Prep football preview: Highland expects to challenge for another state title with 22 new starters and transfer QB

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is nan 5th successful a bid featuring cardinal storylines for nan upcoming precocious schoolhouse shot season.

POCATELLO — Fresh disconnected a authorities 5A shot title, nan Highland Rams will look a unsocial situation successful a quest for number 13.

According to caput coach Nick Sorrell, each 22 starters who led Highland High School to its 12th authorities title a play agone person graduated.

“That’s what happens erstwhile you person 32 seniors,” he said.

Only 5 players connected nan existent roster, Sorrell added, moreover person spot-starting experience, having filled successful for injured Rams a play ago.

“At Highland, we ever pridefulness ourselves connected continuing nan legacy, nan history, contented that has been passed down,” Sorrell said. “Our seniors do a really bully occupation of passing that down each and each azygous twelvemonth truthful nan underclassmen were, essentially, waiting for this opportunity. They are chomping astatine nan spot — fresh to showcase their skills, their abilities.”

To spell on pinch nan inexperience of nan starters, Sorrell and Highland will spell pinch a signal-caller who has been successful nan Rams’ strategy for only a fewer months.

A twelvemonth ago, backmost Keaton Belnap was languishing done a 2-8 play pinch Marsh Valley High School. This year, he will lead 1 of nan state’s elite programs successful its quest to declare a 6A title.

Sorrell explained that, contempt nan difficulties that travel pinch starring a caller system, Belnap has been committed to doing precisely that.

“Our violative strategy is analyzable successful itself — location are truthful galore different layers to it,” nan coach said. “It’s tough, but he’s done a really bully occupation of coming successful and really diving into nan playbook, spending a batch of clip pinch our violative coordinator.”

Belnap, Sorrell added, has met pinch nan violative coaches for one-on-one sessions and spends an hr to an hour-and-a-half nightly watching crippled movie and breaking down Highland’s violative scheme. Furthermore, nan inferior has embraced a activity domiciled since his first time connected campus.

Asked if he feels, moreover pinch 22 caller players and a transportation quarterback, his squad is still a contender for title 13, Sorrell wasted nary clip earlier answering successful an affirmative.

“Absolutely,” he said. “That’s what we do astatine Highland, that’s nan modular that we person group complete nan years.”

The modular says nan anticipation for nan Rams is simply a 34th consecutive playoff quality and a situation for nan crown.

The Rams freshman, junior-varsity and varsity teams unfastened practice. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahoNews.com

By design, nan caller Rams starters will not person clip to settee into their roles. Highland will unfastened nan play connected Aug. 23, against nan reigning Nevada authorities champions, Legacy High School — successful Las Vegas.

Highland returns to Pocatello connected Aug. 31 and Sept. 7, erstwhile nan Rams look Carson (Nevada) and Summit (Oregon) precocious schools arsenic portion of nan Rocky Mountain Rumble and Northwest Showdown, astatine nan ICCU Dome connected nan Idaho State University campus.

Sorrell said that his young squad will person to “grow up quick.”

“My dream is that those games, those experiences, will get america fresh for go-time,” he said.

By “go-time,” Sorrell intends his team’s convention schedule — which will see a convention opener against Thunder Ridge High School, past back-to-back rivalry games, connected Sept. 27 and Oct. 4, against Pocatello High School (the Black and Blue Bowl) and Rigby High School.

The cardinal to getting nan convention commencement his squad will need, Sorrell said, is learning, done nan early non-conference schedule, to cheque their emotions.

“There’s a batch that goes into nan ‘Black and Blue Bowl.’ And, of course, you look astatine nan Rigby crippled — whoever has won nan Rigby-Highland crippled has won nan conference.”

The convention winner, of course, will get a first-round bye successful nan playoffs and home-field advantage throughout.

Sorrell afloat expects his squad to beryllium fresh successful clip to situation for that apical seed.