Varsity Extra notebook: Former Eagle QB Taylor Kelly joins Arizona State as grad assistant
Former Arizona State quarterback Taylor Kelly has joined the Sun Devils’ coaching staff as a graduate assistant for the offense during the 2015 season.
The 2010 graduate of Eagle High attended rookie minicamp on a tryout with the Arizona Cardinals, but the team declined to sign him. Kelly told The Arizona Republic he had offers to work out for Canadian Football League teams, but he declined due to lingering arm soreness he developed while overcompensating for a broken foot last fall.
Kelly, who finished his career with a school-record 10,223 yards of offense last fall, told the paper he’s wanted to get into coaching ever since high school.
“I love watching film, finding new ways to hurt a defense,” he said. “Even when I was playing, I would think of different things and bring them to (offensive coordinator Mike) Norvell. It’s just something I’ve always wanted to do.”
NEW 5A SIC PODS COMING IN 2016-17
With Kuna joining the 5A classification and Vallivue dropping to 4A with the opening of Ridgevue at the start of the next school year, the 5A Southern Idaho Conference has reshuffled its two divisions for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years.
The pods, which are only used in football, are still split by enrollment. But instead of alternating the first and second, third and fourth, fifth and sixth, etc., largest schools in different pods, schools are assigned by a snake order.
For example, the largest school goes in Pod A, the second and third largest schools in Pod B and the fourth and fifth largest schools in Pod A.
Pod A will include Mountain View (2,290 students in 2014-15), Boise, Capital, Meridian, Nampa and Columbia.
Pod B will include Rocky Mountain (2,184 students), Borah, Eagle, Centennial, Timberline and Kuna.
CENTENNIAL STRIKER BOUND FOR UTAH
Patriots sophomore forward Makayla Christensen verbally committed to a full-ride scholarship offer from Utah’s women’s soccer program on Sept. 23.
Christensen said she picked Utah over offers from Washington State and Boise State.
“I chose the University of Utah because of the atmosphere,” Christensen said. “The soccer program is awesome. They have awesome coaching, a great education. I just felt a part of the Ute family.”
Before Tuesday’s games, Christensen was tied for the 5A Southern Idaho Conference lead with 16 goals in 11 games. With Division I schools recruiting girls soccer players earlier and earlier, Christensen decided not to wait to make her decision.
“I figured out that I wanted to play since I was a really young kid,” she said. “I just thought, ‘I’ve been doing all this a long time. I went on many visits to prepare for this moment.’ I decided it was time.”
PATRIOTS’ HUERTA NAMED TO SECOND XI
Centennial High graduate Sofia Huerta earned a spot on the National Women’s Soccer League 2015 Second XI, the end-of-the-season, all-league second team for the United States’ top women’s league.
The rookie forward scored six goals in 19 games in her professional debut, tied for eighth most in the league. Joining her on the Second XI are U.S. World Cup stars Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe.
MIDDLETON GOALS USED IN BASQUE SOCCER FRIENDLY
Soccer players at Middleton take aim every day at goals and nets used by some of the world’s best at Albertsons Stadium this summer.
The Basque Soccer Friendly, which pitted Spain’s Athletic Bilbao against Mexico’s Club Tijuana before 21,948 fans, borrowed the goal posts from Middleton for the game. The Idaho Youth Soccer Association donated new nets, which Middleton got to keep after the contest.
This story was originally published September 29, 2015 at 11:26 PM with the headline "Varsity Extra notebook: Former Eagle QB Taylor Kelly joins Arizona State as grad assistant."