OROFINO - While the Orofino High football team loses a number of key players to graduation, the Maniacs return three of their five offensive linemen from a squad that reached the state semifinals last year.
And with the graduation of star quarterback Drake Kuykendall, that augurs an expanded role for the Maniac running backs of 2015.
Center Hunter Cobbs and offensive linemen Jasper Spencer and Eli McKnight will form the foundation of the Maniacs' offense, now directed by agile underclassman Matt West, an untested sophomore, at quarterback.
The Maniacs' ironman, Jasper Spencer, played every snap of last season on both sides of the ball, coach Galen Kuykendall said. And McKnight started half of the Maniacs' games as a freshman, his arrival coinciding - perhaps not coincidentally - with Orofino's sudden defensive revival that carried it through the second half of its season.
Senior Tyler Schwartz, a varsity player since his sophomore season, was the Central Idaho League Defensive Player of the Year last year as a linebacker. And he'll probably expand his contributions on the offensive end this year, too, as one of the top returners for the Maniacs in the backfield.
"He just plays downhill real well," Kuykendall said of Schwartz, who led the Maniacs in tackles last season.
"He's not a great big kid, so he has to use his athleticism to make it happen."
Orofino will face a fair number of nonleague tests this season, with things heating up Sept. 25 when the Maniacs play host to Clarkston.
And the following week, Orofino will travel to the Treasure Valley to face a team it might meet in the postseason if it reaches deep enough: Declo.
Those tilts, in back-to-back weeks, will likely prepare Orofino for its conference opener Oct. 16 at Grangeville - in a game which just might determine the Central Idaho League champion.
"That Grangeville game, those guys are always tough and well-coached and that's always a war for us," Kuykendall said. "That's kind of like Alabama-Auburn."
The Maniacs will opener their season tonight with a trip to McCall-Donnelly. The game is scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. PDT.
