RITZVILLE – As the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos hit the gridiron for the first time this season, senior Jerod Harder hopes to leave an impact. When he thinks about what kind of impact, he said he wants it to be a memorable one.  

“I want coaches to remember me, the town to remember me. I do this for my family. My family loves football, I love football. I just want to have fun and play the game and leave a leave a statement,” Harder said.  

Last season, the Broncos went 4-6. However, it does not reflect some key highlights of their season. For Head Coach Brendan Bermea, they were building for the future of the Broncos program, he said.  

“Our league changed quite a bit with a couple teams coming in, but I think we played pretty well overall, and we had a lot of good accomplishments as a team and felt like we were building and getting things figured out,” Bermea said.  

The Broncos graduated five seniors after last season, including 2,000-yard rusher Brody Boness. They also lost Brock Tracy, who was a key contributor on the defensive side of the ball. With those two alone, Bermea said those will be big shoes to fill, but he has full confidence in his players to step up this season.  

“I always feel a lot of potential with those guys,” Bermea said. “Athletes in high school change so much year to year that, like, it's, you know, there's always a high ceiling for them.”  

As he assesses the layout of his roster, Bermea said he’s confident that the offensive line, led by Harder, will be a strength for them. They only lost one player to graduation. Two juniors take up the offensive tackle spots while three seniors plug up the interior.  

With an experienced position group like that, Bermea sees the opportunity to take advantage of defenses this season and support their quarterback.  

“We just got be able to take advantage of that, hopefully throw a little better, lighten the box a little bit, because those guys can match people one on one,” he said.  

According to Bermea, Cameron Boness will likely be the Broncos’ starting quarterback this season. Cameron has a strong ability to throw, but can make a lot of highlight plays with his feet. This plays to Bermea's preference to run the ball, including Boness in that scheme is an added bonus, he said.  

“We have a pretty flexible system that lets us kind of go in either direction. My personal preference is always to run the ball, because I think sometimes, if you can run the ball, why would you do anything else? But every now and then, maybe you're more of a passing team,” he said.  

Beau Fode will likely take the reins from Brody at running back. Fode has been carving out a role for himself since his freshman year, Bermea said. He brings good experience as a running back and slot receiver. However, as he steps more fully into the backfield role, Bermea believes Fode will be productive.  

If there is one thing the Broncos are not worried about, it’s their chemistry across the entire roster. From their first practice of the season, Harder was an energetic, vocal leader and his teammates fed off of it.  

“I've seen a lot of these kids grow up since they were in middle school when I first started teaching them. They all get along pretty well, and they do things together ... it's a great thing about being in a small town,” Bermea said.  

The Broncos open their season at home against Liberty high School on Sept. 5, with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. 

When asked about the identity of the Broncos this year, Harder did not hesitate with his response.  

“We're a team, we're all together, and we work as hard as we can every day,” he said.  

    A Broncos football player takes off for a short sprint during team warmups at their first practice of the 2025 season. Head Coach Brendan Bermea said he is excited for his players to get an opportunity to grow this year.
  

    Two Broncos football players practice fundamental tackling drills during their first practice of the new season.
  

    Broncos Head Coach Brendan Bermea talking with one of his players during their first practice. Bermea said he has taught a lot of his players since they were in middle school.
  

    Lind-Ritzville/Sprague defenders tackle a Northwest Christian (Colbert) player.
  

    The Lind-Ritzville Broncos football team hit the field for their first game this season on Friday night in Ritzville against Chewelah.