Written by: Will Hoenike
The Hagerman Pirates are coming off of an appearance in the 1A Division 2 (now just 1A) state semifinals and return an all-state caliber receiver and multiple all-conference honorees.
Should be easy to pencil them in for a return to the playoffs this fall, right?
Well, maybe.
Make no mistake, head coach Bill Hicks has a squad that absolutely could reach the postseason and potentially make noise once it is there. But there are two key caveats that need to be discussed. First, the Pirates move up a classification this year to 2A (the former 1A Division 1). And secondly, even though the team only graduated two senior starters, it is two pivotal starters that will need to be replaced in 1st Team All-State lineman Alex Asher and 1st Team All-Conference RB/DE Wyatt Hoskovec. They were both high performers on the field along with key leaders (team captains).
“Each played on both sides of the ball and will be very hard to replace,” said Hicks, who is entering his third season as the head coach in Hagerman. “We are in a new league with very tough competition so it will be a test for us to see how we match up.”
That makes the return on all-conference honoree Alex Johnson, a senior, crucial. He’ll be asked to spearhead the team’s offensive and defensive fronts along with senior Connor Watkins and junior Damien Hansen, a transfer from Richfield High School.
On offense, the line will lead an offense that has the potential to be explosive. Junior quarterback Wyatt Mavencamp returns and has a trio of strong receivers to throw the ball to in seniors Ky Kendall, Shaymus Merrill, and Martin Gonzalez. Kendall earned All-State recognition and put his versatility on display, collecting more than 2,500 total yards and 30 touchdowns bouncing all over the field to fill whichever hole the team needed plugged on that day, seeing time at receiver, running back, and quarterback. Gonzalez also provided plenty of big plays for the Pirates as a junior, as did Merrill, as the Pirates averaged 40 points per game last season, including a four-week stretch late in the season that saw the team post 44, 58, 52, and 70 points in consecutive seasons.
That trio will be the backbone of the team’s defense as well but Hagerman has a burgeoning star in the middle.
“Colmin Pierce is an excellent middle linebacker and two-year starter who is being recruited already,” Hicks said of the senior. “We hope to improve our defensive line play. We have two returning starters in Johnson and Watkins but we need to find another defensive end as the loss of Hoskovek will be felt.”
Perhaps that player is Hansen, perhaps it is someone else. The team allowed 200 points in its three losses last fall (including 88 in its semifinal loss to Kendrick, who is also moving up to 2A) so the continued growth and production of Pierce along with finding a replacement for Hoskovec will be important in a conference that includes four-time defending state champion Oakley and a surging Valley program, among others.
The Pirates get those two teams early in the campaign this fall, hosting Valley on September 13 and traveling to Oakley on October 27. The team will also face perennial 8-man power Butte County in a non-conference matchup on October 18 in Hagerman. It will be a stern test on the field for Hicks’ squad but the pieces are in place for a competitive fall along the Snake River.
“Playing together as a team and playing consistently to our potential regardless of the opponent (will be key),” Hicks concluded. “We need to build team chemistry but we have great senior leadership.”