Written by: Will Hoenike
The 2023-24 athletic season was one for the history books in tiny Fairfield, Idaho. Despite a population of fewer than 500 people, the town saw its high school, Camas County, reach the 1A Division 2 state championship game in football before the same group of athletes won the state championship in basketball.
Though, on paper, it appears the core is gone, first-year head coach Ben Walter has the pieces to remain competitive this fall.
Walter himself fits the storyline. Camas County must be in trouble because longtime head coach Rusty Kramer stepped away, right? Well, Walter has been the Mushers’ defensive coordinator for eight years with coaching experience in communities like Boise, Meridian, Wendell, and Gooding (among others), giving him valuable coaching experience to draw from as well as ample experience with the players in the program.
Speaking of, yes, it’s going to be tough to replace All-State performers Troy and Tristen Smith, Tyson Tupper, and Trevor Tews. It’s simply not logical that a team could lose that much talent at the 8-man level and not feel an impact. However, don’t mistake that to mean that the cupboards are bare in Fairfield.
“I’ve had the opportunity to coach the majority of them since they were in youth football, so I know what they are capable of,” Walter said. “We are going to push them as hard as we can to make sure they reach their full potential.”
For starters, senior offensive lineman Kelby Cox, who was first team All-State himself returns. So does Levi Ashmead and Dominic Gross, each of whom earned All-Sawtooth Conference recognition. So did senior Xander Schofield.
The puzzle pieces may fit differently for the Mushers in 2024, but the puzzle pieces are there. Cox should anchor the offensive and defensive fronts along with seniors Micah Fox and Tanner Patten. Junior Josh Hernandez and sophomore Austin Newton will also compete for roles in the trenches. Gross and Ashmead both earned all-conference honors as defensive linemen last fall but could shift back to the linebacker position to replace outgoing seniors like Smith and Zack Pittock. Sophomore Quinn Palan could step into a similar role to one occupied by his older brother, Emmett, last fall, catching passes for the Mushers this season.
As for who will be throwing those passes, the loss of Tristen Smith will be a big one for the Mushers (“it’s hard to tackle what you can’t catch,” Walter said of last fall’s second team All-State quarterback). Senior Conner Freeman will get an opportunity to take over the role but Walter is very careful about setting expectations for new players who are stepping into very large shoes in the Camas County lineup.
“You will see a new look from the offense coming out of Camas County this year that is catered to the types of quarterbacks, running backs and receivers that we have,” Walter explained. “No highlighted players as of yet, my challenge to them has been to step up and take the reins.”
The Musher will look to defend their 1A Sawtooth Conference title after going 5-0 in conference play last season by a combined score of 341-40. There have been some changes – first of all, it’s now just “1A” and not 1A Division 2. The Idaho High School Activities Association re-named its classifications but there are the same number of classifications, the top level is now 6A instead of 5A. So last year’s 1A Division 1 classification, still an 8-man classification in football, is simply 2A while 1A Division 2 is 1A.
Beyond that, the conference welcomes back perennial power Carey. The Panthers return a strong nucleus of players that competed at 1A Division 1 (now 2A) the past two seasons before moving back down this fall. The conference also welcomes the return of the Richfield Tigers, who have been playing a JV/Varsity hybrid schedule for the past several seasons as it rebuilt its program. It is back as a full member of the Sawtooth Conference in 2024.
While those outside the conference may wonder if Camas County can overcome the loss of talent from last season’s state runner-up (the school’s first state championship appearance in football since 1981), those who followed the team closely know that the newcomers saw plenty of action last season so, while the name recognition may not be the same, the Mushers are positioned to compete for a playoff berth once again this fall.
“This team has had a tremendous amount of talent and now it’s time to showcase those talents,” Walter concluded. “They have played with some really incredible players that have now moved on but have made this year's team that much better as they were challenged daily at practice and in games. These boys are ready to get after it and show what they can do.”