Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Fruitland
2. Homedale
3. Emmett
4. Weiser
5. Cole Valley Christian
6. McCall-Donnelly
Written by: Sven Alskog
Dating back to 2005, the Snake River Valley Conference has been represented in the state championship game in all but one season — the 2023 campaign — when Sugar-Salem defeated Teton 63-27 for the 3A title. During that 20-year run, the SRV has stacked up seven titles.
Throughout the impressive stretch, Fruitland, Weiser, Emmett and Homedale have won it all, with the Trojans joining the party most recently with a 29-21 victory over Kimberly last season.
Now, the league is set to become even stronger, with Emmett dropping down from the 5A ranks and last-place Payette moving to the 3A Western Idaho Conference.
For the Huskies, it’s a return to the classification that had been a natural fit for years. Emmett went out with a bang the last time the program was in the SRV, blowing out Gooding 54-22 in the 2015 3A title clash before joining what was then known as the 4A SIC in 2016.
FRUITLAND
The Grizzlies rattled off 10 straight wins to begin 2025 while displaying a surplus of talent each week. Unfortunately for Fruitland’s championship aspirations, the season came to an end in the semifinals by a 28-21 tally against Kimberly.
Following the announcement of Jordan Gross being hired as the University of Utah’s offensive line coach, Mark Vidlak was named Fruitland’s next head coach. No stranger to the school, Vidlak has managed the baseball team since 2024 and recently spent four years as offensive coordinator for the football program.
In his new role, Vidlak will have no shortage of weapons on both sides of the ball.
Offensively, reigning Idaho and SRV Player of the Year Titus Vidlak returns for his fourth year as the starting quarterback for an explosive spread attack. He led the state in touchdowns and yardage a year ago and is primed to save his best for last. Up front, the offensive line should continue to deliver a strong pocket for the Montana State commit with three of five starters back. A strong core of skill position players including Joel Philpot, Kysen Mackenzie and Aaron Walker at receiver plus Killian Wilson in the backfield will give opposing defenses headaches.
Fruitland led the 4A ranks with 42.4 points per game in 2025 and was tops in the SRV on the other side of the ball by yielding just 18.6 points.
Defensive line stalwarts Rocky Weatherspoon and Levi Morales will once again wreak havoc in the backfield with pieces like Vidlak, Mackenzie, Walker and Cooper Owens and prepared to fill key roles behind them.
“Our linebacker core and interior defensive line is our strength along with our corners,” said coach Vidlak. “Our team has great chemistry and is senior heavy.”
He noted that there is one major key: staying healthy. If Fruitland can do that, they will remain one of the favorites to bring home some hardware come November.
HOMEDALE
After climbing to the top of the 4A football mountain last season, the Trojans now have their sights on a repeat. In order to keep the momentum rolling, Matt Holtry will look to a talented junior class that won the JV conference championship a year ago.
Fortunately, new quarterback Kreece Powell will have ample options, including two-way standout Tyce Fisher and the dynamic Alec Campos at receiver. Fellow senior Boston Garrett plays tight end on offense and defensive end on the other side of the ball. The supporting cast gives optimism as the Trojans transition from Xavier Uranga at signal caller to Powell.
“We do our best to be a balanced offense with the ability to run and pass,” said Holtry. “This year we will have a new starting quarterback, and so we are looking forward to Kreece and his progression this summer as well as his understanding of the offense. Having several capable running backs and several athletic targets at wide receiver helps in that development.”
The offensive line forming an identity early in the season will be key along with underclassmen stepping into leadership roles.
“We are looking forward to seeing how these juniors develop, as we will need to lean on them in some key positions,” added Holtry. “At the same time, we feel like Tyce, Alec and Boston head up the core of our senior class, and we will need them to be great leaders for our team.”
Homedale was stout defensively in 2025 and a well-established system has allowed that to be a constant over the years.
“We have been fortunate to have these players learning our defense over the past seven to eight seasons, and so we are excited to see the continued growth of the defense as a whole and the returning players progression as they play with confidence,” said Holtry. “We will need to see some growth in some of our younger players that are stepping into their first year of being a varsity starter.”
WEISER
As you would expect, Tom Harrison once again led his Wolverines to a state playoff appearance last season, culminating in the quarterfinals with a tight 30-22 loss to eventual champion Homedale.
Key departures from that team included All-Conference pieces like running back/linebacker Cole Ingle, lineman Dylann Ashley and tight end KJ LaChappelle.
