Written by: Will Hoenike
Third-year head coach Shawn Buchanan and his coaching staff at Troy High School come in to the 2024 season with talent returning at the skill positions but also needing to rebuild the offensive and defensive lines after graduating two key players from last year’s team.
Joseph Bendel and Ari Wagman, both selected to the All-Whitepine second team, represented two of the team’s three linemen. And now both have graduated and moved on as the Trojans prepare for their season opener on August 23 at home against nearby rival Deary, a 1A (formerly 1A Division 2) opponent located just 12 miles away.
Troy returns talented and athletic senior quarterback Makhi Durrett along with senior running back Jackson Marone. The pair will help spearhead an offense that showed flashes last season, particularly early in the season, and ended up averaging 22 points per game. Durrett accounted for four touchdowns, two rushing and two passing, against Potlatch in 2023 and the coaching staff hopes for more performances like that from him in 2024.
That pair could receive a boost from junior Wade Moser and sophomore Jayden Mason on both sides of the ball. The team graduated just five seniors listed on its roster of 25 players, leaving the Trojans with a solid core of returning players to build on this fall.
The Trojans’ journey through the 2A (formerly 1A Division 1) Whitepine League got more dangerous this fall with the addition of Kendrick, the 3-time defending 1A state champion. Troy faces the Tigers early this season, traveling to Kendrick on August 30. The Trojans will host Logos, Lapwai, and Prairie in league play this season.
Health – the Trojans run the gauntlet early in the season, facing Kendrick, Logos, and Potlatch in league play before the end of September – will be critical to Troy’s hopes of climbing the Whitepine League standings in 2024, as will plugging holes along the offensive and defensive lines. If the team is able to check those two boxes, it could find itself in position to push for a playoff spot late in the regular season.