Years as Head Coach
5th Season

Previous Experience
Assistant at Forest Grove HS (Oregon) 6 Years
Assistant at Burnet HS (Texas) 2 Years

Assistant Coaches
Nate Gugelman, Austin Williams, Adam Teichert, Lucas Sprague, Matt Meyers, Chris Pratt

Record Last Year
8-3 (Quarterfinals)

Conference Record Last Year
1-1

State Titles
None

Returning Players
Hunter Grigg, 12, WR/DB
Jagger Leslie, 12, TE/LB
Tripp Wagstaff, 11, WR/DB
Zach Resendiz, 12, LB/UTIL.
Thorne Rose, 11, RB/LB
Breckin Barclay, 11, OL/DL
Jesse Jones, 11, OL/DL
Jesus Sanches, 11, OL/DL

Returning Players with Honors
Tripp Wagstaff, 11 - 1st Team All-Conference (UTIL.)
Breckin Barclay, 11 - 2nd Team All-Conference (DL)
Zach Resendiz, 12 - 2nd Team All-Conference (LB)
Thorne Rose, 11 - 2nd Team All-Conference (LB)

Key Players lost from last year
Zak Grigg, QB/DB. 2nd team all state RB 2024 and 2nd team all state DB 2025. Zak was a touchdown machine and the focal point of our offense the last two seasons. Finished his career with over 4200 yards of total offense. He could score a TD at any time from anywhere on the field (52 Career TDs), including on defense where he scored 3 TDs in 2025. Led 4A in interceptions on defense with 7.

Ty Smith, OL/DL. 1st team all-state LB, helped lead an offensive line that averaged 7.24 YPC rushing and recorded 319 career tackles in three seasons of varsity football.

Gavin Adamson, 3 year starter on defense, 1 year starter on offense. Was a staple at corner for us for multiple years, very reliable in pass coverage and could make tackles in the run game.

Kahlen Hernandez, 3 year starter on defense, 2 year starter on offense. Played multiple positions on defense and a big play threat on offense.

Aaron Vega, 3 year starter on the offensive line. Captain of the OL from the center position in 2025.

Brian Lopez, 1st team all-conference RB. Hard runner who was great in our triple option system.

Sawyer Bolgen, WR/DB. Came out and played one season, started both sides of the ball and finished with 5 interceptions on the season.

Fred Murillo, OL/DL. Two year starter on both sides of the ball. Excellent big man athlete who was a great blocker and a playmaker on the DL.

Incoming impact players
Onyx Kunsaitis, 12, WR/DB
Austin Teichert, 11, QB
Hunter Grigg, 12, WR/DB
Damion Huber, 12, DL
Malyeek Cantu, 11, OL

Preseason Coaches Poll:

1. Preston
2. Snake River
3. American Falls
4. Bear Lake

Written by: Zac Dean

Snake River continues its hold on the South East Idaho Conference, with the Panthers up to four straight conference titles across the 4A and 3A classifications. It didn’t come easy in 2025, though. The Panthers started the season 0-3 before rallying six wins in their next seven games, including a narrow 17-14 victory over American Falls. Despite the Beavers having a better regular season record, the Panthers’ 2-0 conference record was enough to claim a fourth straight conference championship.

The Panthers have the weapons to compete for title five, but the rest of the conference could easily throw a monkey wrench on their plans. American Falls, Bear Lake, and conference newcomer Preston return plenty of all-conference players. The Indians, especially, are considered a wild card after moving from the 5A classification.

All signs point to an entertaining 2026 season.

SNAKE RIVER

Few Idaho high school football coaches have had conference play dominance like Jeff Dalley. He’s guided the Panthers to a conference championship in all four seasons he’s been at the helm. He enters year five with a hunger for a fifth straight conference crown and more.

Leading the way is senior Owen Jones, a 2025 first-team all-conference selection at both tight end and defensive line. Seniors Crew Fields, Brigham VanOrden, and Gabe Young add to the quality defensive line. 2025 first-team all conference linebacker and senior Jonas Bishop is back to command the middle.

Bishop will also headline the running back duties, with juniors Colt Thompson and Danny Driscoll in the mix. But Dalley is leaning on the offensive line to generate an effective offense. Young is the Panthers’ top lineman, and he’ll mentor a foursome of juniors that Dalley calls his incoming “impact” players.

AMERICAN FALLS

The Beavers fell just short of dethroning Snake River’s conference reign last season. Despite the conference runner-up finish, American Falls secured the No. 5 seed in the 4A state tournament, reached the quarterfinals, and finished with an impressive 8-3 record.

This fall, the Beavers retool and are set for another strong season. Four 2025 all-conference selections return on defense, led by first-team all-conference utility man and junior Tripp Wagstaff. Wagstaff and senior Hunter Grigg are the star defensive backs, with Zach Resendiz and Thorne Rose the perfect 1-2 punch at linebacker.

But all eyes are on new starting quarterback Austin Teichert. The junior went undefeated in two years as the junior varsity team’s starter, and head coach Tim Hoppe has been impressed with his offseason development. He gets Wagstaff, Grigg, junior Jagger Leslie, and senior newcomer Onyx Kunsaitis as strong receiving options.

BEAR LAKE

The Bears were the conference’s odd man out last season, failing to win a conference game against two 4A state tournament qualifiers. This season, head coach Houston Reynolds returns a handful of 2025 all-conference players. Rowdy Johnson and Kutler Keech were second-team all-conference linemen a year ago, with tight end Brox Birch also on the second-team list. Quarterback Dax Perkins received all-conference honorable mention nods.

Defensively, the Bears look to tidy up their defense after surrendering 33 points per game last season. Reynolds will turn to linebacker Preston Wright and defensive back Tate Ewing as the defensive leaders.

PRESTON

Preston moves from the 5A to 4A classification this fall, and the amount of returning stars makes them an immediate conference threat.

Senior offensive linemen Gonzalo Loya, Khai Phillips, and Ethan Dahle were all-conference selections a year ago. Behind them is quarterback Carter Perry throwing to two all-conference receivers in Kylton Atkinson and Braxton Lewis.

The defense is just as loaded, featuring 2025 all-conference selections in defensive lineman Jeddie Talbot and linebackers Miles Henrie and Cash Hyde.

Head coach Brandt Reese’s team went 3-6 last season. This season, he believes he has the pieces to turn things around and in a big way.