Senior linebacker Klete Cook is the sole First Team All-Conference pick that returns for Weiser.
Expect running back Ty Cobb to play a critical role offensively for the Wolverines, with receiver Garrett Walker and offensive lineman Keagan Willett key components as well. Cobb is also a talented defensive lineman and was joined by defensive back Wyatt Black as Second Team All-Conference selections on that side of the ball last year.
Weiser went 6-5 in 2025 and will look for a strong campaign this time around in what is once again a loaded SRV.
MCCALL-DONNELLY
Significant change is in store for McCall-Donnelly, which graduated all of its First and Second Team All-Conference players and will welcome in a new head coach in Greg Rouse.
Rouse was previously the defensive coordinator and then head coach at St. Maries, so he is familiar with Idaho high school football. His team will run the double wing formation offensively and attack defensively out of a 4-2-5 look.
“I’m excited to be here,” said Rouse. “I was looking for the right program with the right pieces that needed a coach to help build it into a successful program. McCall-Donnelly has great potential in one of the toughest conferences in Idaho, and I’m excited to take on the challenge.”
The Vandals are aiming to replace the production of quarterback Gunnar Newman, running back Colt Value and SRV Defensive Player of the Year Joker Joyce, a stud defensive back.
After winning five of seven games to start last season, McCall-Donnelly dropped its final three contests. A strong start to the new campaign is possible, with just one playoff team from a year ago on the schedule over the course of the first five games.
Senior Max Stoddard was a two-way Honorable Mention All-Conference selection last year and returns along with junior linebacker Beau Caple, who is also primed to take over for Newman at quarterback. On the lines, Nolan Wadlow and Keagan Kober will make key impacts, with Wadlow also capable of stepping out to a tight end position at times.
The big x-factor will be how fast the players and coaches gel while picking up a new system. If all goes well, there’s potential for the Vandals to raise some eyebrows.
“I think [the surprise team] could be us,” said Rouse. “We are a young talented team with a new coach and a new system. Could be a sleeper.”
COLE VALLEY CHRISTIAN
Things started trending in the right direction during year one under head coach Jordan Henslin last season, with the Chargers going from one win in 2024 to a respectable 4-5 mark.
Entering year two, Cole Valley Christian now has its sights set on a playoff berth and the first winning record for the program since 2022.
“This will be the first year our players have had the same system for two years in a row,” said Henslin. “We are excited to see the growth they make in football IQ and competitive excellence.”
The return of playmaker Ethan Minegar will go a long way toward helping the Chargers rack up points. The SRV Special Teams Player of the Year was also a First Team All-Conference wide receiver and defensive lineman during his junior season.
Cole Valley Christian is an athletic team that will look to spread things out offensively and attack with speed on defense. That’s the x-factor for success for the Chargers.
“Our speed and execution,” said Henslin. “We’ll have guys at each spot on offense and defense that can make a big play at any given time.”
Along with returners like Tate Mensonides, Tyler Harr, Ethan Epler, Travis Given, Oliver Hovey and Jake Church, newcomers Lucas Reddy and Asher Brooks will also add to the explosiveness.
EMMETT
Despite competing largely against schools with significantly higher enrollment numbers over the past decade, Emmett has continued to be a consistently successful program.
After five straight years with an over .500 record, the Huskies finished their final season in the SIC at 4-6 overall and 2-4 in league action. Now, Emmett returns to its roots as a member of the SRV.
Quarterback Eli Brennan is back to guide the offense alongside running back Ryder Leonard, both Second Team All-Conference performers as sophomores.
“We are looking for these two to command the offense and lead the run game,” said head coach Rich Hargitt. “We are hoping to get back to our gap scheme runs and control games by using our power run game to our advantage. We will have only one returning starter on the offensive line.”
Senior Gavin Hardy is that lone returning starter, and he’s a good one. Last season, he was named First Team All-SIC.
Beyond the backfield and Hardy up front, Griffin Hargitt and Jax Banuelos will be primary targets in the receiving corps. Only a sophomore, Kash Walton will be trusted to fill a variety of roles on each side of the ball for what is a young group overall.
“We will be young with not a lot of varsity experience on both sides of the ball,” said Hargitt. “We are excited to see how this young team competes within a new conference.”
Notably, essentially the entire defense will look different.
“Our only returner on the defense is our defensive back Layden Korell,” added Hargitt. “We are looking to him to command the defense in our correct coverage, alignment and assignment. We hope to improve our coverages.”