Written by: Lucas Gebhart
The news shook the Treasure Valley football landscape. Just months after leading the Grizz to their latest state semifinals appearance, Rocky Mountain – a 5A Idaho powerhouse – suddenly needed a new coach.
It was mid-February when former head coach Chris Culig announced he was leaving the program, not for retirement, a college job or even an out-of-state job – but for 4A Bishop Kelly?
The news left many scratching their heads, but Culig explained to local media outlets shortly after the news broke that his decision wasn’t football-based. He explained that Bishop Kelly was the only school that could have lured him away from Rocky, a school that won 57 games, three conference championships and two state titles in six seasons under his guidance. His reasoning was more about religion than it was about football.
Rocky reloads every year when they lose the state’s top talent to graduation – so why not do the same when they lose a head coach? That’s exactly what they did as the Grizz promoted, or rather re-hired, their current offensive coordinator and former head coach, Scott Criner.
Criner led the charge for the Griz from 2013-2016 before Culig took over. Now, the man with high school, college and professional coaching experience is back in the driver’s seat of one of the hottest cars in Idaho high school football.
“I love this team’s chemistry,” Criner said. ”I like the skilled players on both sides of the football, and if we can get the right combination, we’ll be explosive.”
Last year, Rocky was one of the favorites to win a state title. They had everything – one the best offensive lines Idaho has ever seen, one of the best defenses in the state, a bell cow running back and an efficient quarterback. The result was a 10-2 record and a state semifinals appearance.
The problem this year is most of that, along with their head coach are gone. In addition to Culig, the Grizz also lost eight players to college football scholarships this offseason. Half of them are going to Power Five programs – Luke Luccini (Washington), Jackson Fullmer (Kansas State), CJ Jacobsen (Utah), and Gage Tanner (BYU).
But let’s not forget that Rocky always reloads.
Headlining this year’s returning players is one of the state’s best linebackers in Brody Swearhart, a 2nd Team all-state selection last year. He’ll be joined by eight teammates who earned some type of all-conference honor last year in Rowan Rupp, Jackson Turner, Jaryn Ikebe, Shawn Thompson, Trey Jacobsen, Carson Adams, Parker Simmonsen and Rob Cadwallader.
“Running back, receiver, offensive line are all strengths of ours,” Criner said. “Our defensive front end players are solid and our pass coverage has shown signs of being much improved.”