Spartans aim to build on breakthrough

WEIPPE - The 2014 season was a breakthrough for the Timberline football team, which shook off a five-year varsity losing streak and finished the season with a refreshing 5-4 overall record.

But it's one of the losses from last fall that seems to have had the biggest impact on this year's Spartans. In their season finale, with their playoff hopes already extinguished, they lost to Clark Fork 66-36.

"They had eight kids and they played their hearts out, and we had 21," Timberline coach Justin Nelsen said. "I think that loss and not going 6-3 ... and getting beat by eight kids that had more heart than us, I think that really sat home with them. So I think a lot of them have a different mindset that, 'We're not going to give up, no matter what.' "

The Spartans have just 15 players on this year's roster, but eight of them are seniors, most of whom have played varsity ball since they were freshmen.

"If we're going to do something, this will be the year," said Nelsen, who had never coached before guiding Timberline's turnaround last fall.

The Spartans are led by Colby Lineberry, a 245-pound senior who will play running back and on the defensive line. He is "determined and hell-bent" to play at the next level, Nelsen said, and has put in the time at various football camps to give himself a shot.

Blocking for Lineberry will be Bobby Dloughy, a senior center who is quick and strong, along with guards Chance Foster and Jason Umphenour and tight end Zack Smith.

Timberline's new quarterback is sophomore Bryce Willett, who played the position in junior high. His family had to evacuate their Weippe home during recent wildfires, yet he didn't miss a practice.

"He's handled all the pressure and everything going on, and he's just come in, business as usual, and worked hard," Nelsen said of Willett, whose home was spared destruction.

The Spartans will probably lean on their running attack, like they did last year, but when they take to the air, seniors Tristen Bonner and Trevon Willis will often be the targets.

Timberline's long-delayed success last year led to what appeared to be a productive offseason. The players have kept up their conditioning and many attended two camps - one at Montana Tech in Butte and a defensive camp staged at Weippe by Joe McCarthy, a former coach of Nelsen's, and son Cody McCarthy, who recently played defensive back at Eastern Washington.

"Him and his son have probably forgotten more about football than I've learned yet," Nelsen said. "So we did a defensive camp. You could even see in the boys' eyes, things were clicking. They were starting to realize why we did certain things."

The Spartans were scheduled to open their season Friday at home against Prairie's junior varsity, but that was called off Wednesday on account of smoky conditions, said Timberline athletic director Dorie Nelsen, who is married to Justin Nelsen. No makeup date has been set.

The Spartans are now scheduled to open their season Sept. 4 at Lewis County.

The Timberline players are no doubt champing at the bit to play, and their fans are probably just as eager for the season to begin.

"We have the total support of the community in what we do," Justin Nelsen said. "The (Montana Tech) football camp, we fundraised for it, and the boys didn't have to pay a dime. The Pierce-Weippe community, they love it."