Written by: Will Hoenike
The Wallace Miners have 24 players out for football this season, only three of which are seniors. Ten are freshmen.
It’s easy to see why ninth-year head coach Jared Young is bullish on the future of his program in District 1.
“We are young and this will be a very valuable year in getting our young guys experience,” Young said. “We look to build a culture of toughness and discipline, and with such a young team there is lots of room for growth and that is something we are very excited about for the coming years of football.”
The coach even went so far as to say the “P” word – playoffs.
“We think we have a great shot at one of our two playoff spots this season and, if we do, getting playoff experience for such a young team is great for the future,” he said.
The Miners have reached the postseason as recently as 2021, when they advanced following a tiebreaker victory into the 1A Division 1 bracket. The program advanced to the postseason seven consecutive years between 2009 and 2015 so there is a history of success in the community affectionately called “the center of the universe” and it seems success may be on the way back.
Leading the charge in 2023 for Wallace is versatile junior Julian Davis. The 175-pounder threw for 200 yards, ran for 167 yards, and caught passes for another 125 yards last fall and had a hand in eight touchdowns. With Parker Goldade, Landon Streeter, and Aric Wilkinson all gone, Davis will be looked at for big plays all over the field this fall.
The coaching staff likes the depth along the offensive line, which returns seniors Alex Cleveland and Oliver Busto, and in the offensive backfield where Davis will be joined by junior Wyatt Ritchey and sophomore Alex Grubbs. The pair combined for nearly 400 yards on the ground last season. Jackson Pierce and Tyler Wuerfel, two members of Wallace’s incoming freshman class, will also compete for playing time at running back.
Davis could see time at quarterback for the Miners. Another freshman, Henry Larson, is an option as well.
Defensively, the Miners had trouble with North Star League toughguys Mullan/St. Regis and Clark Fork. Wallace faced each team twice and surrendered 212 points in those four contests.
“Our strength this year will be our defensive line and we have more speed on defense then in past years,” Young said. “We will be very young overall, starting only two seniors, so we will have to play disciplined football.”
Busto (middle linebacker) and Cleveland (defensive line) figure to be the two seniors with big roles on the defense. Davis (linebacker) and Ritchey (linebacker), will also see key playing time on the field. Another member of the freshman class, Reece Williams, could be an impact player from day one at defensive end.
“We want to be stout against the run and use gap control, and force long-yardage third and fourth downs, to make teams more predictable,” Young said.
Two teams from the North Star will advance to the 1A Division 2 postseason. Mullan/St. Regis has had a firm control of the top spot in the league for the past several years and won’t cede that spot easily. The second spot last season was earned by Clark Fork. There are people around the Miner program who believe this group of kids have a chance to compete for one of those spots this year.
“Staying healthy and getting our underclassman to understand the speed of play and what we are trying to accomplish as a team,” Young said.” If we can do that, we could be a dark horse in our league and be a team that could make a run for the playoffs.”