PAGE 10, MCNARY FALL SPORTS PREVIEW, SEPTEMBER 2016
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A look at all the teams in the Greater Valley Conference
McMinnville Grizzlies
Sprague Olympians
McMinnville went 3-6 last year, but
Ryan McIrvin, a Grizzly coaching veteran
in his second year as head coach, reports
improvement and looks forward to this season.
Of the players lost to graduation, those
who stood out in 2015 were
Justin Trimble, Jesse Med-
ley, and Luke Grossnickle,
wide receivers and defen-
sive backs; Taylor Brown,
offensive lineman and line-
backer; Jesus Fajardo, who
played on the offensive and
defensive lines; Sam Swen-
son, wide receiver and defen-
sive lineman; and Griffi n Wil-
liams, wide receiver and offensive lineman.
Returning to the varsity are players
McIrvin calls “a pretty good bunch of guys.”
Expected to stand out are Tyler Sitton and
Odin Thorson, both wide receivers and
defensive backs; Brad Hessel, a defensive back;
Wyatt Smith, a quarterback; Cedric Agcaoili-
Ostrom, a running back and linebacker; and
Jay Minyard, head coach of a Sprague
team that made the fi rst round of the playoffs
last year, thinks his Olympians
have enough talent this year for
another winning season.
Last year, Sprague went 7-3
overall and 7-1 in league play.
Then the Olys lost a close
fi rst-round game to Sunset.
Those lost to graduation
include
David
Prosser,
linebacker and tight end; Bryce
Webber, Jake Nelson; and Ryan
Morgan, fi rst-team all-league linemen; and
Anthony Nunn, a unanimous choice for a
fi rst-team running back.
Competition remains for most starting
spots, but returning players expected to
make fi rst string are Kyle Rosenau, tackle;
Tanner Sorenson, guard; Nick Brotton,
receiver and cornerback; Dane McKinney
and Noah Mellon, running backs; and
three who play on the offensive and defensive
lines, Cooper Bousquet, Dylan Cramer, and
Kevin Amsden.
One reason for McIrvin’s optimism is that
last season he saw improved play each week
and through summer practice.
“Our kids are a little more
comfortable with what
we’ve done offensively and
defensively,” he said.
Asked about current
weaknesses, he said the main
problem is overall depth,
especially on the offensive
and defensive lines.
McIrvin is his own offensive
coordinator. Don Rutschman is defensive
coordinator. Other assistant coaches are
Reeve Woodward, running backs and
defensive backs; Mike Gower, defensive
line; Lucas Vinson, offensive and defensive
lines; and Chip Ford, linebackers. The entire
coaching staff is involved with special teams.
West Albany Bulldogs
“We learned a lot,” head coach Brian
Mehl said of last year’s inexperienced West
Albany football team, which won
only one game.
At this writing, Mehl was not
prepared to say who was likely
to start at any position this
season. Several fi rst-string
positions will change
because of players who
were lost to graduation.
Those who played their
fi nal high school season in
2015 included Jeff LaCoste, running back;
Tanner Wilson, linebacker; Hunter Jones,
offensive and defensive lineman; Kyle Myers,
wide receiver and safety; Finn Carlson, wide
receiver and cornerback; and Wyatt Burris,
guard.
“We played a lot of young kids last year,”
Mehl said. He noted that he has a more
experienced team in 2016 and pointed to
depth in the defense as well as the running
back and wide receiver positions in particular.
“I think we have a good core
group of linebackers,” he said.
Asked about weaknesses,
Mehl said there seemed to be
“no big ones.” However, he
said the added experience
the Bulldogs have is not
great for either the offense or
the defense.
Mehl is his own offensive
coordinator. The defensive coordinator is
Cole Pouliot. Other assistants are Jared Hinkle,
offensive line; Les Duman, defensive line; Peter
Zoumboukos, running backs; Derek Duman,
quarterbacks; David Lang, wide receivers; Don
Lien, secondary; and Darrell Mehl, the coach’s
father, and Mike Doctor, linebackers.
“Obviously last year was a diffi cult year,”
the head coach said. “We learned a lot. I’m
excited about what we’re capable of being.”
Austin Kleinman, fullback.
Minyard sees “a large and strong senior
class” as the strongest point of
his team. He fi nds experience
to be his weakest point,
because there will be several
fi rst-year starters.
He is his own offensive
coordinator. Luke Buchheit is
the defensive coordinator.
There are 14 other assistant
coaches, some of whom are
more involved with JV and
freshman football than with the varsity. Aaron
Lawson, Dan “Bear” Putnam, and Soren
Sorenson coach linemen. Ryan Cash is the
quarterback coach. Karry Hadden and Rick
Lacey work with running backs. Rodney
Eudy and Justin Trammell coach receivers.
DG Gier is in charge of defensive backs.
Giovanni Galvez has longtime experience
coaching at various positions.
Forest Grove Vikings
Perry Herbst, whose Forest Grove Vikings
fi nished 5-5 last year, 4-4 in league, is looking
for ways to get past the .500 mark.
He has plenty of spots to fi ll.
Among last year’s seniors were
Bobby Taylor, Ben Godfrey,
and
Griffi n
Torrence,
offensive and defensive
linemen; Wyatt Andresen,
tight end and defensive
lineman; Ronnie Thompson and
Ben Pearson, each a wide receiver
and defensive back; Taylor Jensen,
quarterback; Marcus Estrada,
linebacker and running back; AJ
Turner, wide receiver and linebacker; and
David Francisco, defensive back.
Likely starters this year are Austin Brown,
Bryan Blix, and Diego Ruis-Diaz, offensive
and defensive linemen; and Zac Ennis and
Trevor Rhorer, running backs and linebackers.
As the above positions may indicate, Herbst
sees the line, on both offense and defense,
as the strength of his team. Asked what the
weaknesses seem to be, he said, “All else.”
“We have a lot of kids who haven’t played
much varsity football,” he said.
For his offense, he hopes to balance
running and passing attacks.
Herbst has been his own
defensive coordinator for
several seasons but this year
is switching to offensive
coordinator. Eddie Littlefi eld
is the new defensive coordinator.
Other assistant coaches are
Ron Morris, tight ends and
defensive linemen; Tim Hoppe,
Mike Horn, and Greg Evers,
wide receivers and defensive backs; Francis
Fabela, quarterbacks and defensive backs;
Jeff Turner, running backs and linebackers;
Travis Tocher and Adam Kriz, offensive and
defensive linemen; Ed Galvez, quarterbacks
and linebackers; and Jimmy Doyle, running
backs and defensive linemen.
“We’re going to work hard and see what
happens,” Herbst said.