5A, 4A boys soccer preview: These are the top players, teams in Idaho’s toughest league
The Treasure Valley remains the epicenter of Idaho’s high school boys soccer. There’s no way to dispute that.
Teams from the 5A Southern Idaho Conference have won eight consecutive state titles and 16 in the past 17 years. Meanwhile, their compatriots in the 4A SIC have won three straight state championships and five in the past seven years.
If that wasn’t enough, the Boise-area schools will enjoy home-field advantage this fall, as the state tournaments return to the Treasure Valley in October.
So who will hoist the blue trophy when it’s all over? And what players will take the SIC by storm this year? Read on to find out.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Carlos Camacho, Borah
The senior midfielder serves as the heart of the Lions, controlling the pace, prodding defenses for weaknesses and distributing the ball with lethal accuracy. He was an all-state selection last year despite Borah’s limited schedule.
Kai Hatten, Timberline
The midfielder started every game as a sophomore on the Wolves’ state-qualifying team. His touch and technical skills allow him to dominate the midfield and earned him second-team all-conference honors.
Dalton Bateman, Rocky Mountain
Described as a fearless striker going 100 miles an hour, the senior forward poses a matchup problem for opposing defenses. He poured in 11 goals last year to lead the Grizzlies to a third-place finish at state. That number likely will climb even higher.
Chris Torres, Centennial
The senior center back anchored one of the SIC’s toughest defenses a year ago, earning a spot on the all-conference first team. His size, toughness, versatility and intelligence ensure opponents will find a rude welcome on the Patriots’ half of the field.
Colton Crawford, Bishop Kelly
Whether through his pure speed or his instincts, the junior midfielder/forward lives behind the back line of opposing defenses. He made a splash as a sophomore, racking up nine goals and eight assists to win the 4A Southern Idaho Conference Player of the Year award and a spot on the all-state team.
Danny Torres, Caldwell
The Cougars produce loads of talented players. But Caldwell coach Rhys Yeakley said the senior midfielder’s footwork and skill on the ball are among the best he’s ever seen. He’s returning from a torn ACL that limited him last year. But he still earned a first-team all-conference spot.
Nic Taugher, Bishop Kelly
A two-time, first-team all-conference selection, the senior does it all for the Knights. He can lead the attack, evidenced by his nine goals last year. He can dictate the tempo and facilitate from the midfield. Or he can drop back and lock down the defense.
5A SIC PREDICTIONS
THE FAVORITES: Just like in girls soccer, Boise and Rocky Mountain enter the season as the top two teams, with Boise edging the Grizzlies by a single point in a preseason coaches’ poll.
Boise starts the year with new faces, though, with just three returning starters and five players back from last year’s state championship team. The Brave got even younger when returning all-state pick Sawyer Luthy broke his leg at Far West Regionals, sidelining him for the season.
Boise still fields a strong midfield led by Chase Kluksdal, Liam McLain and Joe Woodley. How quickly the lineup can gel will determine whether they can defend their title.
Meanwhile, Rocky Mountain returns eight starters from its district championship team. That includes a deep and dangerous group of attackers like Bateman, Dawson Anderson, Lieven Ivanza and Tommy Hammons.
Experience remains light on the back end, forcing new players to prove themselves.
THE CONTENDERS: Timberline brings back six starters for first-year head coach Adrian Kane. A talented midfield headed by Hatten and Quintin Boggs will enable the Wolves to possess the ball. And Timberline has two solid options in goal between juniors Ben Anderson and Parker Gropp.
But it needs a top-line goal scorer to emerge to replace the production of Justin Smith, an all-state selection.
Mountain View missed out on state last year as it turned the program over to a young roster. It will still have a couple of freshmen on the roster, but it can reap the benefit of all that experience with eight returning starters.
Senior Brody Gonzalez (eight goals, four assists) headlines the group, along with a pair of dominant center backs in Ethan Hoffman and Ethan Latimer.
Centennial hits the reset button with a new head coach (Matt Wiberg) and just three returning starters. Wiberg said he expects a learning curve with new faces learning new positions. But the Patriots also return two center backs and a potent striker in Austin Carmack, two key pieces for any rebuilding project.
THE DARK HORSES: Eagle landed one of the state’s top coaches in Chris Siegenthaler, who led the Boise girls soccer program to a 307-58-35 record and six state titles in 20 years. He inherits five returning starters after a pair of goalkeepers moved out of state. But he said he’s impressed by the skill and depth in the Mustangs’ midfield so far, including Colton Webb and Luke Jones.
A coronavirus quarantine limited Borah to just six games last fall, leaving the Lions looking to make up for lost time. Five starters return, including a deep attacking group led by Camacho and senior Dino Ibrulj. But the defense remains young and untested.
4A SIC PREDICTIONS
THE FAVORITE: Bishop Kelly won the 4A SIC regular-season and district tournament titles last year. But failing to win a trophy at state fueled the Knights in the offseason.
Bishop Kelly coach Jared Vreeland called this his most complete team in his seven years at the helm. The Knights bring back nine starters and 13 varsity players from a year ago, including some of the league’s top talent in Crawford, Taugher and Will Carey, an all-state defender.
Who takes over at goalkeeper remains a question mark. But the Knights stand loaded to chase their first state title since 1996, before Idaho sponsored an official state tournament.
THE CONTENDERS: Graduation cost Caldwell plenty of star power, namely all-state forward Chuy Gonzalez and Gatorade player of the year Damian Arguello, who had 108 career goals. But the Cougars still return plenty of firepower and seven starters.
Torres leads a new group looking to leave its mark. Junior Yahir Esquivel (eight goals in 2020) joins him in the midfield, and watch for junior forward Axel Gonzalez (seven goals) to make a name for himself quickly.
Defending state champ Vallivue enters under the radar, a spot the Falcons know well. They lost nine starters to graduation, returning only junior midfielders David Campos Briceno (four goals, 10 assists) and Alex Barragan (six goals, five assists).
Vallivue must rebuild on the fly. But all of it’s up-and-coming players saw what it takes to win it all, and the Falcons are eyeing another late-season run like last year’s.
THE DARK HORSES: Columbia went 1-7-1 last year. But the Wildcats return nine starters, including several multiyear starters, as they seek to climb back up the table. A rock-solid defense led by senior midfielder Dylan Lillywhite and senior center back Horacio Guererro remains Columbia’s calling card. But it will need some creativity going forward to find the back of the net.
Kevin Solis was elected the 4A SIC girls soccer coach of the year last fall for his work snapping Emmett’s 71-game winless streak. Now he takes over a rebuilding project with the Huskies’ boys, who return just three starters. The first challenge remains replacing four-year starting goalkeeper Ryan Solis, a first-team all-conference selection. But Emmett fields a mix of athletic and technical attacking players, such as forward David Ramirez and senior midfielder Cesar Espinoza, to ease the transition.
This story was originally published August 19, 2021 at 6:07 PM.
