4A SIC football preview: Ranking the top teams trying to restore the league to power
As recently as 2019, the Southern Idaho Conference stood as the unquestioned toughest 4A league in Idaho. Then the Boise area didn’t place a single team in the semifinals a year ago, a first since 2009 that took the shine off the once-mighty conference.
Past isn’t always prologue, though, and a slimmed-down group will try to bring the SIC back to the top this fall.
The state’s reclassification cycle brought former power Skyview back to the 4A ranks. But it also lifted mainstays Middleton and Nampa to 5A. And long-struggling Caldwell will pursue a new path as an independent, leaving just six teams in the 4A SIC.
Where does that leave the league? The Idaho Statesman broke down the scouting reports on every team entering the fall.
1. BISHOP KELLY KNIGHTS
Last season: 8-3, 6-1 4A SIC
Playoffs: Lost to Pocatello 28-17 in quarterfinals
Coach: Tim Brennan, 27th season
Career record: 230-80
Base offense (coordinator): Two-back (Chris Martineau)
Base defense (coordinator): 4-3 (George Gamber)
Key players: Hadley Smith, sr., QB; Jack Dennis, sr., FB/LB; Max Ciovacco, sr., TE/DE; Ryder Bordner, sr., LB
The perennial power starts as the 4A SIC’s preseason favorite for the fifth straight year. But the Knights haven’t won a conference title since 2018 and have fallen in the state quarterfinals three years in a row.
Eleven starters (seven offense, four defense) return looking to reassert Bishop Kelly’s dominance over the SIC. Smith headlines the group at quarterback after throwing for 1,868 yards and 13 TDs last year at the head of 4A’s second-best offense (39.0 ppg). And he’ll have four of five offensive linemen back as the Knights seek to establish their physical identity.
But the graduation of Seth Knothe, a first-team All-Idaho pick who ran for 1,965 yards and 33 TDs, leaves a giant hole. Brennan said Bishop Kelly won’t have a single workhorse again. Instead, it will feature several backs, with seniors Dean Tipton-Wade, Zach Jacobs and Benji Huskey in the mix, as well as junior Peter Minnaert.
Dennis returns at the head of the defense after leading the team in tackles (8.8 per game) a year ago. His physicality sets the tone for a unit always key to Bishop Kelly’s November runs. But only one starter (Cole Miller) returns in the secondary, which could pose a problem against the league’s more explosive offenses.
2. SKYVIEW HAWKS
Last season: 5-5, 0-4 5A SIC Foothills
Playoffs: Lost to Highland 45-28 in 5A first round
Coach: David Young, 20th season
Career record: 102-88
Base offense (coordinator): Power pistol spread (David Robinson)
Base defense (coordinator): 3-3-5 (Young)
Key players: Max Cutforth, sr., QB; Andrew Schneider, sr., RB/LB; Ayden Martinez, jr., WR/DB; Mason Krahn, so., WR/LB
Skyview returns to the 4A ranks after a run in 5A, making the playoffs three times in four seasons and posting a 15-21 record. But the Hawks were a state power in 4A, qualifying for the playoffs eight years in a row before leaving the classification in 2018.
Cutforth leads the way as the Hawks look to contend for the 4A SIC title right away. He threw for 2,148 yards and racked up 23 total TDs a year ago, and he’ll have plenty of weapons around to do it again.
Seven starters return on offense, including four on the offensive line. That should clear the way for Schneider as he takes over the feature back role. Martinez provides a home-run threat with his speed on the edge, and Krahn had an impressive campaign as a freshman starter a year ago.
The defense has far less experience, with just two returning starters. The defensive line remains a bright spot to start camp. But a group of young, athletic players will have to step up at linebacker and in the secondary for a deep postseason run.
3. EMMETT HUSKIES
Last season: 7-3, 6-1 4A SIC
Playoffs: Lost to Nampa 37-29 in first round
Coach: Rich Hargitt, fifth season
Career record: 33-45
Base offense (coordinator): Spread (Brandon Young)
Base defense (coordinator): 3-4 (Zane Hines)
Key players: Ry Fullerton, sr., RB/DB; Stevie Howe, sr., WR/CB; Dakota Perry, sr., QB
The two-time defending league champ hits the reset button with just eight returning starters (three offense, five defense). That’s two more than a year ago. But it allows the Huskies to continue to play the underdog card.
Emmett will retool on offense after the graduation of quarterback Caden Young, the 2020 4A All-Idaho Player of the Year and first-team pick last fall. Perry steps into the starting role, attempting not to replace Young but to put his own stamp on the program.
Hargitt said the Huskies should field more speed and dynamic athletes on the field this season. That starts with Fullerton, who will anchor the offense and defense. And Howe provides a speedy option to lift the top off of defenses on the outside.
A defense that ranked third in 4A by holding opponents to 15.6 points per game starts camp further ahead with several familiar faces in the secondary. But the Huskies will need to break in a new defensive line quickly to contend for a third straight league crown.
