Weiser has been knocking at the door.
Three years ago, the Wolverines were crowned 3A state champions for the third time in school history. In the last two seasons, Weiser has reached the semifinals, losing to Homedale and Sugar-Salem.
Heading into 2024, their goal remains the same — get back to the state championship. Only this time, they hope to forge an easier path for themselves.
While the Wolverines haven’t had trouble piling up wins in the regular season and reaching the playoffs in recent years, there’s been a glaring hole on their resume — winning the Snake River Valley conference. Homedale has won it the last six years and has beaten Weiser in eight-straight contests.
Winning a state championship will always sit atop the Wolverines’ list of goals, but winning the conference would make that challenge easier. Naturally, winning the SRV increases Weiser’s chances of hosting playoff games through the semifinals.
“We have to build on from last year,” Weiser head coach Tom Harrison said. “We had a nice season again…we are trying to find anything we can to get over the hump and get us back into that title game…it’s always our goal but the big goal is to be a conference champion.”
Since 2019, Weiser has played in 12 playoff games, excluding the 2021 3A championship game. Eight of those games have been played on the road.
The Trojans have been the biggest obstacle Weiser has faced in the regular season. While the rivalry has brought out the best in both schools, the Wolverines are hoping to finally best their conference foe.
“You get better by playing better opponents,” Harrison said. “Even if you lose that game, as long as you’re in the playoffs, you hope to get better. It’d be nice to host more. If you win that game, there’s a greater chance you can host playoff games.”
Headlining the returning starters is senior Kolin Cook, a first team all-conference quarterback a season ago. At running back will be Xander Gray and Luke Sarich. Gray was an all-conference honorable mention at wide receiver last season but Harrison likes the speed he brings at running back.
Three starters return on the offensive line — seniors Isai Herrera and Karsten Walker and junior Ashley. Harrison has a pair of sophomores, Keegan Willet and Ryker McElroy, he thinks could start this season.
The defense projects to be a strong unit with Sarich, Weiser’s leading tackler last season, back at linebacker. Cook and senior Kash Cobb, a first team all-conference defensive lineman, man the other two linebacker spots.
The team went to a football camp at the University of Idaho in the offseason to further their development and create a strong bond within the group. Expectations are high once again for the Wolverines and are letting the work speak for itself.
“We don’t talk about those things that much as a team, we just hope and trust the process of what we do on the practice field,” Harrison said about discussing team goals. “Hopefully, we get better every week and finish strong.”
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