GREEN RIVER — A new era of Green River football begins Friday night, and it starts with a zero-week familiar opponent.
The Green River Wolves will open the 2026 season at home against the Mountain View Buffalos, giving first-year head coach Brennan Walk an immediate reunion with the program where he spent the previous six seasons.
Kickoff for the non-conference game is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Green River High School, with pregame coverage beginning at 5 p.m. TRN Media will provide a live HD video stream of the game on The Radio Network’s Facebook page. Fans can also listen to the game on KUGR 104.9 FM, with TRN Media’s Erick Pauley handling the play-by-play call.
Walk takes over the Wolves after serving as Mountain View’s offensive coordinator, including last season’s undefeated Class 2A state championship run. Before becoming a coach, Walk also played high school football at Mountain View, making Friday’s matchup an unusual start to his tenure in Green River.
For the Wolves, however, the focus will be on building their own identity. Green River is coming off its first playoff appearance since 2017. The Wolves finished the 2025 regular season with enough success to earn a postseason berth before falling to Riverton, 31-13, in the playoffs.
That team also left behind several important pieces. Quarterback Max Hintz graduated after setting Green River’s single-season passing record during his senior season. Wide receiver Dax Taylor also departed after setting the program’s single-season receiving-yardage record.
The Wolves also lost Braxton Doak, who handled kicking duties while contributing at wide receiver. Doak has since continued his football career at the collegiate level as a placekicker for Central Michigan.
Replacing that production will be among the biggest challenges for Green River in its first season under Walk.
The new coach brings an offensive background from a Mountain View program that produced more than 5,300 yards and 78 touchdowns last season while averaging more than 45 points per game. Walk said in a previous SweetwaterNOW article that his goal is to bring an aggressive, adaptable approach to Green River’s offense rather than forcing the team into one particular style.
“We need to have a strong run game and a strong pass game, because the best offenses are not one-dimensional,” Walk said in that previous article.
The Wolves will get an early opportunity to see how that philosophy translates to their new roster. Several returning players drew praise from Walk during the preseason, including Noah Hemphill at wide receiver and defensive back, Valentine Plancarte on the offensive and defensive lines, Irie Kuball at receiver and defensive back, and Jake Stanton at tight end and linebacker.
Quinton Brown, Dom Hamel and Izik Gardea have also competed at running back and linebacker, while Konnor Sleight has impressed the coaching staff with his work in the offseason and his abilities in the secondary.
Green River will need those returning players to help fill the production lost from last year’s playoff team.
Defensively, Walk said in the previous article that he wants the Wolves to be “sound, physical, and disruptive,” while putting players in positions to make plays. That defense will have an early test against a Mountain View team that Green River saw last season.
The Buffalos defeated the Wolves 46-21 in last year’s Zero Week matchup, overcoming a strong performance from Taylor and a pair of Green River touchdown passes from Hintz and Oliver Wisniewski.
Mountain View capitalized on Green River turnovers throughout the game and built a 26-7 halftime lead before pulling away in the second half.
The Wolves did show flashes after halftime, with Hintz breaking loose for a 31-yard rushing touchdown before Wisniewski connected with Taylor for another score after a Mountain View turnover. Most of the players who produced those plays, however, are now gone.
That leaves Friday’s game as both a rematch and a measuring stick for a Green River program entering a new chapter.
For Walk, the first season is about more than replacing individual players. In a previous SweetwaterNOW article, he said establishing consistency in practice, communication, preparation and handling adversity would be a major emphasis.
The Wolves will also be trying to build on the momentum created by last year’s return to the playoffs.
Green River proved it could get back into the postseason conversation in 2025. Now, the challenge is maintaining that progress while adjusting to a new coaching staff, new offensive system and several new contributors. Friday’s opener provides an intriguing setting for all of it.
Walk will face the program that helped shape his coaching career. Green River will face the defending undefeated state champions from Mountain View. And the Wolves will get their first chance to show what their version of Green River football looks like.
