Photo By Michella Davenport - #22 Jayson Hall
Written by Meredith Spelbring
The Scenic Idaho conference may be small, so each conference matchup carries some weight.
Lakeside High School Head Coach Chris Dohrman said the team is looking to its showdown with Wallace High School with greater implications on the team’s season.
“(Most looking forward to) Wallace as we are now in a new league and those games determine a chance to go to State,” Dohrman said.
The Lakeside Knights aim to fill the shoes of the 2019 graduated seniors, which include several with four-year veteran experience, Dohrman said.
“We lost Vincent Howard, Lazarus Iron Cloud, Gavin Rhea and Devin Arroyo to graduation,” Dohrman said. “They are all four-year seniors and we are going to miss their leadership, knowledge and experience.”
Despite losing a strong class to graduation, Lakeside returns two All League selections in defensive back and wide receiver Jayson Hall as well as fullback and linebacker Alberto Arroyo. Quarterback and defensive back Tucker Sanchez and defensive lineman and center Patrick Galler also return to help carry the Knights into the 2020 season.
Dohrman said the key to the offense's success in 2020 is simple.
“We need to stay healthy, execute, and have a few players step up into bigger roles this year,” he said.
Dohrman plans to run a balanced offense, relying both on the run and the passing game but hope to run the ball and move the chains.
“I think we have got a little faster than last year,” he said. “I also think we will not be as physical as we were last year.”
Hall, Arroyo and Sanchez will all be critical in the offense’s success in executing the plan, Dohrman said, as they are some of the most experienced athletes on the team.
On the other side of the ball, Dohrman said the defense will be most successful if the guys can tackle, cover their assignments and play as a unit.
When it comes to the defensive style, Dohrman doesn’t over complicate it.
“(We have) a ‘whatever it takes’ kind of defense,” he said.
Check back with IdahoSports.com for updated Lakeside High School scores and schedules throughout the season.