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Conference Preview

Coaches poll
1. Rimrock
2. Liberty Charter
3. Riverstone
4. Ambrose
5. Notus
6. North Star
7. Greenleaf
8. Victory
9. Wilder
10. Idaho City
11. Compass

Western Idaho Conference Preview

Written by Seiji Wood

It’s always tough to say who will be the team on top of the Western Idaho Conference with many teams to choose from. However, Rimrock is the team that managed to be first in the coaches poll to start the season. The team will be led by junior Sintia Varela, who most coaches said was a player to look out for throughout the year.

The team with the number two spot in the poll is Liberty Charter. That’s quite a jump after their 12-15 record from last year, but Head Coach Brad McCain knows that he has one of the best players in the state.

“Madison Hodnett (Jr.) will be a force to be reckoned with,” McCain said. “I think she is one of if not the best posts in the state. At 6-foot-2, she is able to dominate the glass and can score in many different ways, including outside.”

Hodnett is returning with first team all-conference and second team all-state honors. She and the supporting cast around her will look to make their mark in the conference.

A team that might be able to give Hodnett, Liberty Charter and other teams trouble is the No. 3 ranked team, Riverstone. Head Coach Roy Ledesma is confident in his team’s upcoming season.

“I’m most excited about this year’s team athleticism,” Ledesma said. “We are long and lanky. I’ve got height for the first time in years in Kaija Zoller and I have a 3-point shooting threat in Kyla Clouthier.”

Ledesma looks to use his team’s length and athleticism to his advantage, especially on defense.

“We play tenacious in your face defense,” Ledesma said. “Our defense is our offense.”

Ambrose is ranked fourth in the coaches poll and also led by another standout player, senior Malia Good. Notus, North Star, Greenleaf and Victory find themselves in the middle of the conference but each team could make a run towards the top of the conference. Greenleaf and Victory both have standout players in senior Kylin Olson for Greenleaf and junior Kambrei Frank for Victory.

North Star was mentioned by a few coaches as a possible surprise team in the conference.

“We more experienced with having a solid group of seniors,” said head coach for North Star, Shad Bertsch. “We will have depth on the perimeter and we can play slow or fast this year.”

Another team that looks to surprise the conference is Wilder. They find themselves towards the bottom of the conference with Idaho City and Compass, but they and other coaches in the conference think they’ll end better
than their 1-19 season from the year before.

“Being completely honest, I feel like my team is going to surprise the conference this year,” said Head Coach for Wilder, Juan Arias. “We are coming in ready to play this season. The girls worked hard during the summer and are ready to show what they can do.”

The Western Idaho Conference has a lot of stand out talents to look forward too. Along with a lot of teams looking to surprise the conference. Needless to say, all the teams in the will be “coming in ready to play” at the start of the season.