Written by Meredith Spelbring
Like many high school football teams, Nampa Christian will look to some new varsity athletes to help build the team up during the fall 2020 season.
Despite losing a strong senior class, the Trojans still return a handful of All-WIC players, including junior first-teamers quarterback Landon Chenney and defensive back/wide receiver Josh Tiersma along with second-team All-WIC running back Dane Bradshaw.
Even with a strong group of All-Conference talent, Head Coach Daniel Jenkins has his eye on several younger players to make an impact.
“Look for Simon De Jong and Muluken Knudson to make a big impact in their varsity debuts this season,” Jenkins said.
The Trojans’ key to offensive success this season will be making sure the players can protect the football, Jenkins said.
“Protecting the football is always a big deal. That is where we will start. Protecting the football,” he said.
After running a triple-option heavy offense, Jenkins said the team plans to shift to a more balanced approach by mixing in different runs.
Jenkins said De Jong and Ryan Schober have both shown significant growth and ability to run the ball and will be relied on to do so.
On the other side of the ball, the defense will look to slow the opponents’ run game and feature a 3-3 stack defense, Jenkins said.
“Being able to stop the run is always a key for defenses,” he said. “That is where we will start.”
Jenkins said both Josh Tiersma and Caleb Johnson return to the varsity squad to help propel the defense forward.
“They (Josh Tiersma and Caleb Johnson) made a huge impact their sophomore year,” Jenkins said. “Look for these guys to take another step forward in their development.”
Check back with IdahoSports.com for updated Nampa Christian scores and schedules throughout the season.