Rocky Mountain High hires new football coach. It didn’t have to look far
Perennial power Rocky Mountain didn’t need to search far and wide for its next football coach. Its top candidate was already on staff.
The Grizzlies hired offensive coordinator Scott Criner, elevating the veteran coach to his second stint in the top position at Rocky Mountain. The West Ada school board finalized Criner’s hiring Monday evening.
Criner previously led Rocky Mountain to a 38-9 (.808) record from 2013 to ‘16, including the 2015 state title. He also served as the Grizzlies’ offensive coordinator on their 2018 and 2020 state championship teams.
Rocky Mountain has made the semifinals or won a state title every year he was a part of its coaching staff.
“It’s not an ego thing for me,” Criner, 64, said. “I don’t have to be the head coach. I just want to see this program continue on the same trajectory we’ve been on, moving up and making it something we as a community can be proud of.”
Criner replaces Chris Culig, who went 57-9 (.864) and won two state titles before leaving for Bishop Kelly in February. The two worked in tandem with Culig running the defense and Criner running the offense for all but two of the past 10 seasons.
Criner said he will miss working alongside his longtime friend. But he added the program remains in strong shape. Despite all the coaching openings in the Treasure Valley in recent years, he never applied to any of them.
“I plan on being here until they tell me that I can’t,” Criner said. “I like the school. I like the program. I believe in the community, and we have really good kids. Not that other schools don’t have them, but we just have really good kids.”
Criner’s resume includes coaching stops at the college and professional levels. He served as the offensive coordinator at Sacramento State, and he was an assistant at Boise State, Navy, Cincinnati, Northern Arizona and Pacific. He also coached receivers for the Las Vegas Outlaws of the XFL in 2001.
At the high school level, he led Timberline from 2002 to 2004, leaving him with a career record of 55-20 as a head coach. And he was the offensive coordinator on Eagle’s 2009 state championship team.
Criner’s promotion adds to an offseason full of change. Nine of the 20 football programs in the 5A and 4A Southern Idaho Conferences will have a new head coach next fall, including Capital, Centennial, Eagle, Nampa, Owyhee, Rocky Mountain, Bishop Kelly, Caldwell and Skyview.
Eagle and Nampa remain the only open positions.
This story was originally published March 13, 2023 at 6:31 PM.
