CALDWELL, Idaho — The College of Idaho football team has spent two straight weeks ranked No. 1 in the NAIA, but for RS sophomore defensive end Wyatt Vining, the road to the top began in one of Idaho's smallest communities.
Vining grew up in Council, a town of fewer than 1,000 people at the base of the Payette National Forest. Long before competing at Simplot Stadium, he was playing eight-man football for a high school program where roster numbers didn't make up a full offense.
"My freshman year, we had nine kids on the team, total," Vining said.
Friday nights looked much different in Council than they do in Caldwell, where the field is surrounded by a dirt track with a small set of bleachers.
Still, Vining said the support from the community never lacked.
"The community just rallies around it," he said. "Everyone comes out for the game."
Growing up in a small town came with challenges. There were fewer resources, less exposure and fewer opportunities to catch the attention of college recruiters.
Instead of waiting to be discovered, Vining took the initiative.
"I was able to get to the recruiting camps, and I had to do a lot of calling coaches and reaching out on my own," he said.
Vining credits his upbringing for giving him the work ethic to compete at the collegiate level.
"I think small towns really instill a type of work ethic in kids," he said. "We all grew up, and we're either working on ranches or just doing hard manual labor, and that translates; it really does."
But he isn't the only local boy bringing that mentality to Caldwell.
Quarterback Caden Young, who grew up in Emmett, said many of the program's Idaho natives share a similar mindset.
"Some people say we play with a chip on our shoulder," Young said. "And I think that helps."
That underdog mentality has helped fuel a team that now sits atop the national rankings for the first time in program history.
Willie White, a linebacker from Homedale, sees similarities between the close-knit communities many players come from and the culture they've built at the College of Idaho.
"The camaraderie you have in a small town — coming here, it's very similar," White said.
For Vining, being part of the nation's top-ranked team is an accomplishment he never takes for granted.
"I'm just very grateful I got to grow up in a town like that, in a community like that, where everyone supports each other," Vining said.
The Yotes are 5-0 this season, and are set to play Montana Western Saturday on the road. They hope to remain undefeated during this season of dominant football performances and continue to a Frontier conference and national championship.
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