Written by: Brandon Baney
For several years, the Nuclear Conference race has boiled down to North Fremont and Firth. Since 2021, the Huskies and Cougars have alternated conference titles, with Firth claiming the most recent crown last season with a perfect 4-0 record.
It wasn’t easy though: Firth had to survive a 16-14 overtime win over North Fremont, and a 28-20 nail-biter over Ririe.
That’s right. Last year, another conference contender emerged: Ririe. The Bulldogs went 7-3 overall, 3-1 in the Nuke, and hosted their first playoff game in school history.
Those three will all be tough opponents again in 2025. West Jefferson was young last year and is ready for their closeup, and Salmon has new life and enthusiasm after North Fremont coach Keith Director decided to take a job leading the Savages.
No conference is deeper and more rigorous in Class 3A football than the Nuke.
FIRTH
Rigo Vasquez has constructed a well-oiled machine in his first four years as Firth’s head coach. The athletes change, but the schemes and success stay the same.
Look no further than the Cougars’ offensive backfield. Quarterback Darrell Vasquez and running back Fisher Anderson have graduated, but reinforcements are on the way.
“Darrell had been the leader of the team for many years, and Fisher was a hard runner that could take on many tacklers,” says Vasquez. “But Grant Vasquez and Beau Ringel will be a tough tandem to stop.”
Grant Vasquez has dabbled at receiver the past couple of seasons, and will slide under center to operate Firth’s Wing-T attack. Ringel has seen time at fullback recently, but is ready for his closeup as the the main rushing source in 2025.
“We need to get more push from our line,” coach Vasquez notes. “More experience on the line will help a ton. If we can get the bigs to block and get up to the second level, our running game could be exciting.” Senor Cooper Park and junior Kelton Robinson will lead that group up front.
Firth’s calling card on defense has been the defensive line and linebackers over the years. The Cougars switch between a 5-4 and a 4-4 front with regularity, and will be anchored by Robinson at defensive end, Ringel and Vasquez at linebacker, and senior Ricky Arriaga in the secondary.
RIRIE
Ririe’s run-heavy Wing-T offense lost its top rusher (wingback Rafe Newton and his 1,333 yards) to graduation, but the rest of the pieces are in place for another strong season.
It starts with Ririe’s other wingback from last year, Kolter Lewis. Lewis finished 32 yards shy of Newton’s total, with 1,301 yards and 18 touchdowns. Lewis will be joined by fellow seniors Ian Johnson and Breylon Moon at fullback and quarterback, respectively. Taking Newton’s spot at wingback will be senior Garrett Van Noy.
Senior tight end Kody Landon returns after an All-Nuke season in 2024. Fellow senior Cooper Brown will man the other tight end spot. The offensive line only lost one starter, tackle Brady Barber. “Our offensive line is a year older and loves the blocking sled,” says head coach Josh Huntsman. Seniors Cooper Huntsman, Logan Trimble and Austin Landon will lead an experienced group up front.
“We are trying to score more points this year,” says Huntsman. “We also want to get both wingacks over 1,000 yards rushing once again.”
The Ririe defense said goodbye to middle linebacker Treagan Harris, but otherwise returns several impact players. Johnson and Landon will start at defensive end, while Huntsman, Landon and senior Gabe Montero will man the middle of the defensive line at tackle. Lewis will lead the linebackers, and Brown and senior safety Wyatt Taylor will anchor the secondary.
NORTH FREMONT
Head coach Keith Director engineered the Huskies to a 6-4 mark and 3A quarterfinals appearance in his rookie season as North Fremont head coach.
Then, just as quickly as he arrived, Director was gone. Director wanted the challenge of rebuilding Salmon’s program, and left North Fremont for their Nuclear Conference rival earlier this spring.
North Fremont didn’t have to look far to find its next head coach. Defensive Coordinator Jason Wright has been elevated to the top spot, and will serve as North Fremont’s third head coach in three years.
Despite his experience on the defensive side of the ball, Wright is most excited about North Fremont’s offense in 2025. “We are bringing back two elite running backs and four starters on the offensive line,” says Wright.
