Kyle Doyle (20) prepares to kick a 31-yard field goal against Clarkston.
The Cheney High football team, who was predicted to finish fourth out of fifth in the Great Northern League, had one of its best seasons in years. The Blackhawks finished the year 3-1 in league play (9-2 overall) to secure second-place in the GNL standings and make it to the first round of the 2A state playoffs.
Bobby Byrd returned for his second year as head coach, coming off a 2014 where the team went 7-3 overall and 2-2 in GNL play. The Blackhawks, with their strong defense and powerful running game, tore through the first part of the 2015 season, winning their first seven games - including three shutouts over Northeast A League's Colville (28-0), and Idaho teams Lakeland (49-0) and Moscow (48-0).
In GNL play Cheney had back-to-back wins over East Valley, 35-7, Oct. 2, and West Valley, 27-25, Oct. 16. Defending GNL champions Clarkston handed the Blackhawks their only regular season loss, 52-25, Oct. 23. Cheney ended its regular season on a high note after they defeated Pullman, 30-22.
The Blackhawks kept their season alive after they defeated Selah, 41-28, Nov. 10, in a glue-in regional game to qualify for the state playoffs. Their season ended after a 30-7 loss to the Ellensburg Bulldogs in the first round of the playoffs.
The Blackhawks had several returners on this year's squad including Ty Graham, Kris Brewer, Harrison King, Brayden Butikofer, Chris Fuentes, Cade VanWormer, Jackson Shaw, Devon Waterman and Osiris Goodloe.
Josh Martin returned for his second year as starting quarterback and had several moments throughout the season, including the Moscow game where he was 20 for 25 with 319 yards and three touchdowns.
Graham, Butikofer, C.J. Johnson and Logan Kendall made several big running plays throughout the season. Adam Ingham and Logan Pratt, Chance Gleave, Cam Hardt and Andrew Witt were also key contributors on offense and defense.
Byrd said he couldn't be prouder of how his players performed during the season. He credited the part of the team's success to its unity of the players. Throughout the year he kept a philosophy of working hard, tightening up both facets of the game and focusing on the "little things."
In postseason honors, the GNL voted Graham as the offensive and defensive MVP for the league. Brewer and Ingham made first-team offense while Pratt was a second-team selection. On defense, Hardt, Waterman and Fuentes made the first team while Witt and VanWormer were selected for the second team. Graham and Brewer were also selected for the 2015 American Family All-USA Postseason football team.
Cheney loses 17 seniors to graduation including Graham, Martin and Pratt, who Byrd credited with showing the younger players "how to focus" on the field during practice and in games.
"I'm going to miss our larger senior group, they helped lay the foundation to help build on the great tradition that is Blackhawk football," Byrd said in an earlier interview.
As for next season, Byrd said Hardt, Johnson and Kendall are likely to come back next year, as well as VanWormer and Fuentes, who will help make up the linebacker core.
Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.
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