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Greenleaf Friends Academy
School Info
Conference: 1AD1 Western Idaho Conference
Classification: 1A D1
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Head Coach: Jeff Metcalf
Years as Head Coach: 1st Season
Previous Experience: Coached football and basketball in Natoma, KS., in 1995-96
Record Last Year: 0-8
Assistant Coaches:
Ron Emry
Joe Carson
Jon Bartlow
Returning Players with Honors:
Cade Metcalf, Second-team, SIC 1A defensive back
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“Key Players” lost from last year:
Jakob Behrends, QB
Incoming “impact” players:
Garrett Sedlacek, receiver, freshman
Colton Sedlacek, receiver, freshman
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Team Preview:
Written by: Chris Langrill
Greenleaf Friends Academy is a small, private Christian school with a tiny enrollment.
So, just fielding a football team is a success of sorts. The Grizzlies managed to so last season, but they finished with an 0-8 record.
Still, Jeff Metcalf is excited to be taking over as the coach of the small program, which plays in the Southern Idaho Conference's 1A, Division 1.
“We don't have a lot of kids coming out, and numbers will be an issue,” Metcalf said. “But the boys who are coming out are excited and have a great attitude. Our new coaching staff brings a great amount of experience and all are members of our school's staff, so they will be able to interact with our kids on a daily basis.”
In addition to the inherent obstacles at Greenleaf, this year's team will also have to find a way to replace one of the leaders from last season: quarterback Jakob Behrends.
“As a senior, Jakob had been through our program for four years and he knew the ins and outs of what we wanted to do,” Metcalf said. “He was able to offer invaluable leadership and effort to our younger guys.”
But Greenleaf won't be completely starting over.
“We return our top offensive lineman (senior Ben Stinson) and our leading receiver (senior Cade Metcalf), who was also our backup QB,” Metcalf said.
Those same two players will also make a huge impact on the defensive side of the ball. Stinson will anchor the line and Metcalf is a standout defensive back who earned second-team, all-conference honors last season as a junior.
A pair of freshman receivers – Garrett and Colton Sedlacek – will bolster the passing game.
“Although we will be extremely young this year, our young guys will add a level of speed to our program that we haven't had in some time,” Metcalf said. “Our job will be to find ways to get these young players … in positions where they can use that speed successfully.”
And speaking of putting players in a position to succeed, Metcalf said the defense can't be backed up as often as it was last season.
“We will need to do a better job of not forcing our defense to always defend their own end of the field,” he said.
But in the end, Metcalf knows that coaching can only go so far at Greenleaf. Even more important is keeping his limited roster intact.
“I believe our biggest challenge will be to stay healthy,” he said. “With so few players, we can't afford any serious injuries. If we can stay healthy, I believe we have a chance to make things interesting.”
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