Badger football facing a tough start
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| The Bonners Ferry Badger football squad, here battling it out in their home opener Friday against the Freeman, Washington, Scotties, has a tough season start to overcome, but with a new head coach named just two days earlier, there is optimism that they're up to the challenge. |
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| New Badger head football coach Clint Arthur talks with KBFI announcer David Brinkman before the start of Friday's game. |
The Badgers are working to overcome some significant obstacles as they launch the 2011 season. After suffering a rout at the hands of Grangeville in their non-league season opener August 26, 48-0, their head coach, Steven Fisher, resigned to return to his wife and family in Salmon, Idaho.
Just two days before Friday night's game, the school board named Clint Arthur, who will also coach basketball this year, as the new head coach, and brought in Cory Richards in as a new assistant coach.
The Scotties made their mark early, scoring on the third play of the opening drive when senior quarterback Cody Unfred broke loose on a keeper and went 65 yards to score.
Freeman finished the first quarter up by 13, went to the half ahead 27-0 and added six more in the third before the Badgers hit the scoreboard on a two yard run by junior Zachary Wilson. Senior kicker Hayden Wakkinen tacked on the point after to make the final score 39-7.
This years' Badgers are seniors Thomas Amoth, Alex Awbrey, Reed Bennett, Gary Brown, Jeffrey Garcia, Adam Lund, Jesse Luther, Dennis Neuman, Thomas Osborn, Nicolaus Rossi, quarterback Isaac Ryckeghem and Wakkinen; juniors Hunter Boror, Matthew Henslee, Carman Krichbaum, Ray Maas, Jared Mendenhall, Kody Rice, Derek Sheff, CJ Smith, Justin Warden and Wilson; and sophomores Cody Luckey and quarterback Christian Trocke.
Their next match is another non-league home game, when they host the Churchill High School Bulldogs of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, to attempt to avenge the 33-20 loss of last season.
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The Badger Boosters fired up the grill for the opening home game of the 2011 Badger football season, and there were plenty in the crowd who showed their support and sated their stomachs with some outstanding smokies and cheeseburgers. Alluding to a typo in the September 1 Herald, I make a motion that henceforth, the excellent smokies they serve be offically named Bonners Ferry Bangers! Anyone second? |
| The Badger cheerleaders were busy way before kickoff, practicing their skills ... here with unexpected results as they took a tumble ... |
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... though when they did take to the sidelines, they were picture perfect. |
| The Badger's official booth announcer, Bob Graham, looked happy to be back in action, though he wouldn't say how many years he's been at it now. "Go ask my agent," he said. |
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Buddy Badger looked happy to be back on the sidelines, too ... |
| ... Meeting and greeting fans young and old alike, including 10-month-old Bristol Hill, held here by her sister, Badger cheerleader Jasmine. |
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After
getting the scoop on the field from new
Badger head football coach Clint Arthur,
David Brinkman, who is also a member of
the school board, rejoined his compadre,
Joel Minor, in the KBFI control booth to
call the games for all the Badger fans
who couldn't attend. It's the start of a new year ... GO, BADGERS!  |