Written by: Brandon Baney
On the surface, things appear to be going well for the Marsh Valley football program. The Eagles have qualified for the state playoffs in five of the past six seasons.
But beneath the shiny veneer of the postseason is the reality that Marsh Valley is a team still struggling to find its footing among Class 4A’s best programs.
Yes it’s true that Marsh Valley has been to the playoffs five of the past six years, but they’ve gone 0-5 in postseason contests and just 22-33 overall.
The last time Marsh Valley finished with a winning record back in 2018, when longtime coach Doug Armstrong guided the team to a 6-3 finish.
Armstrong has since retired, and his replacement, Jeff Belnap, was out after just two seasons after his contract wasn’t renewed.
So Marsh Valley will prepare for a new season with their third different coach in the past four years. Jared Michaelson, who previously coached in Melba, takes the reins of what should be an eager team.
“I feel like we have the best backfield in 4A,” says Michaelson. “We’re going to put our offensive line in a better position to be successful, which will spill over to the backfield. Watch for Beau Larsen, Christian Hinrichs and Wyatt Marshall to have breakout seasons.”
That trio of seniors will all split time at running back this season. Senior Cooper Bowman will join them at quarterback, and senior lineman Christian Hinrichs and senior tight end Kaden Hansen will help pave the way up front.
Defensively, the Eagles will lean on those same athletes.
“We are basing our defense around our linebackers this year,” says Michaelson. “We have a great core group and they will be looking to make a statement this season.”
Larsen, Roche and Hinrichs are the aforementioned linebackers. Hansen will provide the pass rush at defensive end, and Marshall and Bowman will hold down the secondary at strong safety and free safety, respectively.
“We are going to focus on stopping the deep pass,” says Michaelson. “Our team was beat over the top at times last season, which resulted in a lot of big plays and touchdowns.”
Overall, excitement is high at Marsh Valley. With a group of hungry athletes yearning to win, Michaelson feels his team has all the ingredients to engineer a turnaround.
“Our senior group has embraced a change in culture,” says Michaelson. “They know they have the talent to win and with a slight adjustment to mindset, this team is going to surprise a lot of people.”