When Clearwater Valley of Kooskia is on a team’s schedule this year, it can look forward to smashmouth, hard-nosed football.
This concept of football is old fashioned but has never been outdated in high school football.
Clearwater Valley head coach Allen Hutchens said the toughness factor is what will set his team apart.
“My philosophy is we’re always going to be tough and we’re going to hit people,” Hutchens said. “Obviously, we may not win the game, but I want teams to remember, ‘Man, no matter what it is, CV is a tough team to play.’”
Part of that identity relies on the running game of Timuni Moses, a senior running back for Clearwater Valley. Hutchens said that he is tough to bring down and loves to bring hits to defenders.
“Timuni Moses, senior tailback this year. He’s a 190-pound bruiser,” Hutchens said. “He’s going to be my bell cow so to say. We’re going to get back to running the football (and) throwing some play-action pass.”
Hutchens also said that junior quarterback Liam Walle will be important to the offense. Even though he is a quarterback, he is a standout runner as well and will not hesitate to run the ball. Hutchens said that the offense will use play-action often and let Walle roam around in the backfield.
“He’s a scrambler,” Hutchens said. “We’re going to do a lot of play-action where I get my quarterback out of the pocket, roll it out. He’ll scramble around. I always tell him to be an athlete, make plays. Go through your reads, but ultimately, be an athlete.”
Hutchens said that the strength of the defense comes with the desire to play football. He called the team undersized but said that the players want to strive to win games.
“I’ve got a few guys on defense that have a nose for the football and fly around,” Hutchens said. “Pete Fabbi, Timuni Moses, Conner Christensen. I’ve got some guys that love to play. Are we a bit undersized? Yes. But we are going to be competitive, and they’re going to play hard night in and night out.”
The team’s leadership comes from Fabbi and Moses. Moses is more of a quiet leader who chooses to lead by example, which has connected well with the younger players, Hutchens said. Fabbi is a leader on both offense and defense and is more of a vocal leader to the team.
Hutchens said he wants to stick to basic football: don’t turn the ball over, control the clock, don’t get costly penalties and the defense getting off the field on third downs.
The past few years, the Rams have failed to make the playoffs. In Hutchens’ first five years, the Rams made the state playoffs three times. He said the goal of the team is to get back to the playoffs, although he recognized that the 2A Whitepine League is tough with opponents like Kendrick and Logos.
“My goal for us is to be competitive, compete week in and week out,” Hutchens said. “I want to get back to hard-nosed football. Running the football, playing tough defense. … And talking to my guys this year, we want to get back to the state playoffs. And we know the amount of work that we’re going to have to put in. But I mean, as everybody knows, our league is stacked. You got to come ready to play every Friday night.”
Junt can be reached at 208-848-2258, tjunt@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @TrevorJunt.