Written by: Will Hoenike
The 1A Division 2 Sawtooth Conference, as a group, won 34 football games in 2022. It was admittedly a little bit top-heavy as Dietrich (11), Castleford (9), and Camas County (7) claimed 27 of the 34, with Dietrich reaching the classification’s state championship game.
But those three teams have suffered some losses through graduation, which might open the door for the conference’s other teams to move up in the standings in 2023.
One of the teams knocking on the door – the Hansen Huskies.
Head coach Jim Rife’s team did lose five seniors of its own from last year’s 3-5 team but it returns a nice nucleus to help on both sides of the ball, including three sophomores that appear primed to fill key roles this fall.
Paul Eiman (TE/LB) and Zak Hernandez (OL/DL) both received end-of-season accolades from the Sawtooth Conference following their freshman season. They’re joined by talented Bennie Reichel to fill important spots for the Huskies. Eiman isn’t overly big (5-foot-9, 135 pounds) but feisty and competitive at linebacker. He qualified for the state wrestling tournament as a freshman last winter, displaying his strength and toughness. Both Hernandez (5-foot-8, 185 pounds) and Reichel (5-foot-10, 175 pounds) are a little bit bigger and don’t lack strength, either.
The team also has a solid group of seniors to help its younger players adjust to the pace and speed of varsity football. Nic Gill and Dillion Egbert will both play receiver and defensive back while Jr. Mendoza will play along both the offensive and defensive lines.
Perhaps one of Hansen’s biggest challenges will be finding a replacement for second-team all conference running back Elway Pickett. The speedy Pickett gave the Huskies a home-run threat on offense. Could that role be filled by Reichel?
The team has two returning starters along the offensive line in Hernandez and Mendoza. Senior Sam Huerta has the inside track on occupying the other spot along the offensive line while also playing linebacker on defense.
On defense, Hansen posted one shutout and held another opponent to just 12 points. However, the other six opponents combined for 299 points – nearly 50 per game – so Rife knows his team needs to make strides on that side of the ball.
“Being a very young team last year, we are looking to take advantage of another year of development of our young players,” Rife said of the upcoming season. “Also continuing to help these young men grow into productive members of the school, community, and society.”
Hansen’s playoff hopes may come down to the season’s final three weeks – at Dietrich, at Hagerman, and home for Castleford. Dietrich and Castleford have been Sawtooth Conference bullies in recent years and seem unlikely to give up the throne without a fight. And many coaches around the district have singled out Hagerman as a team that has a chance to move toward the head of the line on the football field this fall.