Seniors Andrew Martin and Owen Reid both started a season ago in the Huskies’ run-heavy option attack. Martin was a focal point of the offense, while Reid actually lined up at wide receiver. But with Martin’s backfield mate Roy Wynn lost to graduation, Reid will slide into the backfield, where his speed can be better used.
The pair could be running to the right often this year, as seniors Josh Heiner at right guard and Bryce Nedrow at right tackle are North Fremont’s top returning linemen.
If the returning starters on offense can help lessen the learning curve for everyone else, the North Fremont offense could be humming once again. “We need to be better in our fundamentals,” says Wright. “From stance, to blocking, to knowing the snap count.”
As for North Fremont’s defense, Wright feels great about that unit also. “We have experienced players in each position group,” he says. “These boys are tough and are very disciplined.”
Senior Cameron Shuldberg is a returning All-Nuke talent at defensive end, and the secondary in particular will be a strength with seniors Benny Torres and Travis Marshall lining up at cornerback and safety, respectively.
“We are bringing back nine starters overall from last year, and I think we have a great group of boys,” says Wright. “We’re looking forward to having a competitive season and a tough schedule ahead of us.”
WEST JEFFERSON
Despite finishing just 1-3 in the Nuclear Conference a year ago, the West Jefferson Panthers still qualified for the 3A playoffs by virtue of their 3-1 record outside of the conference. Highlights included a 48-40 win over eventual Central Idaho League champion Grangeville, a narrow 26-19 loss to Ririe, and a 20-14 loss to Nuke rival North Fremont in the opening round of the playoffs.
Second-year head coach Cory Hall is hopeful that some of those narrow losses turn into wins in 2025. Eight seniors graduated this past spring, including quarterback and team leader Tate Simmons, receivers/defensive backs Rawley Calder and Boone Burtenshaw, and two-way lineman Ely Sullivan.
But lots of important pieces return for West J. also. The list begins with senior Mac Hall, a three-year starter at running back and strong safety. Joining Hall in the Panthers’ Wing-T backfield is senior Justus Burtenshaw. Burtenshaw played slot receiver last year, and will line up next to Hall at free safety on defense.
Replacing Burtenshaw in the slot is junior Isaac Hall. Hall also starts at middle linebacker, and was a second team All-Conference selection as a sophomore a year ago. He’s been described by the West J. coaching staff as the strongest player on the team.
The offensive and defensive lines will be paced by seniors Carter Hulse and Nathan Tomlinson. Hulse is a three-year starter up front, while Tomlinson has wowed coaches with his offseason workouts. Sophomore Hobbs Hall will also start for the first time this year, on the offensive line and at linebacker.
West J. also has a secret weapon in the kicking game. Senior Johnny Bonilla has been an All-Nuke kicker the past two years, and has a few game-winning field goals under his belt.
But the big question remains: who takes over for Tate Simmons at quarterback? Coach Hall will be moving senior Ryker Burtenshaw from running back to QB to orchestrate the Panthers’ rush-heavy Wing-T attack.
SALMON
The Savages limped through a 1-6 campaign in 2024. Their lone victory came by a single point over Orofino, 8-7.
In search of their first playoff appearance since 2019, Salmon is turning to its sixth different head coach in the past six seasons.
Keith Director takes the reins after coaching Nuke rival North Fremont last season. Director owned and operated a private gym in New Orleans for several years before moving to east Idaho last season. He’s trained numerous NFL and Major League Baseball players, and after leading North Fremont to a 6-4 mark in his only season with the Huskies, Director took on the challenge of rebuilding Salmon.
“We want to increase our physical endurance and have much-improved attention to details,” says Director.
Director plans on running a pro style offense quarterbacked by sophomore Pason Phillips. He’ll be joined sophomore running back Maddox Thimmons and senior fullback Thomas Baumer in the backfield. His top target in the passing game will be senior Clayton Allen. A relatively unproven offensive line will be anchored by freshman center Brock Jarvis.
Defensively, Salmon will run a 4-4 look led by Phillips and Thimmons at linebacker and Baumer at defensive end.