Written by: Will Hoenike
A win in the final week of the 2023 regular season propelled the Idaho City Wildcats to the 1A Division 1 (now 2A) state playoffs this season and veteran head coach Jason Roeber and his staff will look to build on that in 2024.
The team won two of its three Western Idaho conference games, including what was essentially a pre-playoff game to end the regular season, defeating Rimrock in a game where the winner would advance to the postseason. Despite qualifying for the playoffs four times since 2018, the program has not won a playoff game since reaching the 2000 state championship game at what was then called the A-4 (8-man) level. In fact, the entire Western Idaho Conference has been blanked in the postseason since 2016, when Notus edged Prairie in a quarterfinal matchup.
If Idaho City wants to be the team to break the conference’s dry spell in 2024, the team will need to be more consistent on defense, where it allowed an average of nearly 44 points per game last fall. The Wildcats do return some experience along the defensive front in juniors Rocco Olvera and Michael Kaczmarek in front of senior linebacker Trey Martiny. Seniors Charlie Culver and Jon Green return in the secondary.
On offense, the team needs to replace productive running back Tell Jewell, strong tight end Ruari Mulrey, and standout lineman Dax Olvera, all three of whom were voted first team All-Conference by the WIC’s coaches. It will be a challenge, but players like Culver and Green will step into larger roles this fall to provide play-making ability.
Under Roeber, a long-time staple in Idaho City who now doubles as the district’s athletic director, the Wildcat football team is known for its no-nonsense, physical style of football. Like any small-school program, overall health and continued development of its younger players will be crucial to on-field success.
The 2023 version of the Wildcats started slowly, dropping their first three contests. No doubt Roeber would like to flip that script in 2024, starting with a challenging season opener on August 30 at Garden Valley. The team will also go on the road for a non-conference game on September 20 at Challis before opening Western Idaho Conference play with a pair of road games, traveling to Wilder on September 27 before visiting perennial league toughie Notus on October 4. The team will then host back-to-back conference games, Rimrock and Gem State/Centennial Baptist, to close the regular season.