Too early to predict Badger football

Though this year's Badger football teams have been on the field for two-a-days for a few weeks now, Coach Ed DePriest says it's still too early to predict how the teams will fare this season.

“We haven't really had the chance to have everyone on the field at once as yet to see how the parts will all fit together,” DePriest said. “We've had players gone for the fair, off on trips or at work and a bout of a bug going around, so we haven't really had the chance to field the whole team.”

Despite that, he is confident that, if they can stay disciplined and healthy, the Badgers have a good chance of playing well into the post season.

“We should be competitive,” he said. “There are no soft teams on the schedule this year. I think Timberlake is the odds-on favorite to take league, but I think we have a better than fair chance of being right up there if, like I said, we maintain our discipline.”

The varsity pre-season kicks off tomorrow with a road trip to Freeman, Wash., where they face off against the Scotties, a small but powerful team, at 7 p.m. They play at home against Lethbridge Sept. 10, then have their first league game at home against St. Maries the following Friday.

Seniors capping their high school football careers this year are running backs Spencer Henslee, Mitch Manley and Alek Lopez,  quarterbacks Taylor Tompke and Chase Mellon, tight end Lance Abeyta, and linemen Kyle Murphy, Brandon Ratcliff, Austin Skeen, Chayce Ennis, Zane Peycke and David Willems.

Varsity juniors this year are Bradley Clausen, Thomas Osborn, Jesse Luther, Reed Bennett, Zach Heigel, John Spease, Jeff Garcia, Devin Schalk, Nick Rossi, Alex Awbrey and Thomas Amoth, and the only sophomore so far on the varsity lineup is Carman Krichbaum.

Badgers varsity football schedule

Sept. 3 — Freeman, 7 p.m., away

Sept. 10 — Lethbridge, 7 p.m., home

Sept. 17 — St. Maries, 7 p.m., home

Sept. 24 — Medical Lake, 7 p.m., home

Oct. 1 — Moscow, 7 p.m., away

Oct. 8 — Kellogg, 7 p.m., away

Oct. 15 — Libby, 7 p.m., Homecoming

oct. 22 — Timberlake, 7 p.m., away

oct. 29 — Priest River, 7 p.m., home

Badgers junior varsity schedule

Sept. 3 —Freeman, 4 p.m., away

Sept. 11 — Lethbridge, 10 a.m., home

Sept. 16 — St. Maries, 6 p.m., away

Sept. 23 — Medical Lake, 6 p.m., away

Sept. 30 — Moscow, 6 p.m., home

Oct. 7 — Kellogg, 6 p.m., home

Oct. 14 — Libby, 6 p.m., away

Oct. 21 — Tomberlake, 6 p.m., home

Oct. 28 — Priest River, 6 p.m., away