Butte County looking for another championship run, but will have to get by Grace

EASTERN IDAHO — How do you replace a pair of 1,00-yard rushers?

Butte County’s longtime coach Sam Thorngren is about to find out.

The Pirates, who played in their second straight state title game last year after winning their first title in 2023, have their sights set on another championship run despite having to replace their running back duo of Razor Duke and Rawson Twitchell.

The team’s offensive and defensive lines should be improved after being relatively inexperienced last year, Thorngren said, so that will help smooth out any offensive issues.

Butte County will be tested in its opener as the Pirates face Kendrick in a rematch of the 2024 state title game.

Grace takes the field this year with a new head coach as Travis Draper takes the helm after previously being an assistant.

Mark the date: Oct. 24.

With just the two teams in the High Desert Conference, the Butte County at Grace game is for the conference title and state playoff berth.

The loser of the game can still make the postseason based on MaxPreps rankings.

Challis, which was a playoff team last season, moved down to 1A.

BUTTE COUNTY PIRATES

Coach: Sam Thorngren, 20th season

Last season: 9-2, 1-0

Impact players: Bracken Powell, OL; Keaton Archibald, QB; Kayson Parsons, OL; Braxtyn Parsons, WR; Cooper Williams, WR.

Notes: The Pirates played in their second straight state title game last season, but fell to Kendrick.

The good news is the team returns arguably one of the top quarterbacks in 8-man in Keaton Archibald and a host of powerful linemen.

Archibald is a dual-threat QB who passed for 774 yards and 12 touchdowns and also ran for 700 yards and 11 scores. He suffered a concussion early in the state title game loss, but is back at full strength.

Look for  junior Teagan Babcock and senior Bridger Livesay to step in as running backs.

“We’ve had several big classes in a row,” coach Sam Thorngren said of his upperclassmen. “They’ve been part of a lot of wins.”

Thorngren said he expects the defense to be good as most of the players go both ways.

“We should be able to control teams with our defensive line up front,” Thorngren said.

Kendrick isn’t the only big game on the Pirates’ schedule.

Eight-man (1A, 2A) playoff teams Logos, Hagerman, Challis and Raft River are on the schedule, as is 1A state champion Carey. The conference game is Oct. 24 at Grace, another playoff team.

GRACE GRIZZLIES

Coach: Travis Draper, first season

Last season: 6-5, 0-1

Impact players: Gavin Draper, QB/DB; Chase Smith RB/LB; Parker Yost, TE/LB; Carter Kimball RB/DB.

Notes: Grace made the playoffs last season as a seventh seed, but like most teams, will have some holes to fill with the loss of 10 seniors.

“I want to continue to build on what coach (James) Newby and we have done the last four years,” Draper said. “We established a good defense and a tough running game.”

The Grizzlies have been a perennial playoff team and look to challenge Butte County for that sole conference spot.

Draper noted that while the team did make the playoffs last season after losing to the Pirates, they had to face Prairie in a play-in game and then travel to Logos in the second round.

That’s a playoff scenario they’ll hope to avoid as the newcomers look to step up.

“You lose that many guys that were starters, a couple guys started since their freshman year, … so there’s some big shoes to fill, for sure,” Draper said.

Grace opens the season Friday at Oakley in a rematch of the 2022 state title game.