Coach Leslie brings new traditions and spirit to football program

By Tori Cummings

Looking up under the lights of Friday night at Nick Ysursa Field, there are many changes to behold: a black tunnel, a player running onto the field with a sword, the singing of the school fight song, and a feeling of victory in the air.
Something is different and the new found excitement shows it. Of course there are new players on the team and it's a new season, but nothing can replace how people feel about the newest addition to the program, Head Coach Lee Leslie.
Leslie most recently finished a stint as the head coach of the Boise Burn of the Arena 2 football league. He also coached high school football for 15 years in Salt Lake City. He brings passion, dedication, and a desire to teach young men life lessons on and off the field.
"The first is to be ready for the unthinkable, unbearable, and the unbelievable. Our lives are full of adversity!" Coach Leslie observed. "It is how you react and handle that adversity that determines your character. Football is full of life's lessons and great practice for their future experiences."
The football games started in late August with a 24-0 domination of Minico, but the season started back in April when Leslie was hired.
Immediately, Leslie created a new weights and conditioning program. It wasn't very popular among the football players at first, but "the summer, however, was fantastic! ...it was mandatory, Monday through Thursday 8am to 10am," Coach Leslie said.
The Knights had had a team camp at Bishop Kelly in July. They pitched tents in the fields behind the Carley Center for a couple of days. It was a great way for all the players to bond with each other.
"The first day was fun to see the excitement on the players and the parents faces as we set up tents. It gave the freshmen a chance to have 100 brothers before school started," commented Leslie. "We discussed what a commitment meant and we promised to finish what we start without incident."
After pushing themselves all summer, the Knights were ready to win their season opener. With Senior Jake Wylie leading the offense at quarterback, the Knights played a close to perfect game. The defense had two picks and played solid defense all game; they sacked Minico's quarter back six times.
Their next opponent, Mountain View, was a much tougher 5A team. They lost in the state semifinals last year to eventual champ Highland. Leslie felt they were even better than last year's team.
BK had to deal with adversity before the game started with Jake Wylie out with mononucleosis. They held tough for the first thirty minutes, only down by 6 at half. But Mtn. View proved their power and dominance, winning 40-14.
After their lone bye-week, the Knights were ready to take on Middleton for their conference opener. They got back to full strength with Wylie back from mono. There was also a lot of anticipation in the locker room the week before. "It feels like we haven't played a game in three months….everybody's ornery," Leslie immediately noted on the bye week.
The Knights took out all their pent up energy on Middleton winning 28-0. With a firework show at halftime, Middleton had little else to cheer about for homecoming. Middleton had four turnovers, giving BK ample opportunity to score. Seniors Matt Sato and Nic Buich combined for 143 yards on the ground. Senior Dominic Chumich sealed the game with a 50 yard interception for a touchdown.
With homecoming this week, the Knights are ready for the Emmett Huskies. They know that nothing is guaranteed on the field and they have worked too hard to let someone steal their homecoming. They want to prove that the changes in the BK football program are here to stay.