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5A CLASSIFICATION
Lake City #9 Bridget Rieken
Photo By: Jason Duchow
RETURNING ALL-STATE PERFORMERS
Chloe Teets, Lake City (Senior Midfielder, 1st Team All-State)
Kylee Geis, Borah (Senior Midfielder, 1st Team All-State)
Bridget Rieken, Lake City (Senior Defender, 1st Team All-State)
Grace Pekovich, Centennial (Senior Defender, 1st Team All-State)
Jordyn Dalling, Rocky Mountain (Senior Forward, 2nd Team All-State)
Olivia Vance, Mountain View (Junior Forward, 2nd Team All-State)
Erica Skindlov, Coeur d’Alene (Junior Midfielder, 2nd Team All-State)
Tara Brennan, Boise (Senior Midfielder, 2nd Team All-State)
Lilly Gwin, Boise (Senior Defender, 2nd Team All-State)
Haley Apple, Timberline (Senior Defender, 2nd Team All-State)
CLASSIFICATION OUTLOOK
It’s hard to absolutely dominate a state tournament at the highest classification in the state in the manner which Centennial was able to do in 2017. The Patriots outscored opponents Highland, Lake City and Mountain View by a combined 12-1 tally on their way to bringing home the state championship hardware.
Repeating that task will not be easy with 5A State Player of the Year Makayla Christensen (Utah), First Team All-State forward Josie Bush (BYU), Second Team All-State midfielder Aanika Stevens and Second Team All-State defender Josie Young all having graduated. Multiple other key contributors such as Mikayla Sherer (Northwest Nazarene), Delaney Johnston (Idaho State) and Kassandra Phillips (College of Idaho) will also be continuing their soccer careers collegiately.
The Patriots do return First Team All-State defender Grace Pekovich, a Hawaii commit, to help offset losing the surplus of talent on the roster from a year ago.
Boise and Borah were the only teams to upend Centennial at any point last season.
Entering the new year, the Braves have as good of a duo as any in Idaho with Second Team All-State selections Lilly Gwin and Tara Brennan back. While the Braves missed state last year, the team has some incoming additions and a good core of returners coming back to have the expectations high to get into the dance this time around.
It was an All-SIC championship affair last year between Centennial and Mountain View. In fact, in addition to the first and second place trophies, Borah (Consolation) and Rocky Mountain (Third Place) swept aside all the hardware at state.
Mountain View had some freshman and sophomore performers receive major experience last season, including 5A-SIC Honorable Mention selections Justine Humphrey, Kaydree Rapp and Kenly VanOstrand. Having Humphrey back at goalkeeper, Rapp at defender and VanOstrand as a midfielder will give the Mavericks good continuity to compete against a gauntlet of a schedule.
You could just about list every team in district three as a potential threat to make state and go on a run, but the rest of the state hopes to make some noise of their own and crash the party.
In the last four years, the only school not named Centennial to win the 5A championship has been Lake City. Expectations are high for the Timberwolves as well this season. It’s not hard to see why, as the school is the only program in the state to return two First Team All-State talents in Chloe Teets at midfielder and Bridget Rieken as a defender. After not losing against 5A Inland Empire League opponents last season, Lake City enters the new year as favorites in the league again.
In the east, first year program Thunder Ridge joins Madison, Highland and Rigby to form a new-look conference which will try to improve its showing at state after both the Bobcats and Rams went two-and-out last year. You have to go back to 2011 for the last time a team out of district five or district six was able to advance to the right side of the bracket at state.
Madison could have a group in place ready to do just that. 5A District 5-6 Offensive Player of the Year Annalise Brunson is back for her junior season at forward and joining her are fellow All-Conference talent from a year ago in Sydney Thueson, Hannah Bollingbroke, Kennadey Yates and Julia Williams.
4A CLASSIFICATION
Bishop Kelly #2 Lauren Elwer
Photo By: Steve Conner
RETURNING ALL-STATE PERFORMERS
Lauren Elwer, Bishop Kelly (Senior Midfielder, 4A State Player of the Year)
Elizabeth Gonzalez, Vallivue (Senior Forward, 1st Team All-State)
Tatum Seastrand, Bishop Kelly (Senior Midfielder, 1st Team All-State)
Grace Elwer, Bishop Kelly (Senior Midfielder, 1st Team All-State)
Yeo Yarnell, Sandpoint (Senior Defender, 1st Team All-State)
Jezza Hutto, Sandpoint (Senior Defender, 1st Team All-State)
Daniela Quintero-Reyes, Shelley (Junior Midfielder, 1st Team All-State for 3A)
CLASSIFICATION OUTLOOK
Back-to-back state titles.
A 22-0 record in 2017.
The longest active winning streak in Idaho at 42 games.
It’s easy to list off the accolades for the Bishop Kelly girls soccer program, which also just happens to boast reigning 4A State Player of the Year and Gonzaga commit Lauren Elwer at midfielder.
Making the challenge even steeper for opposing coaches, Lauren is not the only Elwer they have to worry about. The triplet sisters are all back for another go-around at BK. Grace was a First Team All-SIC midfielder last year and don’t forget about Evelyn, as she was a First Team All-SIC defender herself too.
“I am excited about the number of returning players we have, along with the new additions to the team. We have great team chemistry and a group of girls who love to play together. I expect some younger players to have an immediate impact this season,” said Bishop Kelly head coach Meagan Lyons.
With much of the core returning, a three-peat is the goal.
“It is a very similar team after only graduating four seniors. There will be a new starting goalkeeper, but many field players are returning. Strong core of girls with some great new additions,” added Lyons.