4. VALLIVUE FALCONS
Last season: 6-5, 4-3 4A SIC
Playoffs: Lost to Skyline 24-14 in quarterfinals
Coach: Layne Coffin, 17th season
Career record: 119-90
Base offense (coordinator): Double wing (Coffin)
Base defense (coordinator): 3-4 (Talon Sudbeck)
Key players: Tyson Fox, sr., RB/DB; Oscar Malacara, sr., DB; Jordon Conlon, jr., OL; Koa Maio, sr., OLB
A pair of athletic quarterbacks convinced the Falcons to spread it out in recent years. But with four returning offensive linemen, Vallivue returns to its roots by reinstalling the double-wing offense.
Conlon, Jaydon Gomez, Jacob Castro and Porter Buckley all return along the offensive front. Coffin said they work well together, paving the way for a potent, physical running game the Falcons were long known for.
They form four of seven returning offensive starters. Fox figures to take over as the primary ball carrier after a broken foot limited him to the final three games of the season. But Maio, a converted fullback, and Malacara will both figure into the mix, giving the Falcons multiple weapons and keeping defenses honest.
The defense returns nine starters. Coffin pointed to a loaded front seven, which returns nearly intact and feeds into Vallivue’s physical identity. But he said depth remains a concern after injuries forced the Falcons to juggle personnel last fall.
5. RIDGEVUE WARHAWKS
Last season: 1-7, 1-6 4A SIC
Playoffs: Did not qualify
Coach: Sean Impomeni, first season
Career record: 22-43
Base offense (coordinator): Pistol spread (Colton Sweesy)
Base defense (coordinator): 3-4 (Cody Heller)
Key players: Trevor Warren, sr., WR/DB; Mitchell Basterrechea, sr., WR/DB; Demond Portis, sr., OL; Jaxon Bauscher, sr., WR
The Warhawks have yet to find their stride, going 11-42 since opening six years ago and never making the playoffs. But the IHSAA allowed them to remain in 4A with 5A-level enrollment numbers, and they enter a new era with Impomeni taking over the program.
Impomeni went 22-43 and guided Canyon Ridge to three playoff appearances in seven seasons. He starts the rebuild with 13 returning starters (seven offense, six defense), including 4A’s leading tackler.
Warren racked up 107 stops (13.4 per game) a year ago and serves as Ridgevue’s security blanket in the secondary, ranging from sideline to sideline to clean up any mistakes. Impomeni said he’ll also tap into his athleticism on offense, finding ways to get the ball in his hands.
He’ll join Basterrechea to form an explosive receiving corps. But who delivers the ball remains up in the air. Senior Grayson Heil and junior Dominic Schmittel are battling it out in camp to start at quarterback.
6. COLUMBIA WILDCATS
Last season: 2-7, 2-5 4A SIC
Playoffs: Did not qualify
Coach: Charlie Dotson, first season
Career record: 0-0
Base offense (coordinator): Spread (Rich Davis)
Base defense (coordinator): 4-3 (Juss Jackson)
Key players: Ikaika Ho, sr., RB/DB; Manny Variz, sr., FB/LB; Troy Olmos, sr., OL/DL; Matthew Davis, sr., QB
The Wildcats turned the program over to a large sophomore class two years ago. Now they get to reap the benefit of all that game experience as those sophomores turn into seniors.
Columbia returns 15 starters (eight offense, seven defense), including three-year starters like Davis at quarterback, Ho and Variz in the backfield, and Olmos on the offensive line. All that experience should translate into a strong running game, with Dotson pointing out Ho (629 yards, five TDs) as a possible breakout candidate.
All that experience extends to the defense, too, which should shore up a unit that surrendered 35.9 points per game, the second most in 4A. The linebacking corps remains dotted with three-year starters who all know what it takes to succeed at the varsity level. But the offensive and defensive lines both remain young.
Dotson, 33, replaces Greg Asbury, who stepped down after going 5-20 in three seasons as Columbia’s coach. Dotson previously spent nine years as an assistant at Montana’s Flathead High.
CALDWELL COUGARS
Last season: 0-9, 0-7 4A SIC
Playoffs: Did not qualify
Coach: Steven Fleshman, fourth season
Career record: 0-25
Base offense (coordinator): Spread (Zachary Strong)
Base defense (coordinator): 3-4 (Fleshman)
Key players: Zaylor Bruegeman, jr., QB; Alan Arteaga, sr., OL; Miguel Perez, sr., DL
Riding a 25-game losing streak, the long-struggling program embarks on an experiment this fall. It will skip a full 4A SIC schedule and instead operate as an independent. It plays conference foes Ridgevue, Vallivue and Columbia, but none of those games will count in the SIC standings, meaning the Cougars can’t make the playoffs.
The plan follows in Boise’s footsteps, which also recently took an independent route. It allows the Cougars to find more competitive games outside the conference and at lower levels, with the goal of reviving the program.
The Cougars enter camp with little returning experience — just three starters on both sides of the ball. But Fleshman pointed to a senior-heavy and much improved offensive line as a reason for optimism. The unit also has enough depth to keep everyone from playing on the defensive line, too.
Meanwhile, Bruegeman returns for his second season under center. The three-sport athlete has emerged as a natural leader in a program in need of them.
This story was originally published August 10, 2022 at 3:00 PM.
