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Bronco Stadium has been kind to Chester Grey in the past, and the first-year Borah football coach hopes some of the magic he experienced on the track seeps into the blue turf on Thursday.
The 5A Lions (0-0) kick off the season against 4A Columbia (0-0) at 7 p.m. in a stadium where Grey led the Borah girls and boys track and field teams to a combined eight state titles since 2004.
"I hope there's some Borah magic there still," said Grey, who gave up the top job with the track and field team to focus on football. "We'll be looking for it. I just hope it makes it from the track onto the football field."
Columbia, which returns two offensive starters and nine defensive starters under first-year head coach Derek Mertz, enters the game having never won on the road. The Wildcats are 6-12 overall and 0-9 on the road since the Nampa school opened its doors two years ago.
Borah, meanwhile, hasn't posted a winning record since 1995 (9-2), and the Lions last won a state title in 1981. Over the past 10 years, Borah is 27-66.
While all the losing casts a shadow over a team that dominated Idaho high school football in the 1960s, 70s and early 80s, Grey is more concerned about turning the page.
"We're ready to go," he said. "Whether that's going to amount to winning a game, I don't know, but the kids and the coaches have been working hard. ... We have kids who have made great strides and kids that have proven to be the kind of players who will win ball games."
Borah returns a total of six starters, and senior Justin McKague will start his first game at quarterback.
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