Football’s kickoff is imminent. These are the Valley’s top small-school contenders.
While many of the Treasure Valley’s largest high school football teams wait for the coronavirus to recede, the area’s small-school programs are getting ready for game night.
The traditional opening week schedule remains filled with 3A, 2A and 1A programs this weekend. They’ve all rebuilt their schedules countless times as Oregon and Washington teams pushed their seasons to the spring. But they stand ready to finally turn on the lights and play.
Below, we broke down the top contenders and storylines to watch this fall from the small-school ranks.
HOMEDALE SEARCHES FOR ELUSIVE STATE TITLE
After back-to-back league titles and state runner-up finishes, the Trojans remain the favorite for another 3A Snake River Valley championship. But the first state title since 1997 remains more elusive.
Sugar-Salem still looms as the front-runner, finishing atop the preseason state media poll. Homedale lost to graduation players that racked up nine All-Idaho honors last season. But the Trojans’ cupboard isn’t exactly bare.
No. 3-ranked Homedale brings back eight players with starting experience on both sides of the ball. The skill positions are light on varsity snaps. But a strong offensive line should lead the way, and junior running back Hayden Kincheloe stands poised for a big year after injuries opened a spot for him in the varsity lineup late last season.
“He’s put on some serious size and strength this offseason,” Homedale coach Matt Holtry said. “He will be a force carrying the ball this year.”
TIME FOR A WEISER BREAKTHROUGH?
The Wolverines last reached the state semifinals in 2011. But coaches in the 3A SRV picked them as the top challenger to Homedale, even giving the Wolverines a pair of first-place votes in the preseason poll.
It’s not hard to see why. Weiser enters Year 3 under Tom Harrison, a 10-time state champion coach and architect of some of Idaho’s most dominant teams. His vaunted Wing-T is no longer new to the Wolverines, and he has plenty of returning talent to run it with eight offensive and six defensive starters back.
Junior quarterback Brett Spencer stands as a preseason favorite for conference player of the year after earning first-team honors last year. He’ll have a talented running back alongside him in junior Jack Burke and a three-year starting receiver in Kooper von Brethorst.
It all adds up to a dangerous challenger to Homedale’s supremacy.
MCCALL REJOINS THE 3A RANKS
After a 10-year run at the 2A level, McCall-Donnelly moves back up to 3A, creating arguably the toughest league in the classification.
McCall coach Lee Leslie has rebuilt the Vandals from a doormat into a power, falling one-point shy of a 2A state title and a perfect season last year. Graduation hit McCall hard as five key players from that state runner-up team are on a college roster now. The Vandals have just three offensive and five defensive starters back.
But a wealth of options at running back and receiver, a big offensive line and a deep linebacking corps makes Leslie optimistic. The Vandals entered camp with a five-way quarterback battle. Once they figure out that position, they’ll be a threat.
MELBA AIMS FOR ANOTHER DEEP RUN
Fresh off a run to the state semifinals, Melba enters the season as the heavy favorite to claim the 2A Western Idaho Conference title, receiving four of five first-place votes in a preseason coaches’ poll.
The Mustangs have to replace a pair of 1,000-yard running backs. But they’ll have plenty of talent with eight returning starters on offense and defense.
Mustangs coach Juan Colunga said he has the best offensive line in his four years with the program, so his Wing-T offense shows no signs of slowing down. Melba will use a running back-by-committee approach to start the year. But senior quarterback/defensive end Henry Clark (6-5, 220 pounds) brings a reliable and imposing presence after earning first-team all-conference honors on both sides of the ball.
Nampa Christian poses the top threat. It began a youth movement last year led by a loaded sophomore class, including leading rusher Dane Bradshaw and quarterback Landon Cheney. Now seven two-way starters return for first-year coach Daniel Jenkins.
WILDER THE FAVORITE IN 1A WIC
One of 8-man football’s top quarterback-receiver duos led Wilder to back-to-back trips to the semifinals. They’ve graduated, so now the Wildcats reload behind a ground game led by Cody Walker.
The second-team All-Idaho linebacker has added 20 pounds since last season, and Wilder coach Kyle DalSoglio called him the strongest player he’s ever coached. Two of three offensive linemen and a tight end return in front of him, creating plenty of room for him to run.
Idaho City, the 1A Division I WIC’s top seed in the playoffs the last two years, still looms as a threat with first-team all-conference running back Trayton Nelson back in the fold. But it lost nine key seniors, so it will have to grow up quickly to remain in contention.
IS IT GARDEN VALLEY’S YEAR?
A loaded class has inched the Wolverines back into contention each fall. Now they’ll look to cash in as seniors and chase Garden Valley’s first state title in 30 years.
Garden Valley enters as the unanimous favorite in the Long Pin Conference for the second year in a row, and it finished second in the 1A Division II preseason state media poll thanks to a bounty of returning talent.
Covy Kelly (first-team All-Idaho receiver) remains the top threat after hauling in 55 catches for 1,227 yards and 28 TDs last year. But three-year starting quarterback Corban Fields (2,140 yards, 35 TDs) will have plenty of options in Devin Yearsley (second-team All-Idaho defensive end) and Josh Gillespie, a new addition with size.
Carey remains the state preseason favorite. But the Long Pin title is no gimme as Council poses the top local challenge. It struggled to field a varsity team in recent years, but turnout has doubled and strong junior and sophomore classes have the Lumberjacks on the upswing.
