Cougs set to start new chapter under Rogers
MIKE MAYNARD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 months, 2 weeks AGO
Cougars wide receiver Joshua Meredith running downfield during a game last season. The Cougs open their season at home against the Idaho Vandals Saturday night.
COURTESY PHOTO/WASHINGTON STATE ATHLETICS
PULLMAN – This Saturday, the Washington State Cougars football team returns to the gridiron when they host FCS-opponent, the Idaho Vandals.
According to a statement by WSU athletics, Washington State is led by first-year head coach Jimmy Rogers, who coached South Dakota State the past two seasons, highlighted by an FCS National Championship in 2023.
The Cougars went 8-5 last season and earned a trip to the Holiday Bowl for the program's eighth bowl game in the last nine full seasons. The Cougars' eight wins were the most since the 11-2 campaign in 2018. The 2025 roster features just three returning starters on offense and 75 newcomers.
As they prepare for the first game, the Cougars are set to have a new starting quarterback in the opening game of the season. This will be the third consecutive season where the Cougars are starting a new quarterback, Cam Ward in 2023 and John Mateer in 2024.
Zevi Eckhaus was a Bryant transfer before 2024 and started the 2024 Holiday Bowl, throwing for 363 passing yards and four total touchdowns.
Jaxon Potter, a redshirt sophomore and 2023 signee, made his debut last season vs Hawaii, throwing 2-2 for 26 yards.
Julian Dugger, a redshirt freshman transferring from the University of Pittsburgh. He played in the 2024 bowl game, throwing for 72 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also had 88 rushing yards and one touchdown.
Ajani Sheppard, redshirt sophomore and Rutgers transfer, played one game in 2023 and four in 2024, where he had a 20-yard rush against Wisconsin.
According to their statement, the Cougars lead the all-time series against Idaho 73-17-3 and have won the last 10 meetings, including the last matchup, 24-17 to open the 2022 season. Idaho's last win in the series was a 38-34 win in 2000. WSU's last meeting against a team from the Big Sky Conference was a 70-30 win over Portland State in last year's season-opener.
Washington State opens the 2025 season Saturday night, hosting Idaho at Gesa Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.
ARTICLES BY MIKE MAYNARD
Correia reflects on making All-State team
COULEE CITY — Multiple basin athletes qualified to play in the All-State Baseball Series from June 27-28 in Yakima, with Almira/Coulee-Hartline graduate, Caden Correia being one of them. Correia said he was initially selected for a feeder game ahead of his state qualification. “I was at practice one day, and my head coach (Hunter Lee) came up to me and he’s like, ‘Hey, you got selected for an All State feeder game,’” said Correia. “I actually got invited to two, the Central Washington one and the Spokane one.” Correia said he decided to go with the Spokane feeder game since it was taking place at Avista Stadium and he had a desire to compete at that venue. Once he played there, Correia was informed that he was also selected to play for Team Baker in the All State games, an opportunity that he couldn’t pass up.
Quincy standout ‘Duckie’ Workinger returns home to lead Vikings womens wrestling
MOSES LAKE — Shannon “Duckie” Workinger was named the new head coach of women’s wrestling at Big Bend Community College on June 18, bringing one of the Basin’s own back to help build the next generation of women’s wrestlers. “I'm super excited,” Workinger said. “I spent some time wrestling at different places, and it feels really good to be able to come back to the community that I was born in and really establish more connections here and build on the ones that I already have, and just help grow our Basin into a great wrestling (community), even better than it already is, because we have some good wrestlers that come from here.”
ACH wrestlers earn All-American honors at women’s national duals
COULEE CITY — Karis Butler and Kyanna Garza from Almira/Coulee-Hartline earned All-American status after a strong showing in the 2026 Women’s National Duals in Westfield, Indiana that ran from June 16-20. “It feels really good,” Karis said. “It was very surprising last year when I got on here, and then this year they were like, ‘You can go to whatever weight class you want,’ and it made me feel very recognized for the hard work I've put in.” Wrestlers competed in freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman throughout the four-day tournament. Karis competed in both earning a 7-1 record in freestyle and 4-3 in Greco-Roman. Throughout her path in the tournament, she noted a lot of growth as a wrestler came out of it.