Written by Will Hoenike
The Shoshone Indians will once again split their schedule this season between varsity-level and junior-varsity level competition.
The reason is simple – numbers. The Indians do not have much depth and playing in the uber-tough Snake River Conference with the likes of perennial powers Oakley and Raft River makes it tough to compete. So, for the third consecutive season, the team will play half of its games as a varsity team and half as a junior-varsity team.
That’s not to say that head coach Michael Perry doesn’t have talent. Seniors Alex Rasmussen and Carlos Leros will anchor the team on both the offensive and the defensive lines. The team will need to replace the likes of Andrew Sant and Joe Koonce, who were key contributors on offense. Senior Colby Verneou and junior Austin Stoll are two players who will have an opportunity to fill those spots.
The Indians went 1-1 as a varsity team last season, defeating Richfield before falling to Rockland. The same two opponents are on Shoshone’s schedule this season, along with conference foe Glenns Ferry, as varsity opponents so Perry and his troops will have a good chance to test themselves against varsity-level competition.
As an independent team splitting between varsity and JV games, there will be no playoffs for Shoshone this fall. However, the program has an opportunity to continue to compete on the field, continue to build forward momentum, and move closer to better days for Shoshone on the gridiron.
Check back with IdahoSports.com for updated Shoshone scores and schedules throughout the season.