Vikings back on the field for first time in 4 years
Aug. 26—Garrett Parrish had just overseen a 9-2 season in his new job coaching at Garfield-Palouse in 2018 when the Vikings went over a cliff.
Having graduated a large senior class, Gar-Pal failed to field a team in 2019, or either of the next two seasons. A small number of Gar-Pal students co-oped with Pullman at first, but by last year, even that Viking presence on the Greyhound roster was gone.
Now, in a late surprise, the school announced the revival of its program this season, with the first game in almost four years set for 7 p.m. Sept. 2 against St. John Endicott/LaCrosse in St. John, Wash.
"Honestly, our incoming freshman class kind of are the ones responsible for getting it back," Parrish said of the football program's resurgence. "I think we have nine or 10 in the freshman class that are playing; it's a pretty big group for an eight-man team."
To call this a young team is an understatement. There are no players who have ever played a snap of competitive high school football. However, many of the freshmen and sophomores who make up the bulk of the team did play together in middle school, providing some underpinning and rapport to work with.
Sophomore Bryce Pfaff, who also has been a standout for Viking basketball, will be starting quarterback.
"He's still growing," Parrish said of Pfaff. "Left-handed, can throw pretty well. We're kind of excited about him."
Other early prospects include Caleb Kelnhofer at running back and Lane Collier, a "quick, shifty kid with really good hands." After that, Parrish said it still is largely "up in the air" who will play what position and what the leadership will look like in this emerging program.
"First and foremost, I'm excited to have football back," he said. "I know the community is; a lot of people are asking about it. The kids are excited to play. We've kind of missed that in the fall the last few years — it definitely takes away from the excitement on Friday nights at school.
"This year's going to be a tough road. We're super-young, but our kids have had great attitudes so far. ... We're focused on us and trying to get us ready, because we literally started from ground zero this year."
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Wendt may be contacted at (208) 848-2268, or cwendt@lmtribune.com.
COACH — Garrett Parrish, second year
LAST YEAR'S RECORD — Did not play
RETURNING LETTERWINNERS — None.
Five things to watch:
Will the community excitement about having a football team again after a three-year hiatus provide a dose of added energy and motivation for the Vikings?
Coach Garrett Parrish had lost touch with area football in the years since Gar-Pal ceased fielding a team. How well will the current field align with what he remembers?
With a roster composed of more than half freshmen and featuring no seniors, the Vikings are the youngest team around. Will they do the necessary growing up in time to compete on the field this season?
While none of them have competed in high school, the core group on the roster played together at the middle school level. Will the team dynamic and rapport they established there carry over?
Regardless of their results this season, might this large young group be laying the foundation for a successful Gar-Pal resurgence within the next few years?
