Written by: Will Hoenike
As if surviving in the 2A (formerly 1A Division 1) Whitepine League wasn’t difficult enough, the Clearwater Valley Rams will be competing in one of the state’s toughest leagues without two of its top returning playmakers this fall.
The Rams, who went 2-6 on the field last season, graduated two of its top players in RB/LB Bass Myers and QB/DB Landon Schlieper. That can be tough enough at the 8-man level. But then head coach Allen Hutchens’ team saw seniors Carson Schilling and Tiago Pickering suffer season-ending injuries before the season even began.
The hill just got steeper, but you won’t hear Hutchens using it as an excuse.
“I am excited to see how it all comes together on both sides of the ball,” said Hutchens, who is going into his fifth season as the head coach at his alma mater. “We have some new schemes that are going to be implemented and I believe that we have the right personnel to get those things accomplished.”
One of the personnel groupings that the staff is most excited about is the team’s offensive and defensive lines. Senior Raphael Kessler was an honorable mention All-Whitepine selection along the offensive line last fall and is joined up front by returners Leighton Davis and Oliver Allen, junior Lander Mitzkus, and junior tight end Lincoln Barger. Hutchens is particularly high on the group’s potential on defense.
“Our defensive line should be our strength this year led by our defensive ends Leighton Davis and Lincoln Barger, along with Raphael Kessler.” Hutchens said.
Offensively, the Rams flashed big-play potential in 2023, topping 50 points three times. But without Myers, Schlieper, Schilling, and Pickering, the team will have to find different workhorses to lean on. One player Hutchens is anxious to see in action is junior quarterback Hyson Scott, who moved to the Kooskia area last season but arrived after the football season began.
“He is a natural athlete that will add strength on both sides of the ball,” Hutchens said. “I am excited to see what he can do on the football field after watching him in basketball and track last year.”
The Rams play a physical style of football, preferring to pound the ball on the ground versus slinging it all over the place in the air. Scott will be joined in the backfield by senior Jake Fabbi and junior Timuni Moses and the coaching staff hopes that trio, behind the experienced offensive front, is able to maintain drives and make big plays on the ground. Hutchens says the team has some wrinkles in the passing game but running the ball successfully is pivotal to the team’s success in 2024. Barger and Josh Gardner, also a junior, could be primary pass-catching targets when the Rams put the ball in the air.
Clearwater Valley faces a stern test right out of the chutes on August 30 when the Rams travel to Moscow to face Logos. The Knights, like the Rams, are replacing some key personnel from last season but it will be Logos’ second game, while it’s the opener for Clearwater Valley. The team plays its home opener the following week when Glenns Ferry of District 4’s Snake River Conference journey’s north on September 6.
Hutchens identified two keys to the Rams’ upcoming season.
“We need to generate more turnovers on defense and not turn it over so much on offense,” he said. “We also need to stay healthy as a team. Injuries were a big burden last year.”