GNL Preview football

The bleachers adjacent to Colville’s football field swell and strain under the weight of hundreds of fans.

By comparison, the benches on the Indians’ sideline have it easy.

“I remember several years ago in the old Border League, and we played Sandpoint,” Colville coach Randy Cornwell said. “We took 25 kids to play, and they came out with 90 kids on their sideline. They had a separate group for kickoffs, a separate group for kickoff return, a separate group for offense and a separate group for defense. I thought to myself, ’Does that really exist?’”

It’s not a foreign experience for nearly three-quarters of the coaches in the Great Northern League, where many of them feel fortunate to get more than 60 kids to turn out for football in the fall. A higher number of available athletes doesn’t always equate to more success – witness Pullman’s GNL title last year with slightly more than 60 players in the entire program – but there’s no question football programs with fewer athletes face a considerable hurdle against those schools who can churn out rosters numbering in the triple digits.

“Depth is a major concern for us in Pullman,” Greyhound coach Bill Peterson said. “We’re right at 40 (on the varsity team) and 20-some freshmen. Sure, Clarkston has 100, and West Valley has 100 and Cheney has 100. Number-wise, they just have more kids to choose from. We’ve been fighting that going on three years.”

Most small schools rely on underclassmen to fill out special teams units, but Peterson said he must turn to juniors and seniors to fill those holes this year.

“That’s an extra 10 snaps a game,” he said. “In football, when that happens, it tends to wear kids out.”

Cornwell said his varsity roster consists only of the players capable of enduring the physical grind inflicted each Friday.

“We try to make sure the kids are in great shape and will be successful and physically mature enough to handle the speed of the game,” Cornwell said. “I tell the kids we’ll put them at the level where they can succeed. That’s our bottom line.

“We’re going to suit 27 kids Friday night. Once we get 11 on the field, it’s going to look like a pretty sparse sideline.”

Not like that’s anything new.

Byers makes mark

Pullman’s Jared Byers has his work cut out for him if he wants to duplicate last year’s feat as the GNL’s defensive MVP. His coach – and others around the league – expect nothing less.

“He’s sort of the cornerstone of our defense,” Pullman’s Bill Peterson said. “He’s a 6-foot, 210-pound (middle) linebacker who just understands the game and makes plays. We give him some reads, and he just does his job.”

Colville coach Randy Cornwell said Byers really stands out on game tape.

“A lot of times when you look at film, you can look at a team over and over and not see anybody who will be disruptive or stands out,” Cornwell said. “You figure as long as you’re fundamentally sound and accomplish your scheme, you’ll be OK. With him, though, he can still mess you up. He makes you account for him. That’s what I would consider a good tribute to another player.”

Jason Shoot