Bantams hope to keep the good times rolling

One year after getting its first state tournament victory in more than three decades, a senior-laden Clarkston football team is hoping for more of the same in 2024.

With seniors spread across every position group, 11th-year coach Brycen Bye is expecting all that experience to help a team that will have a new quarterback for the first time in four years.

Senior Hayden Line, a former wide receiver and JV quarterback, takes over at QB for the graduated three-year starter Carter Steinwand.

“We’ve got a really good mix of linemen and senior skill guys, so across the board if you look at our starting lineup, we’ve got seniors throughout the whole offense and defense,” Bye said. “So when you can start your season with seniors being the guys you put out there, that always makes you confident going into the first game.”

Holding the Line at QB

Bye said Line was “by far the best JV quarterback in our league” back when he was a sophomore in 2022.

Last season, Line moved over to wide receiver and became one of Steinwand’s favorite targets en route to the Bantams’ 8-3 record that included a stretch of six straight victories and a league title.

Now, Line is back to the position he loves most.

“If I could replace Carter with the perfect guy, Hayden would be the guy,” Bye said. “We knew back when Hayden was a freshman and Carter was a sophomore that quarterback was going to be pretty solid for the next four years.”

Hoffman heads up the defense

Linebacker/tight end Josh Hoffman is the heart of the Clarkston defense after being second in votes for defensive league MVP each of the last two seasons.

“He’s been one of the best defenders in our league for several years now, so we’re hoping he’ll get to that level where he can say he’s the best,” Bye said. “He’s a huge piece of what we do defensively.”

Some other players to watch for the Bantams include running backs Milo Kunnap and Stephen Alfred and an offensive line that could be the strength of the team.

The veteran O-line is paced by the trio of Colten Goard, Gillis Simpson and Myles Gehring.

The Bantams took a hit, though, when record-breaking wide receiver Ryken Craber went down with an ankle injury in preseason practice.

Bye said he’s hopeful Craber will be able to join the team sometime late in the season.

Starting against the Bears

Clarkston faces the unique situation of playing its first game of the season against a team that’s already played twice.

The Bantams kick off their campaign at 7 p.m. Friday against the Moscow Bears (2-0) at Clarkston High School.

“No. 1, it’s a huge disadvantage just the way that Idaho and Washington does their (scheduling). (But) they would say it’s a disadvantage for them because we have some game film on them,” Bye said with a laugh. “I’m hoping that we don’t have those first-game mistakes.”

The Bantams narrowly beat the Bears 30-29 in last season’s opener that went down to the wire.

Clarkston had a slow start last season, starting 2-2 before rattling off six straight wins and becoming regular-season champions in the 2A Greater Spokane League. They also earned their first state tournament victory in 34 years by blasting Woodland 44-6 before losing to Tumwater a week later.

“I think once you get a little taste of that success and a taste of playoff football, it’s hard not to want to go back,” Bye said. “And I think there’s a lot of guys that want to go back and do the same thing.”

3 things to watch

• The Bantams have a new QB for the first time in four years, but the Bantams feel like they’re in good hands with starter Hayden Line taking over.
• Who will step up in the passing game? With star wideout Ryken Craber suffering an ankle injury, the Bantams are in need of players to rise up on the outside.
• Will last season’s success carry over to this year? The Bantams started slow but finished with one of their best seasons in decades a year ago — a tough mark to live up to in 2024.

CLARKSTON

COACH — Brycen Bye (11th season)

LAST YEAR’S RECORD — 8-3 overall, 5-1 in 2A Greater Spokane League.

KEY RETURNERS — Hayden Line, sr., QB/DB; Milo Kunnap, sr., RB/DB; Stephen Alfred, sr., RB/LB; Colten Goard, sr., OL/DL; Gillis Simpson, sr., OL/DL; Myles Gehring, sr., OL/DL; Ryken Craber, sr., WR/DB; Josh Hoffman, sr., TE/LB; Nate Shutt, sr., OL/DL; Luke Siler, sr., WR/DB.

SCHEDULE

9/6 — vs Moscow, 7 p.m.

9/13 — vs Lewiston, 7 p.m.

9/19 — vs Rogers, 7 p.m.

9/27 — vs Omak, 7 p.m.

10/4 — at Deer Park, 7 p.m.

10/11 — vs West Valley, 7 p.m.

10/18 — at East Valley, 7 p.m.

10/25 — at Pullman, 7 p.m.

11/1 — vs North Central, 7 p.m.

Wiebe may be contacted at (208) 848-2277, swiebe@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @StephanSports.