I spent ten years covering high school athletics in District III and IV as a sports anchor/reporter for KIVI-TV until switching gears to work with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads hockey team in 2006.  But I’ve never lost my enthusiasm for high school sports here in Idaho – events and activities that really are the fabric of so many towns and communities here in our state.

So, when Paul Kingsbury asked me to help out with the 2013 Fall Football Preview Online Digital Magazine, I was happy to lend my time.  Not only because I think it’s a great project … small schools like Wilder and Troy getting the same ink, so to speak, as the big boys like Eagle and Twin Falls … but also because it keeps my toes in the high-school sports water, so to speak.

We talked to coaches and athletic directors from all over the state about high school football. And, as you’d expect, it led to some great stuff that you’ll see (and hear) when the Online Digital Magazine blows up the bandwidth here on IdahoSports.com later this week.

We heard some great stories.  Did you know there’s not one, but TWO Amoses coaching high school football in Idaho?  Shawn Amos at perennial 5A power Coeur d’Alene along with his brother, Pat, at nearby 1A Potlatch High.  Oh, and each has his son calling signals as the starting quarterback at his respective school.  (Editor's note: There are actually THREE Amos brothers coaching in Idaho. Kelly Amos is the defensive line coach for Timberlake High School.  He has also been a head coach at Clearwater Valley and Timberlake.)

How ‘bout Payette’s all-state kicker, Jose Alcala, who doubles as an offensive lineman when he isn’t blasting 40-yard field goals for the Pirates?  Or maybe Canyon Ridge High School in Twin Falls, which has three assistant coaches named “Zac?”

Long-time assistant coach Lee Cook at Carey has stepped down after 28 (!!!) seasons in the Panther program.  Don’t worry, he’s still the athletic director.

The seemingly never-ending string of Paradis boys in Council continues with one (Jessie) on the Lumberjack coaching staff, one (Matt) starting on the offensive line at Boise State and one (Zane) making the transition to varsity football in Council.

Long-time Vallivue head coach Layne Coffin has his son, Jordon, coaching at nearby 2A Melba High School.  Brandon Harris, who coached at Melba 12 years ago, is the new head coach at Columbia High in Nampa after spending the past dozen years honing his craft in California.

There are great examples, like in Lewiston and Idaho City, of head coaches who have the former head coach they worked with on staff.  Shawn Nilsson has brought Idaho Athletic Hall of Famer Nick Menegas back in the L-C Valley while Sean Porter, who assisted Jason Roeber when Idaho City reached the 1A state championship game a decade ago, now has Roeber serving as his defensive coordinator.

When asked about building enthusiasm around his program, Caldwell High head coach Zach McGee said he saw kids that he’d never seen before when the coaching staff was issuing equipment as the Cougars look to snap a streak of eight consecutive losing seasons.  Timberlake, which returns nine starters on defense up in District I, will look to end a dubious streak which has seen their season end in the 3A playoffs at the hands of a District III SRV team each season since 2004.

I have no doubt IdahoSports.com’s Matt Harris, who worked with the District V and VI schools and coaches, could recount similar stories that he’s heard over the summer as teams get ready for “Zero Week” on August 30.

But, most of all, we heard the enthusiasm of coaches from all corners of the state, big schools and small, in the hopes that this could be their year.  Enthusiasm as coaches talked about how hard their players worked to prepare for the upcoming season.  And enthusiasm as they talked about how much they enjoyed working with the kids as the players strive to get better and jump whatever obstacle stands in front of them.

That’s what I love about high school sports here in Idaho.  That enthusiasm, whether it’s the Emotion Bowl in Idaho Falls or playing the newly-minted (at least in the Gem State) six-man football at Camas County, is what makes it great.  Embrace the good, enjoy the passion and be proud of the time and energy being devoted by players, coaches and staff alike to strengthen the fabric of our communities in this great state.