Team Preview:
Written By: Sven Alskog

Shoshone enters the 2018 season as one of the teams in the state which will be playing an Independent/JV schedule for the upcoming year.

The Indians are scheduled to play varsity squads from Rimrock, Rockland and Horseshoe Bend, with the rest of the slate filled with JV teams from schools residing within the 1AD1 Snake River Conference.

With low numbers and not much varsity experience, putting the scheduling together this way will allow the program an opportunity to get better this year in hopes of having a full varsity schedule for the 2019 season. Shoshone has lost 14 in a row leading into the new year.

Sixth year head coach Michael Perry is back to provide continuity at the top.

Perry has a junior class that he is excited to see progress.

“We once again are young. We might have one senior play this year, so we are going to have to lean on the juniors we have. I am excited to see if these juniors are ready to step up and take the challenge of leading the team on and off the field. I also like the numbers we have coming up from middle school and seeing the program progress and start to benefit us in the high school level,” added Perry.

Running back and linebacker talent Joe Koonce returns and will be an importance piece on each side of the ball after earning Second Team All-Conference Special Teams honors last season.

Quarterback Andrew Sant and running back Tyson Chapman are a couple of the other juniors who will be heavily relied upon on the offensive side of the ball.

“We have three players that will have to step up in order for us to be successful. They have been in the program and looked good at summer camp. We have to continue to improve on the offensive line. We also have to improve our football IQ as it pertains to decisions we make on the field,” said Perry.

Sant and Chapman are also penciled in as linebackers to go along with Koonce.

“We are going to rely on our three young linebackers to step up and make plays for us on defense,” said Perry.

He circled explosive plays as a focus area for improvement.

“The biggest area we need to improve on is giving up the big play. We would hold teams for two or three downs and get them in long situations and then give up big plays after working so hard to put them in a position where we could get the ball back. We also have to become more aggressive on defense.”

Shoshone begins its season August 31 at the Valley JV.