Written by: Brandon Baney
Aberdeen’s plans went out the window almost immediately in 2023. Presumed starting quarterback Gage Driscoll suffered an injury very early into the season, and never returned.
In his place, Lupe Ortiz was thrown into the fire. All the slippery sophomore did was earn South East Idaho Conference Player of the Year honors.
Behind Ortiz and a potent rushing attack, the Tigers finished 6-4 overall with a second place conference finish and a state quarterfinals appearance to boot. Aberdeen’s season ended to eventual state champ (and conference rival) West Side in a 34-8 setback.
And although there were some significant losses to graduation (Driscoll, two-way lineman Daniel Sandoval and fullback/linebacker/kicker Nick Medel stand out in particular), Aberdeen brings back quite a bit of talent in 2024.
In fact, the most consequential change for the Tigers came on the sidelines. After 18 seasons as an assistant coach, Derek Jolley ascends to the head coaching role for the first time. Former head coach Braden Driscoll is remaining on staff as an assistant this year, too.
It all adds up to what should be another exciting season for Aberdeen fans. The Tigers’ shotgun double-wing offensive set returns Ortiz at quarterback, and Luke Shackelford, Eston Beck, Canon Foster and Erik Alavarez at running back. All saw playing time a year ago.
“The strength of our offense is currently our backfield,” explains Jolley. “We have a lot of experienced firepower returning, so our backfield will carry us while our returning linemen bring our new linemen up to speed.”
Those returning linemen are All-Conference selections Cambell Harris and Ivan Bribiezca. Junior Luis Tapia and sophomore Adan Valdez are first-time starters up front, while the fifth spot is still up for grabs.
“One area for us to improve will be our passing efficiency,” says Jolley. “We don’t throw the ball a lot but when we do, we want to be efficient and effective.”
Aberdeen’s defense showed promise in 2023, but too many wild swings led to a 25.2 points per game allowed average.
“For us defensively, we like to get stops and get the ball back so we can go back to work on offense,” says Jolley. “That said, an area of improvement is definitely third down efficiency.”
He adds, “Of course, we’d like to create more turnovers as well.”
Aberdeen’s strength lies in its linebackers. Tannon Nelson was a 1st Team All-State selection, and is flanked by Harris and Shackelford.
Mitchell Elliott, Ortiz and Beck will lead the secondary. Tapia, Jaden Nelson and Rodrigo Salcedo are candidates to start on the defensive line.
Aberdeen finished second in a tough conference last year, just behind West Side. Repeating that feat, or besting it, will be more difficult this year as Declo and Wendell from District 4 have officially joined the league. Both were playoff teams a year ago, and Declo was the state runner-up to West Side.
Jolley says his team is ready for the challenge.
“This year we’re excited for our mixture,” concludes Jolley. “We have a good amount of talented returners that will be mixed in with a handful of talented guys that are looking to make the jump either from JV to varsity, or a jump in overall playing time.”