Nampa Christian won all four games in the 2A Western Idaho Conference last season, but were bested by conference rivals Melba in the playoffs, ending the season with a sour taste in their mouth.
Fast forward to this season, they have every reason to believe they can reach the state quarterfinals again — and surpass it.
With 16 starters back and a number of players splitting time between JV and varsity last season, expectations are high for the Trojans this fall. The biggest question mark heading into the new season will be at quarterback, where they’ll have to replace Aiden Thompson. The 2023 2A WIC Player of the Year, who also played linebacker, starred for Nampa Christian on both sides of the ball. Now at the College of Idaho, his production will be missed.
But head coach Daniel Jenkins has plenty of returning players at his disposal.
The Trojans won’t be short on offensive weapons. Senior wide receiver Tyler Szilagyi was first team all-WIC last season, and senior running back Matthew Nevarez was second team all-WIC. Seniors Coleson Mensonides and Jack Ihli are other options on the outside, with Jenkins describing Ihli as a Swiss army knife for the offense. Senior running back Mason McDaniel is another weapon on the ground, earning all-conference honorable mention honors last year.
The offensive line has plenty of experience with two second team all-conference selections, senior Colby Ferdinand and junior Tom Kesonasod. Seniors Israel Crane, Chris Walborn and junior Keaton Crane join the group in the trenches.
All of these experienced players will hopefully provide a secure environment for the quarterback to thrive in. Jenkins said it’ll be either junior Pete Dice or sophomore Carter Compton that will play quarterback, but both will see the field this season.
“They’re young guys that need reps,” Jenkins said of his options at QB. “The quarterback position is the most important position on the offense other than the center. It’s good that we have a senior center in Colby, senior running back in Matthew Nevarez and senior wide receivers in Coleson and Tyler…helping the young guys and their transition to the varsity level is going to be huge for us.”
The Trojans will be just as stout defensively with seven starters returning. The linebacker unit looks strong with McDaniel, Ihli and junior Nate Rundquist returning. All three were all-conference players at the position last year. In front of them, Keaton Crane, along with Kesonasod, Israel Crane and Chris Walborn, create a formidable front seven.
Headlining the defensive backfield is Szilagyi and senior Thomas Duerre.
For as many senior starters the Trojans have returning this fall, the junior class has given the team a huge boost. Whereas in the past playing time was hard to come by, they’ll have a chance to make more of an impact now. Jenkins listed a number of impactful juniors but expects more to break through this fall.
“A lot of those guys that are juniors had to swing for us last year, playing a little JV,” Jenkins said. “There were either seniors or last year’s juniors that were in spots. Now that those spots are available, a lot of those sophomores that are now juniors will look to take some playing time or contribute in some way.”
Nampa Christian looks to be one of the top teams in the 3A WIC this season. Every team in the conference will have a new quarterback this season, but the Trojans return the most all-conference players of anyone in the league.
“We know our conference is still going to be tough,” Jenkins said. “We know that we still have a great returning staff of production on the field. We just have to be able to put it all together by the time we get to Melba and then finish the job once we get to November.”
Most Popular
Comments / 0