Elko Indians Season Preview: Playoff Edition
The playoffs for high school football in the 'Silver State' are under way. I owe a handful of team's season previews and this seems to be the perfect time to knock those out. Without further ado, here is today's team: Elko Indians.
Elko Indians
2023 record: 7-4 overall, 6-1 league
Head coach: Luke Sellers, fifteenth season at Elko (89-51 overall, 74-35 league in fourteen seasons at Elko)
2024 record: 8-2 overall, 5-2 league; current as of Friday November 8, 2024.
Head coach: Luke Sellers, Career Coaching Record: 97-53 Overall, 79-37 in League over fourteen-plus seasons; current as of Friday November 8, 2024.
Overview:
Heading into this season Elko had a lot of talent to replace, as they had a very senior-laden team last season. Most of those players were three-year varsity starters and had achieved a lot of success, to the tune of 23 wins against only 10 defeats during that time including a 3A East League Championship three seasons ago. The Indians quest for their first state championship under Coach Sellers fell short as they were defeated by SLAM! Nevada in the 3A State Semi-finals by a score of 21-14.
Elko's football tradition runs deep, and they have been very successful, winning 31 games to date over the last four seasons. They've also only suffered four league losses during that time with two of those coming at the hands of the two-time defending State Champion Truckee Wolverines.
The Indians have been competitive again this season as they have been able to replicate their successes of the recent past. Coach Sellers said this group "believes in themselves, now we must accomplish the goal of bringing Elko its first State Championship since 1985."
The Indians have themselves in prime position for a run at the time of this article, but they'll be on the road the rest of the way as they continue their run towards state with a matchup against the Churchill County Greenwave who defeated them three weeks ago by a score of 28-7. Can Elko pull off the upset on the road? This is a rematch of last season's Northern semi-final that saw the Indians win a nail biter 31-29 on the friendly confines of Warrior Field.
The Indians are a Junior-Heavy squad that has high expectations of themselves. They are expected to go out and play for their whole community every Friday night, the history of their program dates back over 100 years. Let's take a look at some players to watch below.
Players to watch:
QB Ethan Krantz, Junior: Krantz, the second-year starter for the Indians will be the conductor of this symphony. If he is able to perform the way that he has all season the Indians will likely be on the winning side of tonight's game. Krantz allows the Indians to be in the shotgun and figure out what his playmakers are capable of. Also doubles as the Indians Kicker on STs.
RB/WR and DB Coy Jones, Junior: Jones is a legacy player for the Indians. His brother Cooper is currently a playmaker for the Boise State Broncos and his uncle Tim Gilligan is one of the best WRs in Boise State history. Jones gets it done on the field as well, Sellers called him "[a] playmaker, [he's] bigger than Cooper was in HS while being just as fast, he's getting better every day."
WR/DB Carter Kidwell, Junior: A playmaker at WR and DB for the Indians he can get on you in a hurry with his top-end speed offensively. He is not afraid to make plays in the back end defensively either.
RB Jake Carsrud, Junior: Carsrud has established himself as the go-to RB for the Indians this season and he will continue to tote the rock as the primary ballcarrier during the Indians playoff run. Look for him to get stronger as the game goes on.
TE/OLB Scotty Sellers, Junior: Sellers was described as a 'Jack-of-all-Trades.' He has big shoes to fill as he starts in all three phases of the game. On offense he lines up at TE, defensively he is an OLB, and he also is the team's LS on special teams. The Indians ask him to do a lot of things but with the last name of 'Sellers' the expectation is that he'll execute at a high level for a full 48 minutes. If Sellers is successful, the Indians are successful.
OL Raymond Bowser, Junior; Shane Jensen, Senior: Bowser and Jensen are the 'tone setters' for the Indians offensive line, they'll be expected to be at their best this evening with Krantz at the controls.
DT Joaquin Ruiz, Senior and LBs Armando Herrera, Senior; Treagan Hansen, Senior: This senior trio is going to be leaned upon for their leadership and production this season as they have been a part of many successful teams the past few years.
Regular Season Schedule:
Aug. 23 vs. Douglas
Aug. 30 vs. Melba (Idaho)
Sep. 6 Bye Week
Sep. 13 at Fernley
Sep. 20 vs. South (Lake) Tahoe (Calif.)
Sep. 27 at Lowry
Oct. 4 vs. Sparks
Oct. 11 vs. Truckee (Calif.)
Oct. 18 at Churchill County
Oct. 25 at Spring Creek
J. Ray Dockter has been covering high school sports since 2022. If you have a story worth telling let him know via Twitter @J_RayDoc.
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