Are You Ready for Some Football?

Badger football is right around the corner, and it looks like it will be an exciting season! With approximately 30 varsity players on this year’s team, the squad is comprised of roughly two-thirds seniors.

“We are lucky to have around 20 seniors with about 16 of them being starters last year,” said head coach Cory Kramer.

The Badgers will see strong opponents on this year’s schedule. “We will open with four 4A schools and a good 2A school with St. Mary’s,” said Kramer, who adds that league play will open at Timberlake High School followed by a game in Kellogg before returning home to Bonners Ferry for senior night against Priest River.

With so many seniors on the team who have had significant playing time, Coach Kramer said the team’s biggest strength will be their experience and depth.

“Almost all of our seniors have been varsity starters since they were sophomores,” said Coach Kramer. “And add to that a very strong and talented junior class, we should be set for a great season.”

But Coach Kramer admits there will be challenges as well.

“Although we have talent and depth at our skill positions, our biggest challenge will be fitting in a new offensive and defensive line,” said Coach Kramer. “We have the guys to do it; we as a coaching staff have to put them in the right places to be successful.”

This year Kramer will be joined on the sidelines with his dedicated assistant coaches Don Alt, Chris Sabin, Kevin Stockton, Corey Richards, Kurt Carey and David Koon.

As a 1993 graduate of Bonners Ferry High School, Kramer is no stranger to Badger football fans. He has been coaching since 1995 at various levels including fifth grade, junior high school and high school. Now in his second season as head coach of the Bonners Ferry Badgers, he is passionate about the game and said he believes it is more than just about winning and losing. He said as a coach he hopes to instill in these young men the ability to take something positive from the game of football and transition that into everyday life to help them be successful.

Last year the Badgers went 4-4 during the regular season and lost in the first round of the playoffs, and they are optimistic about another successful season.

“I thought we accomplished a lot of great things last year and built a good foundation for this year,” said Coach Kramer. “If we can stay healthy all season, I really believe that this will be a very exciting year and I'm excited to get out there and see what we are capable of.”

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