It’s a new year for Sweet Home football and Coach Ryan Adams, starting his fifth year at the helm, is optimistic.
After suffering through a winless season in 2023, the Huskies got off to a good start with three straight wins in 2024, over Madras, Molalla and Milwaukie, before finishing 4-5 after a 1-4 run in the tough Oregon West Conference.
“Last year was, obviously, a really, really good year in a lot of different ways,” Adams said. “You know, we were kind of in a tough situation after that 0-9 season, and kind of revamped our coaching staff a little bit, and were able to get some kind of key pieces within our community back out to help.”
That would be a staff of assistants who brought a wide range of experience to the field: Chad Bach, Dave Barringer, Brent Gaskey, Ryan Graville, Nate Tyler, Daniel Virtue, Nathan Whitfield and Rob Younger, with Tomas Rosa heading the junior varsity program.
Younger, who coached the Huskies for 30 years, including during Sweet Home’s state championship season in 1987, was head coach from 1988 to 2009, when he retired from teaching. Barringer graduated before the state championship, Younger said, but he played on the 1985 team that “was instrumental in setting a foundation” for the 1986 Huskies finishing 11-2 and then going undefeated the next year to win the state championship.
The veterans bring experience and stability, Adams said.
“Our whole staff last year was pretty much a bunch of new guys,” he said, adding that Barringer and Virtue were the only returnees from 2023.
“Last year was a big growing year for us. We knew we were going to be more athletic, and so we really just focused on kind of creating a foundation from that season on which we could just build.
“The new coaching staff really helped me incorporate that into our team, in terms of how we taught discipline a few different ways.”
What’s crucial, he said, is that the entire varsity coaching staff is back.
“We’re really trying to create some continuity within our program,” Adams said. “Over the first four seasons that I was here, it kind of changed, year in and year out, both coaches and scheme.
“And so this is the first year since I’ve been the head coach, that our varsity staff is the same as last year – the first time that I’ve had the same guys two years in a row.
“We’re really just trying to build on what we established last year, and we’ve been able to already reap the benefits of that. Our kids are at a way, way better starting spot at this time of the year compared to this time last year. The game is a lot simpler for them, and they can just go play fast. And so that’s been a lot of fun.”
Although the Huskies have lost some stalwarts in the trenches – Jackson Barringer, Colton Bennett, Jayden Mancilla and Dylan Sharp, along with running back/middle linebacker Kayo Ebbs, there’s a lot of talent returning, the coach noted.
“Really, the biggest reason we were able to kind of right the ship (last year) was their buy-in,” Adams said.
But, he added, there’s a lot of talent coming back.
“All of our scoring, the big-time scorers for us last year, are back,” he said.
Quarterback Kyle Zajic, now a junior, returns along with junior receiver/defensive back Bradyn McClure and now-senior Dillan Davis, who was “our primary playmaker last year,” Adams said.
Also, starting linemen Gavin Tyler, now a junior, and senior Lynkin Royer at left tackle.
“Kyle is another year older, faster, stronger, smarter and he’s a really good athlete. We lost some really good seniors last year but the guys that are replacing them have taken the bull by the horns and they are ready to rock.”
Those include junior Liam Martin at center, senior Gabriel Meadors at left guard and junior Kellen Hartsook and sophomore Eli Cruz at right tackle.
“Those guys on top, with Lynkin Royer and Gavin Tyler, are hitting the ground running. Then you add Kyle Zajic and the two running backs we’ve got behind him, (seniors) Luke Rosa and Trenton Templin, (who are) fullback, H back-type kids, and we have a lot of weapons.”
Plus, he added, “what’s really cool about this year, too, is we have some of the kids that were freshmen last year that are coming into varsity positions, like Sam Barringer and Mason Tyler.
“A few of those guys have really stepped up for us so far this fall and will be kind of big pieces of our team.”
Rounding out the varsity roster are: seniors Alex Bachand, Keeghan Gittins, James Hearick, Bode Nichols, Kyle Porter, Bridger Royer, and Jeremiah Steagall; juniors David Anderson, Brennen Eldridge, Logan Estep, Rafe Hayes, Daniel McCubbins, Mason Pickle, Kolton Pollock, Gavin Richey, AJ Rodriguez, Gunner Summers, Riley Vaughan, Kaeson Walker, and Gabe Wright; and sophomores Martin Chelstad, Dylan Hartsook and Jake Smith.
The Huskies will continue to focus on their running game to open things up in the air, Adams said, noting that although Sweet Home ran the ball about 80% of the time last year, “throwing when we absolutely had to, this year we don’t.”
“At our level of football, we’ve got to be able to run it if we want to be able to win games in November,” Adams said. “So we’ll be a run-first team, but we have plans to sprinkle in more play-action, straight drop-back passing this year because I think we’ll be a lot better at it.
“I think the biggest change is we’ll be more balanced.
“There shouldn’t be a team that is going to force us to do something one way or the other. We should be able to just take advantage of whatever we want to take advantage of.”
Plus, this year’s team is more experienced, so Adams said he expects to see more big plays.
“They have a way better understanding of how to read the ball in the air, angles, tackling angles, pursuit angles – they have a better understanding of the scheme and exactly what they should be doing.”
This year’s schedule is almost identical to last year’s with a key test being North Bend, which ended Sweet Home’s preseason win streak last year, on the road. That will be a good test, Adams said.
“I’m really excited because it’s a long road trip,” he said. “Then we get into league play. We have our biggest non-league matchup before we get into our biggest league matchup.”
That would be Marist, the defending state champion, at home on Oct. 3, which will be Homecoming for the Huskies.
“That kind of adds an extra incentive – and distraction,” Adams said. “
“But what I really like about our schedule is I think it does everything that we need it to in terms of creating or finding out what kind of team we are and what we have to get better at to make November games.
“So I’m really excited about that. I think there’s gonna be a lot of lessons and if we can find ways to win those games, we set ourselves up to be in a good spot by the end of the year.”