As we ramp up towards the start of a new year, IdahoSports.com is once again providing wall-to-wall preview coverage of every conference and league around the state.

Additionally, we will be providing complimentary preview pieces outside of strict conference previews, like this article here:

Today, we go “Inside The Numbers” and bring you the most interesting numerical tidbits ahead of the 2026 campaign.  Think of this as a light appetizer before the heavy meal.

Enjoy!

4 – Four Idaho programs had to end their seasons prematurely a year ago due to low turnout, injuries or both.  But heading into 2026, optimism is high at each of the four schools (Horseshoe Bend, Marsh Valley, Rimrock and Wendell.)  Due to lower enrollment numbers, Marsh Valley has dropped a level from Class 4A to Class 3A,, while Wendell is back to competing in the 3A Canyon Conference with Buhl and Declo, rather than the South East Idaho Conference, which featured 3A semifinalists Aberdeen and West Side.  Rimrock will be working with a new head coach, while Horseshoe Bend will have more breathing room in the 1A Long Pin Conference, as Garden Valley and Tri-Valley have both moved up a level to Class 2A.

5 – That’s the number of Idaho three-star recruits that have signed with Division I schools.  Lewiston defensive end Parker Bagley is joining Boise State and Bishop Kelly’s standout edge rusher, Jack Henderson has signed with Utah.  Kimberly tight end/linebacker Titus Osterman is headed to Washington, while his teammate, wide receiver Joe Barrett, is taking his talents to Air Force.  Finally, Fruitland quarterback Titus Vidlak (the reigning 4A Player of the Year) is committed to Montana State.

10 – Bishop Kelly’s Jared Thiel started at safety for the Knights in 2025 as a sophomore and plucked ten interceptions as the Knights claimed the Class 5A championship.  Thiel saved his best for last, nabbing two picks in the playoffs, including one in the championship game, a 31-14 win over Hillcrest.

11 – After going 28-6 over the past three seasons, Logos is playing 11-man football for the first time in school history in 2026.  The Knights are still technically a Class 2A school based upon enrollment numbers, but Logos voluntarily opted to move up a classification level in football, trading in eight-man ball for the full 11 where the program will join the 3A Central Idaho League.  Logos has experienced a surge in student population recently, and the private Christian school is constructing a larger campus in Moscow to accommodate all the new faces.  School officials believe that the move to 11-man football was coming sooner or later, so there’s no time like the present to start that move.  And just in case you’re wondering how Logos might do this year: the Knights’ JV team played Orofino’s varsity in a full 11-man game last year and won 34-24.

13 – Vallivue senior defensive end Evert Eells notched 13 sacks a season ago.  The 6-foot-3, 235-pound pass rusher earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in the 5A Southern Idaho Conference and was also a 1st Team All-SIC and All-State selection.

14 – A new two-year enrollment cycle starts this fall in Idaho, and 14 teams will have a new classification.  In total, 12 of the 14 are true moves due to climbing/falling student enrollment, while two other teams (Centennial and Troy) successfully petitioned to the Idaho High School Activities Association and will move down a respective level for competitive reasons.

Here’s the teams that have moved up:
Logos (2A to 3A)
Challis (1A to 2A)
Garden Valley (1A to 2A)
Lakeside (1A to 2A)
Tri-Valley (1A to 2A)
Wallace (1A to 2A)

And the squads that are moving down:
Centennial (6A to 5A)
Emmett (5A to 4A)
Preston (5A to 4A)
Buhl (4A to 3A)
Marsh Valley (4A to 3A)
Payette (4A to 3A)
Kendrick (2A to 1A)
Troy (2A to 1A)

17 – The longest winning streak entering 2026 belongs to Kendrick.  The Tigers went 12-0 last year under first-year head coach Ty Koepp, which extended Kendrick’s string of consecutive victories to 17 and counting.  The last time someone got the better of Kendrick came on October 18, 2024,2024, when Logos defeated the Tigers by a 30-18 tally.  Kendrick has won five consecutive state championships.  The streak started in 2021 when Koepp was Kendrick’s starting quarterback as a sophomore.  To answer your question: Yes, Koepp has been a part of four of Kendrick’s five championships in that span (three as a player, one as a coach).  But what about that title in 2024, the year after Koepp graduated?  Koepp was still there to witness the achievement, but as a member of the broadcast crew for IdahoSports.com.

21 – North Gem passed for 21 yards in 2025 and once again promises to feature Idaho’s most one-sided offensive attack this season.  Those 21 yards a year ago came on just 12 passing attempts, and amazingly, all 21 yards came on one completion.  But despite no signs of an aerial assault, the Cowboys’ triple-option offense hums along pretty well.  North Gem rushed for 2,973 yards last year, and head coach Corry Hatch says this year will be more of the same: “Our goal is to lead the state in rushing yards at the end of the regular season.”

153 – Fruitland senior linebacker Kysen Mackenzie leads all Idaho returnees with 153 total tackles.  22 of those tackles were solo stops, and Mackenzie also collected an interception and 0.5 sacks.

203.8 – Capital junior Quincey Clay is known for his explosiveness (just check out his 51-point outburst in basketball last year).  Clay averaged 203.8 yards per game as a sophomore in 2025, racking up the yardage in a variety of ways.  On the season, Clay finished with 844 yards receiving (along with 11 touchdowns), 597 yards rushing (with 10 touchdowns) and 597 yards returning kickoffs and punts.  He also uncorked two punts (each averaging 45 yards) and tallied 17 tackles and an interception on defense.

1,127 – Kimberly senior Joe Barrett, an Air Force commit, totaled 1,127 receiving yards a year ago, a number which ranks first among Idaho returnees this year.  Barrett also hauled in 14 touchdowns for the Bulldogs, who advanced all the way to the Class 4A championship game.  Amazingly, two other 1,000-yard receivers return to Idaho this year: Capital’s Elliot Schrack (1,084 yards) and Sandpoint’s Brock Yarbrough (1,047 yards).

2,026 – Lake City only has four road trips this season, but coach Byron Hout made them count.  Up first is a trip to Dona Larsen Park to face Boise High in the season opener, which is   758 miles round-trip.  That’s the Timberwolves’ longest jaunt, but they also travel out-of-state twice (to play Eisenhower High in Yakima, Washington; and to Montana Tech University in Butte to take on Highland in a neutral-site game).  The shortest trip comes at the end of the season when Lake City visits Lewiston, a round-trip of “only” 232 miles.

2,270 – Fruitland senior Titus Vidlak led the entire state last year with 2,270 passing yards.  The Montana State signee completed 62.4% of his passes and threw 32 touchdowns to just two interceptions.  Vidlak also dealt damage with his legs, rushing for 880 yards and 14 TDs.