Written by Chris Deremer
After performing rather quietly the past few seasons, the Bonners Ferry Badgers are ready to attack this coming 2020 season. And after having some disappointing campaigns these past few years, the Badgers are ready to reclaim dominance within the Intermountain League.
Travis Hinthorn enters his second year as the program’s head coach, still adjusting after coaching middle school football in the area for 20 years.
Last season, out of the 62 players on the roster, 24 of were freshmen. This season, most of the team will consist of many sophomores and juniors. Many young Badger faces will have opportunities to showcase their abilities this season. The Badgers return many talented players despite the lack of experience, with six All-Intermountain League Second Team players returning to the roster.
One of them is promising sophomore quarterback Teigan Banning. Hinthorn aims to make good use of the young quarterback, providing more opportunities for the shifty playmaker.
“We will try to pass more this year,” Coach Hinthorn said. “Our quarterback is small but has a big arm and is accurate.
Hinthorn says he is excited about the potential his offense can bring this season.
“We are bigger, faster, and stronger than last year and have much more experience,” Hinthorn said. “We had a great summer and put in a lot of stuff offensively.”
Having great equipment surrounding a team can also help a developing squad find more success, something that Coach Hinthorn has taken great pride in this offseason to help his team take that next level this season.
“Our district helped us by finding money to remodel the weight room,” Hinthorn said. “I am excited about our future of athletics in the next couple of years. We seem to be building a culture and are heading in the right direction.”
They will have a daunting Week 1 task of taking on Lincoln County from Eureka, Montana. Lincoln County is fresh off a Montana State Championship from a season ago, leaving the Badgers an opportunity to make a statement if they can escape with a win.
Bonners Ferry dropped its season opener a year ago to Lincoln City 0-35 and hopes to find revenge as well as rewrite the script for expectations of this season.
For the past few seasons, the kings of the Intermountain League have been the Timberlake Tigers from Spirit Lake. This season, Hinthorn and company look forward to the challenge of dethroning the kings.
“Timberlake will stay on top until someone beats them,” Hinthorn said. “Hopefully we are closer to that this year. We will be much better than last year.”
Morale is high within the Badger program, and with many young faces ready to make a name for themselves, football in Bonners Ferry should be a must-watch this season.
Check back with IdahoSports.com throughout the season for updated Badger scores and schedules.