Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Last year, they didn’t win a game.
Their coach has never played the sport.
This year, six seniors lead the St. John-Endicott football team to try to change all of that.
Except the second part, as second-year head coach Steve Selk comes at football from the perspective of an observer and a broadcaster – once doing play-by-play for Colfax High games with Jim Upshaw on 1450 KCLX.
The six returning seniors on Selk’s team join six other starters on a roster which gained experience last year.
“At one point or another, everybody got to start,” said Selk. “We had a pretty small team.”
During the 2012 season, the player listdropped to 15 names. This fall it’s up to 24 to start the year.
Returning seniors for the Eagles include R.J. Baltierra on defensive line, Matt Gonzalez at receiver, Landon Hallenius on the offensive line, Micah Selk at linebacker and offensive line, running back/linebacker Wade West and center/defensive lineman Alex White.
With more numbers this fall, St. John-Endicott will have flexibility to not need so many two-way players.
One of these will be Baltierra, just playing defensive line.
“He’s quicker on defense than he is on offense,” said Selk. “He’s an attacker, not a protector.”
In the same respect, junior Jordan Morris will join him on the defensive line.
“He’s another one of those guys, I don’t know what it is,” said Selk. “He has one job on the defensive line; get to the quarterback.”
Other key juniors are expected to be running back Wilson Lundberg and receiver Skylar Smith.
Overall, Coach Selk likes what he sees.
“We’ve got a great group of seniors this year,” he said. “We’re really trying to turn things around and I’m feeling confident in the direction we’re going.”
The team has lost only two seniors from last year – quarterback Gabe Davis and offensive lineman/linebacker Thomas Newton.
At the helm, Selk will teach what he knows about the sport he wasn’t medically cleared to play for in junior high school.
“I’m a student of the game, but never played the game,” he said, adding that he always watched a lot of football and called many games for 1450 KCLX, where he worked after graduating from WSU in Communications.
“You get a different kind of feel for it up there in the booth,” he said.
Selk is joined this year on the sidelines by new assistant Ken Gering.
The Eagles’ first game is Friday at home against non-league Wellpinit.
“There’s a different feeling going into this year than last year,” said Selk. “Why not us? Let’s make it happen.”
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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