Highland High School Rams
5A District VI
5A District 5-6 Conference
Contact
Colors: Black, White & Red
Head Coach: Nick Sorrell Years as Head Coach
First Season Previous Experience
18 years at Highland High School (last eight years as varsity DC) Assistant Coaches
Dane Beorchia, Akilah Lacey, Bryce Metcalf, Tony Manu, Cade Ackley, Jason Whitmer
RECORD
Record Last Year
10-3 State Titles
72, 73, 84, 87, 93, 95, 97, 98, 00, 02, 08, 14, 17
TEAM
Returning Players
Jackson Riddle, RB, 11th
Peyton Harding, OL, 12th
Kade Jones, WR, 12th
Bruce Galo, OL, 11th
Mason Fullmer, LB, 12th
Colton George, LB, 11th
Gunner Wilhelm, LB, 12th
Jaxon Sibounma, CB, 12th
Campbell Thomas, S, 12th
Eli Anderton, DL, 12th
Freddie Williams, DL, 12th Returning Players with Honors
Peyton Harding, 2nd team all-conference OL
Mason Fullmer, 1st team all-conference LB, 2nd team all-state LB
Colton George, 2nd team all-conference LB
Jackson Riddle, honorable mention all-conference RB
Campbell Thomas, honorable mention all-conference DB
Jaxon Sibounma, honorable mention all-conference DB
Gunner Wilhelm, honorable mention all-conference LB Key Players lost from last year
Ian Hershey, K: such a special weapon on special teams that changed the game in multiple aspects. Will be hard to replace his consistency and ability to put up points.
Jack Whitmer, QB: The physicality that he brought to our offense and how he impacted the run game from the QB position.
Kyler Williams, OL: Leader of our OL last season. Three-year starter experience will be missed.
Raimon Barela, WR: His ability to get open at any time and him being the go-to guy in big situations.
Adam Jones, CB: His ability to cover the opposing team's best receiver and his play-making ball skills
Sloan Lambson, DL: His disruption on the interior of opposing team's OL and ability to put pressure on the QB
Kody Colvin, DL: Most complete player. Could stop the run and consistently put pressure on the QB.
Ian Allen, OL: His physical road grading mentality that he brought to our run game. Incoming impact players
Kai Callen, WR, CB, 10th
Drew Hymas, QB, 11th
Rhidge Barela, WR, 11th
Kannon Kunz, DB, 11th
Dillon Shaw, OL, 11th
Trayson Bagley, DL, 11th
Dallas Call, OL, 11th
Cy Reno, TE, 11th
Team Preview
Written by: Marlowe Hereford Gino Mariani will no longer be on the sidelines for Highland football this season, but the Rams' new head coach comes from within the program. Nick Sorrell, a member of Highland's coaching staff for the last 18 years and defensive coordinator for the last eight years, takes head coaching duties this fall after spending the summer as skipper for the Pocatello Runnin Rebels Double A American Legion baseball team. Mariani, Highland head coach since 2001 and winningest coach in program history, announced his resignation in June. "I am excited to see how this team gels on the field," Sorrell said. "Our offseason participation has been outstanding, even through all the 'craziness and uncertainty' with the mid-summer coaching change. These guys never missed a beat and have continued to put in the work which is a testament to the leaders we have in the locker room." The defending 5A state runner-up Rams graduated a crop of talent, including kicker Ian Hershey, who booted field goals of 58 and 52 yards in last season's playoffs, quarterback Jack Whitmer and offensive lineman Kyler Williams, but return a crop of juniors and seniors on both side of the ball. Sorrell said the Rams are balanced in both the run and pass game, and hope to finish more drives with points. "We have the ability to show a variety of different looks on offense using the skill set of our quarterback Drew Hymas and our skill positions (Jackson Riddle, Rhidge Barela, Kai Callen) who can do a multitude of things at any given time," Sorrell said. Defensively, the Rams return six starters in Mason Fullmer, Colton George, Jaxon Sibounma, Campbell Thomas and Gunner Wilhelm. Sorrell said the Rams are aiming to create more turnovers and loss of yards whle limiting more explosive plays. "We want to create an atmosphere of chaos and confusion for the opposition," Sorrell said. Sorrell said a key factor to the season will be how quickly the inexperienced players gain experience on varsity. As for 5A District 5-6, he has high expectations of defending 5A state champion Rigby, and said Madison is a team to keep an eye on this fall. "(Madison) gained a lot of experience last year as they were young," Sorrell said. With multiple starters returning, they could cause problems for their opponents."
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