Written by: Will Hoenike
The 1A Long Pin Conference had four teams in the classification’s quarterfinals in 2024. Two of the four, Garden Valley and Tri-Valley, reached the semifinal round before being knocked out.
The Long Pin hasn’t won a state title since Salmon River in 2016 – the school’s sixth in 10 years between 2007 and 2016. The conference has a pair of teams on a lot of radars across the state coming into the 2025 season. And maybe a couple who can play their way onto those same radars.
COUNCIL
The Lumberjacks have won the past three Long Pin regular-season titles only to fall short in the postseason. Last fall, it was a 22-20 thriller against conference rival Garden Valley that ended the title dreams for Council.
But the reigning conference player of the year, Owen Hatfield, returns after running for over 1,600 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. He passed for another eight scores and chipped in over seven tackles per game on defense. Two-way All-Conference lineman Remington Crowell is also back. Big-play receiver Garrison Zielinski? He’s back. So is emerging big-play threat Jimmy Tucker. So is two-way standout Wyatt Tharp for head coach JC Tucker.
The team finished with a 7-2 overall record last season. Its two losses were the only two times all season the Lumberjacks were held to 20 points or less. The plethora of offensive weapons will be on display starting on August 29, when the ‘Jacks open the season with a neutral-site contest against Lakeside from the District 1 North Star League.
TRI-VALLEY
Another team that returns all kinds of explosive playmaking ability is the Tri-Valley Titans. After reaching the 1A semifinals last season, the Titans graduated just two seniors and come into this season as a trendy pick to compete for a state championship.
Head coach Tyler Waggoner won’t shy away from challenging the team, either – the Titans open against Oregon 8-man powerhouse Adrian on August 29 before playing Deary, 2A Notus, and 2A Butte County before moving into Long Pin play in late September.
Senior Jace Waggoner returns after rushing for over 2,000 yards and scoring 32 touchdowns in 2024. He added over 100 tackles on defense, intercepted six passes, and scored three defensive touchdowns. Wyatt Moura, the team’s center, is back for his senior season along with TE/DE Elias DeVries, RB/LB Eli Noah, OL/DL Blake Barton, and OL/DL Mishka Rapp.
That experience, according to Coach Waggoner, is a big plus for the 2025 version of the Titan squad. Seniors Monte Ingram and Wyatt Stiff, along with junior Gavin Springer add to the strong turnout for the cooperative program between Cambridge, Midvale, and Indian Valley.
GARDEN VALLEY
Veteran head coach Jason Yearsley and his Wolverine team earned a trip to the 1A semifinals in 2024 and now need to replace a trio of valuable seniors, including the Long Pin’s Defensive Player of the Year, Trevor Corn. Rex Fackrell and Trustin Brown also depart after strong careers on the football field.
So who’s left? It would be naïve to think the cupboard is bare in Garden Valley. Two-way All-Long Pin standout Max Yearsley returns for his senior season, as do juniors Kendrew Ward and Cody Perrin. Senior Tyler Rowland also returns after splitting time at the quarterback position in 2024, and junior Marshall Coley could slide into a role similar to the one played by Corn last fall – a bruising, powerful runner on offense and a big-time tackler on defense as the team has its eyes on a return to the 1A state playoffs.
The Wolverines open the season with back-to-back non-conference games against 2A foes: hosting Idaho City on August 22 before traveling to Notus on August 29.
CASCADE
First-year head coach Mike LaCroix and his staff will look to build on the momentum built last season, where Cascade qualified for the 1A state playoffs and won its postseason opener to reach the classification’s semifinal round.
Unfortunately for LaCroix, three of the team’s most prominent players – Stuart Derrick, Cole Olson, and Hayden Hull – were all seniors in 2024. Seniors Jackson Hanson and Finley Wilkens return, as does impressive junior TE/LB Damian Nuno.
The Ramblers open the 2025 season against 2A foes Wilder and Idaho City. Cascade defeated both to open the 2024 season; a repeat performance this fall could set the stage for another solid season for Cascade.
SALMON RIVER
Salmon River has about 20 players out for football this fall, a solid number for one of the state’s smallest football-playing schools. Head coach Ty Medley not only has the benefit of enough players to practice eight-on-eight, but he also welcomes back a solid nucleus of players as the program looks to build off the three wins it earned in 2024.
Two-way All-Conference standout Blake Shepherd returns, as does big-play RB/WR Riley Davis. Junior Noah Cereghino returns along with versatile sophomore Gage Crump.
“Offensively, we have some depth at the skill positions,” Medley observed. “We have a great group of guys that put in a lot of offseason work to gain size and speed and help us make plays in space this fall.”
Senior Boden Aikens will be joined along the offensive and defensive fronts by junior Kingston Pyle and junior Hayes Pratt as Salmon River looks to make a jump toward the top of the standings in 2025, starting with a non-conference game at home on August 29 against Genesee.
HORSESHOE BEND
Head coach Richard Beyers returns for the Horseshoe Bend Mustangs as the program looks to rebound from a one-win campaign in 2024. It’s a tough order – the Long Pin is shaping up to be a very tough, deep league in 2025, and the Mustangs must replace explosive All-Conference running back Trey Bauer and All-Conference linebacker Colby Swan.
Talented junior OL/DL Gage Kennedy returns alongside senior Zach Stone to provide a foundation in the trenches. Junior Cole Gorski showed promise as a tight end and defensive end last season and should fill a larger role this fall.
The Mustangs open up with back-to-back home games against 2A foes – Wilder on August 29 and Idaho City on September 5.