So how do you replace an all-everything athlete who led your team in a bunch of offensive and defensive measurements last season?

That’s one of the big questions for St. Regis-Mullan co-coaches Jesse Allan and Stetson Spooner. The cross state lines co-op joins the two small towns into a perennial Idaho 8-player playoff contender, with Allan from St. Regis and Spooner from Mullan. The two have spent the past several seasons under the co-op arrangement and have produced several playoff teams in a row.

“We get along on how we coach,” said Spooner as he and Allan led early summer drills last week on the field in St. Regis in preparation for their season opener this Friday (August 18) in Clark Fork, Idaho against the Wampus Cats from Clark Fork High.

Missing from this year’s roster is graduated senior quarterback/defensive back Caleb Ball, who had a stellar senior season to cap a three-year run as quarterback. He was known for both his running and passing skills as a quarterback, but was equally coveted by recruiters from Western Montana College-UM in Dillon for his cornerback skills.

The Tigers (both teams have Tigers as mascots) also must deal with the loss of several impact linemen from the past two years’ playoff teams.

“We are going to be starting freshman Conner Lulis” said Allan, who serves the role of offensive coordinator as well as co-coach. Lulis played basketball as an eighth grader and drew raves for his athletic abilities on the court.

“One of our concerns,” Spooner said, “is helping protect Lulis who is a good player but is also a freshman. To help with that we are going to use Pruitt in the backfield a lot”.

Spooner was referring to senior John Pruitt, a mult-sport standout who was at one point thought to be the heir apparent to Ball’s QB position. However, the 6-0, 210-pound Pruitt emerged last season as a powerful and deceptively fast running back for the Tigers.

Both coaches agreed finding solid offensive linemen and help on the defensive side of the ball, where Spooner is the guy, has been a priority in early practices.

“We are going to need to find some linebackers,” Allan said. “We have some good young players, it’s just a matter of getting them ready to play”.

The Tigers are also counting on help from senior Kofi Appiah, a lightning quick running back and kick returner who came to Mullan from Africa, to help on both sides of the ball. Senior Alex Trogdon, a Mullan Tiger, is also expected to provide solid play on both sides of the ball.

“We should be good, the challenge is to be better,” said Spooner, who is entering his second decade as coach.

Another junior expected to help out is Kaleb Park, who plays wide receiver and defensive back.

"Our first game will be a big one against Clark Fork," coach Allan said. "We expect them to be tough. And Lakeside has some talented kids playing this year. Superior lost a lot from last year's squad but they are always physical and well coached, so we expect that to be a good one as well."

Following the game in Clark Fork, Idaho, the Tigers will travel east on I-90 for a rivalry game against Superior, on the Bobcats home turf. That game, originally scheduled for Friday August 25, has been rescheduled for Saturday, August 26.