MERIDIAN, Idaho — The start of the 2022 high school football season is officially less than one week away. On Friday, Treasure Valley teams finally got to do what they have been waiting for all summer -- putting on the pads and doing some hitting.
Owyhee High School's football roster is young, both in terms of ages and the fact they are only in their second season as a program.
However, that one year of experience has worked wonders and the Storm are a team you don't want to sleep on this fall.
Coming off a 1-8 season, Owyhee may be flying under the radar. For a team just a year out of their inaugural season, the Storm have made huge strides towards building an identity.
"What is it and what do I wanna be might be two different things," head coach Sherman Blaser said. "We're skilled, we're talented, but we're young and inexperienced. We're trying to establish everything from top to bottom. We're not walking in with any tradition. It's really cool, but it's a lot of work."
The Owyhee seniors have embraced the hard work, ready to lead by example -- not only for the young roster -- but for the future of the program.
"At other schools there's already traditions in place, so you kind of get to set the example for what the program needs to be," senior offensive lineman Carson Rasmussen said.
Back in July, Rasmussen became the first Boise State commit in the 2023 class from the Gem State. According to 247 Sports, the Treasure Valley product chose Boise State over the likes of San Diego State, Air Force, Army and others.
"It's just so cool, like, setting things your own way, the way you want to do it. Just be in charge of something where you can't be at other programs, you know," senior athlete Cooper Hiatt said. "Coach Blaser wants us to be a player-led team, so that's what we've been trying to do, do our own thing."
The expectation for Owyhee this fall is a run-heavy offense. With a towering offensive line and a solid backfield, the Storm aim for 500 rushing yards per game.
However, they are also focusing on creating a more-balanced attack. Whether through the air or on the ground, Owyhee's goal is to be explosive.
"At times last year we were swayed heavy one direction or another," Blaser said. "We're trying to be a bit more consistent, be more explosive."
"Fast paced, high energy, you know, looking to be fast," Hiatt added.
For the Owyhee football program, 'fast' means more than just speed.
"What we value, we call 'FAST.' We want to be a family, good attitude, be servant leaders and we want to be tough," Blaser said. "I'd imagine based on what happened last year, we're probably picked towards the bottom of the conference and that's okay with us, you know. If we can take care of ourselves, we're gonna have a successful season and we're gonna sneak up on some folks, 'cause they're going to overlook us for a couple weeks."
Watch more Sports:
See all of our sports coverage in our YouTube playlist: