Written by: Will Hoenike
On the heels of a seven-win season, the Tri-Valley Titans were tasked with replacing seven departed seniors. Among them, the Long Pin Conference Offensive Player of the Year Gage Warren along with All-Conference selections Claytin Harper, Russell Noah, and Trevor Farrens. The good news for second-year head coach Tyler Waggoner and his staff is last fall’s roster included 12 freshmen or sophomores.
Depth. And a good portion of that depth gained valuable experience, either at the varsity level right away, like All-Conference selections Wyatt Moura and Jace Waggoner, or through junior varsity contests, which are extremely valuable at the 8-man level to give those younger players real, on-field, game experience.
Waggoner, now a junior, returns as the team’s starting quarterback after accounting for 21 touchdowns as a sophomore. Two other juniors, Eli Noah and Elias DeVries, appear primed to take over for Warren in the offensive backfield as the Titans hope to continue piling up the points after averaging more than 47 per game last fall.
The defense will be headlined upfront by DeVries and Wyatt Moura, a pair of juniors who each totaled six sacks last season. DeVries’ sack total came in limited action but should be ready to play a full season this fall. Waggoner will play both ways, stepping into a linebacker role on defense after making 94 tackles last season. Toby Walker returns to the Titan secondary for his senior season.
The team only tasted defeat one time in conference play last season, a road loss to rival Council, and qualified for the 1A Division 2 (now known as 1A) state playoffs. After an opening-round win over Lewis County, the Titans were knocked out of the postseason in the quarterfinals by Rockland.
Could a return to the postseason be in the cards for Tri-Valley? If Noah and DeVries can replace the production and big-play capabilities of Warren and Harper, it certainly seems possible. The Long Pin looks balanced again this season, with Council and Garden Valley also returning solid teams while Cascade, Horseshoe Bend, and Salmon River will be looking to break into the postseason conversation.
The Long Pin’s conference champion – it was Council in 2023 – will earn an automatic berth into the 1A state playoffs. The conference’s other five teams will compete for at-large berths into the postseason, based on a mathematical formula provided by MaxPreps.