Some of the major impact performers for Bishop Kelly that return include midfielders like Boise State commit Tatum Seastrand and Honorable Mention All-Conference sophomore Alexis Pond. From the forward position, Sydney Cromwell and Grace Mulcahy lead the way, with Isabella Vinsonhaler and Jill Gooch as defenders. Each of the players listed earned All-Conference accolades or Honorable Mention recognition.
Adding incoming sophomore and Boise State commit Alicia Chatterton as a defender makes the Knights an even tougher opponent this season.
Within the 4A SIC, Lizzy Gonzales of Vallivue, Caldwell’s Kylin Olsen and Middleton’s Emmy Williams and Abby Furrow are some talents that could help their teams towards a state tournament appearance.
“[Vallivue] did well last year and had a great run in the state tournament,” added Lyons.
Sandpoint was the state runner-up last season, coming within just a goal of the powerhouse Knights.
Senior First Team All-State defender duo Yeo Yarnell and Jezza Hutto and midfielder/forward and Eastern Washington-bound senior Riley Walkington lead the way for the Lady Bulldogs.
“Our senior class is very talented and they have all been playing on varsity together for several years. I am hoping we can once again play a fast-paced, exciting style with lots of goal scoring. We will also have several new faces that I believe will have a positive impact on our play,” said seventh year Sandpoint head coach Conor Baranski.
The expectation is to be right back towards the top of the state again this time around.
“Last year, we also had an excellent senior class, so new upperclassmen will have to fill leadership roles. But, that tends to happen naturally, so we hope to be just as good as last season,” added Baranski.
While just three teams exist in the 4A IEL, one of them stands out as a challenger for Sandpoint.
“Moscow could surprise people. Brandon [Shriner] has them playing very organized soccer,” said Baranski.
The Bulldogs outscored conference foes 14-2 last year.
Twin Falls has not missed state in the last decade-plus, so the Bruins are a team that fans should expect to see on the pitch come state in October. With Century now in the Great Basin Conference, the Diamondbacks could be the prime contender to battle for a conference title.
Three new schools enter the 4A High Country conference, with Bonneville and Hillcrest moving down and Shelley moving up. Blackfoot, Skyline and Idaho Falls remain, making the conference as wide-open and unpredictable as any in the state.
3A CLASSIFICATION
Community School #24 Lily Fitzgerald
Photo By: Steve Conner
RETURNING ALL-STATE PERFORMERS
Emma Bartlett, Coeur d’Alene Charter (Senior Defender, 3A State Player of the Year)
Lily Fitzgerald, Community School (Senior Forward, 1st Team All-State)
Korbie Bowman, Marsh Valley (Junior Forward, 1st Team All-State)
Eliason Cherrstrom, Coeur d’Alene Charter (Senior Forward, 1st Team All-State)
Izzy Lehosit, Coeur d’Alene Charter (Senior Midfielder, 1st Team All-State)
Jessica Jones, McCall-Donnelly (Junior Midfielder, 1st Team All-State)
Macey Morris, Marsh Valley (Junior Midfielder, 1st Team All-State)
CLASSIFICATION OUTLOOK
Coeur d’Alene Charter took home the title last season and has high aspirations again with 3A State Player of the Year Emma Bartlett returning and First Team All-State midfielder Izzy Lehosit joining her.
The prominent duo is not all that is coming back for the Panthers, as there were only four seniors on the roster last year. That should help to keep them as the favorite in the north and a major threat again on a state-wide level.
Defending 3A runner-up Shelley has moved to the 4A classification, opening the door for some other hungry schools to challenge for some hardware.
Community School earned the consolation title at state last season and brings back explosive scoring threat Lily Fitzgerald, who set a school record with 51 goals on her way to First Team All-State honors.
Surrounding the talented Fitzgerald will be some fresh faces, with eight seniors having graduated.
“It’s always exciting to see the rising seniors take ownership of their team and step into the leadership role. Chloe Tanous had a breakout sophomore season in the midfield last year. We will expect even more from her this season and from the junior class as a whole. I am excited to see how the team comes together as a unit and how that translates onto the field,” said 18th year Community School head coach Kelly Feldman.
She says the team will be very attack-minded with plenty of speed all over the field. How the new pieces gel together will have a big say in how far the Cutthroats are able to go this year.
“We graduated much of our defense and midfield, so we will need younger players to step up and fill some major roles, particularly defensively. We have both goalkeepers, as well as other senior starters returning. I am hopeful we will be even better than last year,” added Feldman.
Within the Magic Valley, a couple other teams stand out as well.
“Declo has made a huge improvement in the last two years. Kimberly is a first-year team this year, but will draw club players from Twin Falls, so they could also be stronger than expected,” said Feldman.
Another team to watch is Marsh Valley. The Eagles bring back First Team All-State forward Korbie Bowman and fellow First Team selection Macey Morris as a midfielder. Last season the group took third at state, with no players departing due to graduation from last year. That is pretty unheard of in any sport, let alone one with as many players on the roster as soccer has, something which should help Marsh Valley in a big way.
In district six, Sugar-Salem started last season 12-0, including double digit goal totals in five of those matches. The Diggers didn’t have the finish to the season that they would have wanted, so they are a hungry group as well. Junior forward Morgan Teichert and defenders Abrea Shirley and Sunny Bennion are all First Team All-Conference returners who will look to lead the team on a deep state run.
Weiser was the lone representative out of district three at state last season and is the favorite to get there again after losing just three seniors to graduation. The Wolverines ran through their conference slate undefeated in the 2017 campaign.
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