Team Preview:
Written By: Matt Harris

In four straight years, the Madison Bobcats have reached the 5A state playoffs.

In four straight years, the Madison Bobcats have come up short of their ultimate goal.

But the Bobcats won’t let that stat keep them down. Madison is locked and loaded and ready for a promising 2018 campaign with plenty of talent returning to the roster.

Head coach Mitch Buck, entering his 23rd season as the Bobcats’ lead man, says his team is quick and athletic across the board. That fits the profile of past Madison teams to take the field in Rexburg. And in Buck’s spread offense, those quick and athletic players will cause all sorts of headaches for opposing defenses.

Look for Jordan Porter, Karson Hastings, Malachi Valora, and Mason McWhorter to show up with big numbers in newspaper box scores this fall. The returning experience from these players and others should lead Madison’s offense to new heights.

Hastings, along with Davis Berry, Dallin Whitehead, and Brigham Castillow will look to lead a Bobcats defense which Buck says needs to force more turnovers this season.

“Our key to success this season is being in the plus area of turnovers,” said Buck.

Madison’s road to the season opener will be a little longer than most – literally. The Bobcats open the 2018 season in Coeur d’Alene when they face the Lake City Timberwolves on Aug. 24.

When asked what non-conference game stands out to him the most this year, Buck pointed to this one.

“The first one at Lake City stands out to me. It sets the tone for the rest of the year,” he said.

The red-and-white will then play five of their next six games at home at Ferguson Field. They kick off that block of games with their home opener against Hillcrest on Aug. 31, followed by a visit from Sky View of North Logan, Utah on Sept. 7. A quick southward jaunt to Shelley awaits the Bobcats on Sept. 14, followed by a three-game homestand against the trio of Blackfoot on Sept. 21, Rigby on Sept. 28, and Thunder Ridge on Oct. 5.

A game that Madison certainly has circled on their calendar is the conference-finale against Highland on Oct. 12 at Holt Arena. The Bobcats have faced the Rams seven times in the last decade, winning only once. That one win was during their 2012 conference and state championship season. If Madison really wants to put the state on notice, beating the 5A defending state champions is a good way to do it.

The Bobcats will then finish their season on the road at two time defending 4A state champion Skyline on Oct. 19.

Madison has had very successful teams in the time that Buck has been on campus in Rexburg. He says he’s been fortunate to have that success and credits the athletes he has coached, calling them all “competitors”.

The Bobcats’ success in 2018 may depend on the competitors that Buck will place alongside the established starters on his roster and how quickly they can develop together. The quicker they develop together, the more of a threat that Madison becomes with each passing week.