Written by: Lucas Gebhart
The Nampa athletic department is going through same major changes this summer. The school’s petition to stay in 4A was denied by the IHSAA last spring, meaning Nampa will now be competing in Idaho’s 5A class, the highest and toughest in the state.
The school’s football program is undergoing some changes of its own as Dan Holtry, Nampa’s former head coach, is no longer leading the program. Instead, the Bulldogs make the jump to 5A with a new head coach. Those who closely follow Nampa football, and for that matter, Idaho and Montana’s college football scene may recognize the name.
Jon Choate, the younger brother of Jeff Choate, Montana State’s former head football coach, took over the program this summer. Jon served as Nampa’s head coach from 2012-2016 before moving on to the College of Idaho where he coached special teams and served as a defensive assistant. Now he inherits a Bulldog team that returns two players at key positions.
Nampa is returning both its starting quarterback and running back this season. Gabe Navarro is returning as the signal caller while Daniel Carrillo returns as the Bulldogs lead back after he finished the 2021 season as one of the 4A SIC’s best backs.
Also back is defensive end and University of Idaho commit Payton Gunter, along with Ethan Kincheloe, who plays on the offensive line and brought home a 4A second team All-SIC selection at linebacker.
The biggest challenge for the Bulldogs this year will be its schedule. Last season, Nampa played two 5A programs in Capital and Skyview, but they also played Middleton, who is making the move to 5A with Nampa this season, while Skyview moves down to 4A. The Bulldogs went 1-2 in those games with its only win coming against Middleton. It was part of a five-game winning streak Nampa strung together to close the regular season, boosting the Bulldogs into the state playoffs.
But getting to the 5A playoffs may be a different story and certainly will be a much tougher task.
Sitting on this year’s schedule are schools like Mountain View, a school that was a state title contender a year ago, along with Eagle and Borah, two other schools that are mainstays in the 5A playoff bracket and traditional 5A powers.
Schools like Kuna and Owhyee are two others that didn’t have stellar 2021 seasons but are schools some believe will take a step forward this fall. The only 4A school that even sits on Nampa’s schedule this year is Skyview and they competed in 5A last year.