Written by: Will Hoenike
A strong finish to the regular season propelled the Idaho City Wildcats into the 2022 1A Division 1 playoffs last season. Veteran head coach Jason Roeber and his team will look to use that as a springboard into a 2023 season where the Western Idaho Conference appears to be wide open.
The Wildcats will have to find replacements for versatile players like Brody Backus and Ian Roeber but the team returns sophomore quarterback Trey Martiny as well as All-Conference lineman Dax Olvera to headline a roster that has some intriguing pieces.
Perhaps the biggest question facing the team in 2023 is who takes the ball and runs with it when Idaho City is on offense. Roeber’s identity as a coach has long been as a ground-based offense that mixes in some throws. Seniors Ruari Mulrey and Tell Jewell are both players who could be candidates, as could junior Charlie Culver.
On defense, Mulrey is a player who did good things from his linebacker position last season. With Olvera and senior Kade Hofer in front of him along the defensive line, the Wildcats could be challenging to run the ball against this fall.
Idaho City will host Wilder for Homecoming on September 22 but the biggest two-week stretch of the season for the Wildcats, much like last year, might be the last two weeks of the regular season. Idaho City will host defending league champion Notus before traveling to Rimrock, a team that appears primed to take a step forward in 2023. A strong finish this fall, much like last fall, should put Idaho City in position to play postseason football once again.