Written by: Will Hoenike
Sports fans around Idaho likely know the names Gatlin Bair from Burley, Trevor McKenna from Borah, Rakeem Johnson from Bishop Kelly, Luke Flowers from Rigby. Some of the biggest names from some of the biggest programs who have been recruited to play college football once their respective high school careers wrap up.
How many are familiar with Teague Matthews?
He was the 2022 1A Division 2 Idaho Basketball Player of the Year. He won the state championship later that spring in the high jump at the track & field championships. He’s the kind of pure athlete that can stand out at almost any school.
But his eyes are on football. And colleges have their eyes on him. Idaho State. Eastern Washington. Boise State. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
“Teague is a great athlete with size and speed,” said his coach, Gerry Hunter. “He has a great football IQ and he’s a four-year starter.”
The 6-foot-5 Matthews earned Rocky Mountain Conference Player of the Year in a season that he split between receiver and quarterback. He was a gameplan and matchup nightmare for opposing coaches – he passed for 778 yards and 11 touchdowns and 636 receiving yards and seven scores. And, for good measure, he led the team in rushing yards (268) and rushing touchdowns (7). Throw in his 80 tackles, interception, and fumble recovery on defense, too, as Rockland claimed the district championship and advanced to the 1A Division 2 state playoffs.
But lest you think Matthews was a one-man team for the Bulldogs, let us tell you this: he’s got plenty of help.
First of all, there is fellow four-year starter Cody Woodworth. He had nearly 500 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns on offense last season while averaging nearly nine tackles per game on defense. There’s also three-year starter Eli Hendrickson, the team’s starting center and an all-conference selection at defensive end where he posted 58 tackles and 6.5 sacks last fall as a junior. David Jensen returns for his junior season after collecting 9.5 sacks last fall as a sophomore.
Hunter and his staff do have to replace dynamic, long-time contributors like Gavin and Brigham Permann. Senior Abe Held and sophomore Isaac Held, brothers who enrolled at Rockland last fall but did not play football, have joined the team this year to add important athleticism and depth at receiver on offense for a team that likes to throw the ball. Ethan Crump, a junior, is another playmaker whose role should expand this fall.
“We have great athletes who can play,” Hunter said. “We have some young kids with talent, I’m excited to see how those two things come together.”
The Bulldogs play a difficult non-conference schedule, facing Camas County, Dietrich, and Castleford in the first four weeks of the season. All three qualified for the 1A Division 2 state playoffs last season and all three defeated Rockland during the regular season.
Rockland’s conference, the Rocky Mountain Conference, has grown. It comprised of just three teams last season. This season, Mackay and Clark County will join Rockland, Watersprings, and North Gem to raise the competition for the district title claimed by Rockford last fall. Rockland will host Watersprings and Clark County while the team travels to face Mackay (who played cooperatively with 1A Division 1 Challis last season) and North Gem.
Competition should be tough. Mackay has talented athletes, Clark County is big and strong. Watersprings won the district title as recently as 2020 and provides strong competition. And North Gem and Rockland are old rivals.
Who rises to the top? Can someone knock off Rockland? It might come down to whether or not anyone can find a way to contain Matthews, a rare NCAA Division-1 level college athlete on the field in the Rocky Mountain Conference. Advantage – Rockland.