players last season so, with seven gone via graduation, depth could be a concern for Perkins and his staff this fall. The team operates as a cooperative with nearby Gem State Academy, where Perkins is the activities director, so some help could come from down the road.
Senior Pedro Biggs and junior Caleb Ingram are two players who saw some playing time last season for the Grizzlies, Biggs at running back and linebacker, while Ingram lined up at tight end and defensive end. Those are two players who may see an increased role this fall.
Greenleaf Friends comes out of the chutes with four games that should give Perkins a good assessment of where his program is. Hagerman, Meadows Valley, and Hansen come to Greenleaf in the season’s first three weeks before the Grizzlies venture on the road for the first time to play at Shoshone. Western Idaho Conference play opens for Greenleaf Friends on Thursday, September 22, when the Rimrock Raiders come to town.