Players to Watch:
Bryson Allen, Declo
Karsen Lemoyne, Wendell
Diego Torres, Wendell
Written by: Keller Sherman
The Canyon Conference was a perfect example of why the team that is hot towards the end of the season is the one that will win the conference last season. Valley, which finished 1-3 in conference play last season and last in the three team league, emerged victorious in the district tournament and earned District 4’s state tournament berth, where the Vikings went two and out.
However, Valley has now returned to the 1A Division I Snake River Conference and in their place is a school known best for its boys soccer program. Sun Valley Community School joins the league this year and with it comes questions on how the Cutthroats will fare in their new league home against mainstays Declo and Wendell. Will the Hornets or Trojans decide the conference upon themselves? Or will Sun Valley jump into the conversation in its first year in the conference?
Diego Torres is the only returning all-conference player for Wendell and as such, the two-time honoree will be relied upon heavily. Karsen Lemonyne and Justin Egbert are additional key players for the Trojans with Bodet Cutler and Wyett Oden being key incoming players. These players will need to step up as four year starter Zade Swainston graduated. AJ Kelsey enters his fifth season coaching the Trojans and on offense, he expects the team to be better in shooting and focusing on inside offense.
Wendell’s defense has been consistent in recent years and they will look to continue building on the success they have found on that side of the ball while also improving on forcing turnovers. The team will be young this year and as such, sticking together will be crucial to growth and success for the Trojans this year. Having good chemistry between players that are not as familiar with each other will be the X-factor to Wendell’s success this year.
Declo lost four seniors that received all-conference honors last season. Jordan Gailey, Kaden Ramsey, Tregan Zollinger, and Dalton Powell are all gone for the Hornets. As a result of this, sixth year head coach Jacoby Fox believes that all of the players Declo is returning are important to his team’s success this season.
Sun Valley Community School is a newcomer to the Canyon Conference. The Cutthroats made the jump from 1A Division II to 2A over the summer and are ready to compete in their new conference home.
Wendell will have a great opportunity to get over the Declo hump this season and win the conference crown. Sun Valley brings an unknown factor into the equation and will look to be in the discussion as well. As it goes with many small conferences like this one with only one state tournament berth on the line, the conference’s representative will be the team that is playing its best ball when district tournament time comes around.