St. Regis coach Jesse Allan was made for coaching.

“I’m ready for some football”, he said a few weeks ago as the Tigers prepared for another season as part of their merger with Mullan, Idaho in a bi-state 8-man football arrangement.

Losing two key players to graduation from last year’s Idaho playoff team does not dampen the enthusiasm.

“We’ve got some guys who can play and they are all into working hard to get better,” he said. “And we have some extra motivation this year with our opening game”.

That extra motivation is the product of the only game to be played on the St. Regis field this season, as is the case with being part of an Idaho league and playing all but one game across the pass in Mullan.

Right out of the gate, this Friday night at 7 p.m., could be one of the better games of the year as Allan’s Tigers take on Interstate and Mineral County rival Superior in a rare renewal of the football rivalry that has been in play for years without being played on a regular basis.

“This first game is going to be a big one,” Allan said. “I hope everyone stays calm”.

The last statement was said with a sly smile and echoed comments made by Superior coach Jeff Schultz when asked about a Tigers versus Bobcat season opener.

Gone from last year’s St. Regis/Mullan team are two seniors who were not only very good players, but team leaders as well. St. Regis’ Adam Ball, who is now a part of the Rocky Mountain College football team in Billings, and Luke Trogden, like Ball a big, hard-charging running back and linebacker have graduated and moved on.

But the Tigers still have some outstanding talent, starting with now senior quarterback Caleb Ball, who is one of the best QB’s in the area, if not the best. And he is joined by an athletic junior, John Pruitt, who plays a variety of positions, bringing size and strength to the lineup.

And another Trogden, from the Mullan side of the state line, Zach, has emerged as a very talented young receiver and defensive back.

“We lost some important players but we have a good group back and they all want to work hard to win,” Allan said.

The Tigers will face a tough battle in Superior, which returns all but one of its players from last year and has a large, potentially dominant offensive line.

“This game should be a good one, no doubt about it”, Allan said.

Following the game in St. Regis, the Tigers open their Idaho campaign with a road game in Clark Fork, Idaho Friday evening, September 2.