Written by: Will Hoenike
There was a time when the tiny town of Mackay, about an hour and a half outside of Idaho Falls, was the epicenter of small-town football in Idaho. Under the leadership of legendary coach Jack McKelvey, the Miners won six consecutive A-4 11-man (what has become 1A Division 1) state championships between 1996 to 2001. Then, the McKelvey-led Miners won another state title at the 1A Division 2 8-man level in 2005.
The Miners were held out of the playoffs in 1994. The next time the team didn’t qualify for the playoffs? It was 2011. Fifteen straight playoff appearances, seven state championships along the way along with three losses in the state championship game. Very few programs (at any level) in Idaho can match that.
Times have changed. Since the quarterfinal loss to Salmon River in 2010, Mackay has made just two cameo appearances in the 1A Division 2 playoffs – 2017 and 2018 – before a cooperative agreement with Butte County in 2019 led to a deep playoff run. But Mackay hasn’t been able to recapture its earlier success as a stand-alone program.
After going winless in 2021, Mackay went the co-op route again last season, combining with Challis. The team went 1-5 but it kept several Mackay players on the field. Now, under first-year head coach Ryan Huish, the Miners program stands alone on the field in Mackay.
“We have a great group of young men playing this season and expect to identify key leaders as
the season progresses,” said Huish. “Since rebuilding a Mackay-only squad this year is a main focus, we will be looking to create profound cohesiveness within our team a whole in order to claim a successful season.”
The team has about 15 players to start the season. The community does have a number of quality athletes but it does not have a youth program of its own before the junior-high level. So, while there are very few first-time players, experience and depth are still concerns.
Senior Ryker Esplin is expected to compete for snaps at the quarterback position with junior Graisyn Chandler getting carries as a running back. Junior center Tayler Rogers and freshman Lucas Hulse will be counted on to help solidify the offensive front along with senior Chance Brower at tight end.
Brower is one of the players who gained valuable experience in Challis last season, earning All-Conference recognition as a defensive end where he averaged almost six tackles per game. He’ll fill a linebacker role for the Miners in 2023, playing behind Rogers and Hulse on the defensive line while Esplin will fill a role in the secondary, along with senior Paylen Bruley.
The junior-high program in Mackay has been playing well for the past few years so the foundation appears to be in good shape. As for this year, the Miners will play in the 1A Division 2 Rocky Mountain Conference with Rockland, North Gem, Watersprings, and Clark County. While the conference games are obviously all important, there are probably more than a couple of eyes on the team’s non-conference game on September 22 against the team Mackay used to compete alongside, the Challis Vikings.