Wolverines geared up for Buhl to start 2024 football season

Published by admin on Wed, 08/21/2024 - 7:00pm

The Weiser High School varsity football team worked on special teams on Tuesday, Aug. 13 in preparation for the 2024 football season. The Wolverines, following the Idaho High School Activities Association’s reclassification, will now compete in 4A District III, which won’t change much in terms of league opponents, with the exception of Parma dropping down to 3A and Cole Valley joining Weiser in 4A. Photo by Philip A. Janquart
By: 
Philip A. Janquart
Last year, the Weiser High School varsity football team came to within one game of the 2023 3A state championship, ending the season 10-2 overall and 4-1 in conference play.
 As impressive as it is, head coach Tom Harrison has put it behind him and is eagerly awaiting the start of the 2024 campaign, which begins with a jamboree in Melba on Saturday, Aug. 24 at 9 a.m. The Wolverines will then be at home against Buhl on Thursday, Aug. 29.
 It is the first season in the IHSAA’s newly organized sports classification system, which puts most teams in 3A District III into 4A District III.
 The only difference in regard to football is that Parma will stay down in 3A while Cole Valley moves up to 4A, becoming a league opponent.
Offense:
 Leading the Wolverines for the second straight year is quarterback Kolin Cook (6-0, 175) who earned first-team All-Conference recognition in 2023 by throwing for 1,399 yards, completing 64 percent of his passes and 16 touchdowns. 
 On Aug. 16, the Idaho Statesman named him as one of 31 players that are “primed for monster seasons in Southwest Idaho” in 2024.
 “He is definitely primed and ready to go,” Harrison told the Signal American last week. “He’s put in some decent work this summer. We got some stuff accomplished and through our summer camps, I think he understands things better.
 “He had a really good season last year and had a really high completion rate. He may not have had as many attempts as a lot of other quarterbacks, but he had games where he threw for 80, 85, and 100 percent passing. A lot of other quarterbacks threw twice as many times, but that’s not who we are. We will be throwing the ball this year, though, and he will have success and will throw for a high percentage of his routes.”
 Harrison added that part of the reason for Cook’s high completion rate is his patience in the pocket and his refusal to force plays.
 “I don’t know what his interception rate was last year, but he’s pretty wise with the ball and doesn’t take unnecessary risks,” Harrison said. “He also learns from his mistakes. I mean, you can’t expect them to be perfect because they are going to make some bad decisions, but generally he learns from those and moves on.”
 Protecting him will be an offensive line consisting of both experienced players and some that are not so experienced, including a couple sophomores.
 Leading the group is three-year starter Isai Herrera (6-3, 265) who plays tackle.
 “He’s kind of like our line captain and the most vocal,” Harrison said of Herrera. “And then we have Karsten Walker (6-0, 235) who will probably play guard and center. Karsten and Herrera have played next to each other as starters since they were sophomores.”
 Dylann Ashley (6-2, 250) started at center as a sophomore last year and has been competing this year to retain that spot. Harrison, however, recently said that Walker will most likely take over as starting center, with Ashley moving over to guard.
 The coaching staff will rely on sophomores Jaxon Higley (6-3, 325), Ryker McElroy (6-0, 205) and Keegan Willet (6-0, 265) to round out the remaining guard and tackle positions, with senior Stockton Young (6-0, 180) filling in when needed.
 Other players noted as possible offensive line contributors include juniors Jeremiah Bingham and Kaiden Peck.
 Starting at running back is Kash Cobb (6-0, 180).
 “He will take most of the load running the ball,” Harrison said. “He’s a nice athlete and he’s strong and, hopefully, durable because of the demands of being a running back. If you are running the ball 15 times a game, you have to be in nice shape. We’ve seen good things from Kash at camp this summer; he does a nice job. He’s smart, he’s a good blocker and is pretty tough. I look to him to have a big season.”
 The coaching staff also likes what it sees in junior Cole Ingle (5-9, 150) who will also be taking reps at running back.
 “It wasn’t really a surprise to us, but Cole has shown a lot of promise,” Harrison said. “I think he will do a nice job for us.”
 Split receivers will be seniors Josh Mizar (6-1, 165), Kaghen Cluff (5-11, 160) and Diego Delgadillo. Slot receivers include seniors Xander Gray (6-0, 180), Luke Sarich (6-1, 170) and Cole Ingle.
 Junior Kaden LaChapelle (6-2, 190) and senior Austen Ashley (6-2, 190) are still competing for the tight end position, which requires not only good hands, but blocking skills.
Defense:
 A few of the offensive line players will switch over to defensive line when possession changes, with Ashley and Willet playing inside and Young and Walker at the ends, with Bingham rotating in.
 Cobb is the middle linebacker, with Kolin Cook and Sarich on the outsides, all of them seniors. Safeties include Ingle and Delgadio, with Klete Cook and Garrett Walker rotating in. Cornerbacks are senior Xander Gray and Josh Mizar.
 Perhaps one of the biggest preseason stories is Delgadillo who decided to forego his senior soccer season to help out the football team. He is the new kicker to replace Ryndon Olson. According to Harrison, Delgadillo wanted to play football a year ago.
 “He wanted to be a kicker, but Ryndon was pretty good and I don’t think he wanted to uproot himself from soccer to compete,” Harrison said. “We need him. He has a nice leg. He’s practiced some during the summer and I think he is going to be effective for us.”
 Aside from kicking on special teams, Delgadillo will also see time on regular offensive and defensive schemes, making him a valuable addition to the team.
 At the time of publication, Harrison and his staff were still looking for a long snapper to replace Carter Jensen who made a name for himself at that position.
 Harrison said the schedule is a bit tougher than it has been in the past.
 “We start off with Buhl and then we have two road games against Lakeland, which is a 5A team,” he said. “Then we go to Pendleton. Melba usually has solid teams and Cole Valley is in our league full-time now and Parma is out, so our schedule is a little bit tougher.
 “One thing you can count on at our school is, we are going to win games. We are going to win and have a successful season. Year in and year out, you can take that to the bank. It’s not going to be a reloading year, you know, that kind of stuff. We are reloading and we are ready.”
 

Category:

Signal American

18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
PH: (208) 549-1717
FAX: (208) 549-1718
 

Connect with Us