Preseason Coaches Poll:
1. Thunder Ridge
2. Madison
3. Rigby
4. Highland
5. Idaho Falls
Players to Watch:
Skyler Olsen, Idaho Falls
Tao Johnson, Thunder Ridge
Nick Potter, Thunder Ridge
Karson Barber, Rigby
Jayden Wright, Highland
Rhett Hathaway, Madison
Benny Williams, Madison
Written by: Keller Sherman
The High Country Conference could easily be divided into two different tiers this season between the five teams that make up the league. The three teams in the top tier (Madison, Rigby and Thunder Ridge) will all be vying for the two state tournament bids given to
District 5-6, while Idaho Falls and Highland make up the lower tier of the conference.
Rigby and Madison, the two teams that represented the conference at state last season, are teams that Highland coach Tyler Pearson will have his eye on this season as he expects them to “again be solid.” But he also praises Thunder Ridge as another potential surprise team. “They have some good young players and will be very athletic,” Pearson said of Thunder Ridge.
The Titans may have finished in 1st place during the regular season in 2020-21, but two losses to Madison and Rigby in the district tournament ultimately kept the Titans out of the state tournament. They will return two starters in Tao Johnson and Nick Potter as they look to punch their first ever ticket to state in the young program’s history. The 19-5 overall record matched the lowest number of losses for any team in the High Country Conference last season. “Offensively we did a great job playing an up-tempo style of basketball which constantly put pressure on the defense,” Thunder Ridge head coach Lee Toldson says. “Defensively we played an aggressive, pressure half/full court man defense which caused teams to turn the ball over. We hope to continue the same style of play this season.”
Madison brought a 3rd place trophy back to Rexburg last season defeating Boise in the 3rd place game 73-58 after falling 66-56 to eventual state champion Meridian in the semifinals. That performance at state should give the Bobcats confidence that they can take the next step and get to the state championship game and have a shot at the title. In addition, Madison will also look to finish the regular season at 1st place in the conference.
Rigby, the conference’s other representative at state last season did not have quite the performance their rivals just up the road in Rexburg did, but the Trojans ultimately came away as winners of the consolation bracket. That came after emerging victorious in a 65-61 quadruple overtime thriller against a team playing much closer to home in Eagle. Karson Barber was an all-conference honorable mention last season as the senior returns for one last run with the Trojans. Rigby will look to have a much better showing in conference play this season after a disappointing 4-4 conference record in 2020-21.
Not much could go right for Idaho Falls last season, but the Tigers’ 10-14 overall record and 2-6 conference record in their first season at 5A is not all bad. The highlight win came in a 55-52 home victory over Rigby, but there is plenty of work to be done if the Tigers are to have a better finish in the conference this season.
After a disappointing 4-17 season that saw Highland go 1-7 in conference play, coach Tyler Pearson’s Rams squad will look for more success in the 2021-22 campaign as he enters his 5th season at the helm. Mason Mickelson will be a major loss for Highland. “He demanded double and triple teams. He had great post moves and was an amazing teammate,” Pearson says.
Even with that departure, he names three players both returning and new to varsity that should help bring some excitement to the team in Jayden Wright, Ezra Godfrey, and Garrett Campbell. The Rams have also brought in a new assistant in Chris Ball. “He is an amazing defense coach, and I know our defense will improve because of him,” Pearson said of Ball. The defensive minded assistant fits well as Pearson felt the defense was the major area of struggle last season. “We gave up way too many points and lost on the boards many nights,” Pearson said. “I look forward to us playing better team defense, and improving our defensive and offensive rebounding.”
He is also confident that his team is capable of learning throughout the season and looks forward to every game as he is “excited to watch our guys compete and learn from every contest.” Finishing out games is also an area he knows his team can improve and excel in along with execution as he states “We were in many of our games and lost a lot at the end. I look forward to us executing better down the stretch of ball games.”