Preseason Coaches Poll:
1. Carey
2. Hansen
3. Richfield
4. Castleford
5. Camas County
6. Dietrich
7. Lighthouse Christian
Written by: Will Hoenike
The Carey Panthers outscored their opponents, 504-210, en route to an 11-1 record and a 1A state championship title last fall.
It was a good season for the 1A Sawtooth Conference as Carey was joined in the postseason by a seven-win Hansen team while two other teams (Richfield and Shoshone) finished with more wins than losses (both teams finished 5-4 overall). Though Shoshone has moved up to the 2A classification this season, each of the other three teams brings back solid rosters in 2026 and will have to hold off challenges from Castleford, Dietrich, and Camas County as the competition for playoff berths should be intense.
CAREY
Yes, the defending state champion Panthers must find replacements for the 2025 Sawtooth Conference MVP (Stockton Sears) and defensive player of the year (Will Parke), along with two-way all-conference selection Gabe Saili, but head coach John Saili returns plenty of firepower to compete for the school’s tenth state championship in 2026.
Sears ran for well over 2,000 yards last season en route to also being named the 1A Idaho Player of the Year but, per usual, the Panther deck appears stacked in the backfield. First of all, senior Madden Perkes returns after rushing for 528 yards and five scores when Sears was off the field. Carey also picked up a big-name transfer to give the offense options – RB/LB Hadley Hunt moved to Carey over the summer after rushing for nearly 1,000 yards at nearby Shoshone last fall.
Junior quarterback Jonah Saili also returns. He proved to be an efficient field general as a sophomore, throwing for 1,121 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2025. He’ll have to find a new favorite target (Carey’s top three pass-catchers all graduated), but Perkes has proven adept at catching the ball as well as running the ball. Juniors Caden Clark and Liam Long should anchor the team’s offensive line.
Hunt can contribute on offense but, at over 200 pounds, he can be a game-changer at linebacker on defense. He finished last season with over 100 tackles, including eight for loss and two sacks, and will be surrounded by strong tacklers, which will keep opponents from focusing blocking schemes on stopping him. Saili had nearly 100 tackles himself last season; Perkes, the all-state selection on defense, had 79; Josh Rojas had 62 (13 for loss, seven sacks) as a sophomore; and Tayton Sears had 76 tackles to go with 12 passes defended as a freshman defensive back. Let’s not forget senior Tripp Bailey, who earned second-team all-state honors for his play along the defensive line.
Carey’s defense allowed just over 17 points per game last fall. The Panthers might be tougher to score against this fall as they pursue their tenth title trophy. To do it, the team will have to do the little things well on both sides of the ball.
“Doing all the small things the right way,” Saili said. “Meaning, blocking to the whistle, running routes crisp and clean, fighting for every catch, tackling; just all the fundamentals that make a team successful.”
HANSEN
The Huskies ended the 2025 regular season on a four-game winning streak to earn a spot in the 1A state playoffs. Head coach Toby Lapp and a good group of returning players will try to do it again in 2026.
Although key seniors Benny Reichel and Paul Eiman graduated, Lapp and his staff welcome back senior Grayson Denney and sophomore Garrison Denney. The siblings took most of the snaps at quarterback for the Huskies last fall and bring plenty of experience and athleticism back to the roster. The team also returns senior Carson Mulberry, a second-team all-conference running back last fall and one of the team’s leading rushers. Senior Dan Gibson is one of the team’s leading returners in all-purpose yards, and junior Ayden Guerrero was an all-conference center along the offensive line. The Huskies averaged 42 points per game last fall. It could average more this fall.
On defense, Lapp and his staff must replace their three top tacklers per game from last season. Mulberry (5 tackles per game), Gibson (4 tackles per game), Grayson Denney (3 tackles per game), and Logynn Weisgerber-Hull (3 tackles per game) return with good experience from last season. Denney’s biggest impact on defense was felt in the passing game, where he intercepted seven passes, including a three-interception game against Watersprings.
RICHFIELD
Matt Kent’s squad just missed out on a 1A playoff berth last season after finishing the season with an overall record of 5-4, 3-3 in the Sawtooth Conference. The Tigers started four freshmen, laying a solid foundation for future success.
“It will be really good to be a little bigger and stronger and faster,” Kent said. “We were learning a new system last year. We are still learning, but we should be much sharper in understanding our assignments and responsibilities.”
Junior RB/LB Jace Oliver returns, as does junior TE/DE Kooper Torgerson, sophomore QB Brooks Kent, and sophomore TE/LB Kellen Peck.
Senior Ryan Stanbrough will anchor the offensive line position as the center. Sophomores Cash Noel and Moises Frias will fill roles along both the offensive and defensive fronts, and the development of that group could be the key to Richfield’s season in 2026.
“We hope our offensive line can become more dominant,” Kent said. “Last year our kids were learning a new system, and we were very young. We hope a little more size and speed and maturity and experience will make us a more explosive offense.”
His eyes are on the same group – the linemen – as important factors in the team’s defensive success as well.
“We expect Cash Noel and Moises Frias and Daniel Zamudio to make a big impact on the defensive line this year,” Kent said. “I believe they will all take a big step forward.”
Senior Devin Scott, one of the team’s most explosive players, is recovering from injury. Richfield’s coaching staff is hopeful he’ll be able to contribute at some point this fall.
DIETRICH
The Blue Devils look to bounce back in 2026 after struggling down the stretch last season. Garrett Astle, entering his third season as the head coach at Dietrich, is ready to see his team take a step forward this fall.
“We are young and want to learn,” Astle said. “I’m very excited about that.”
The team returns its dual-threat quarterback, senior Gavyn Hoskisson, along with fellow senior Crew Weber at receiver. The Blue Devil coaching staff would like to see strides in the team’s passing game, so experience under center and at wideout will help.
Sophomore running back Tyce Bingham returns as well and will likely step into the role vacated by Chase Norman, the 2025 Sawtooth Conference offensive player of the year as a senior. Dietrich also lost talented two-way linemen Chris Romero and Jason Hollibaugh, which opens the competition along the front lines for the Blue Devils, where junior Tony Zamudio returns.
The team allowed nearly 42 points per game last fall. One of the keys to improving that number this fall is a name you’ve already seen.
“Gavyn Hoskisson has a nose for the ball and is very fundamental when playing linebacker,” Astle said of his standout senior, adding it’s critical that he, Bingham, Weber, and friends are effective around the line of scrimmage on defense, “to slow down the run when teams try to ground-and-pound on us.”
Three straight games away from home, including a neutral-site matchup against a strong Rocklad team in the annual Rocky Mountain Rumble at Idaho State University, will test the team right out of the chutes.
CASTLEFORD
Jamie Allen takes over as the head coach in Castleford as the Wolves will have their third head coach in as many seasons. He’s excited about the team’s senior group, which is going through another coaching change but provides stability and leadership for the rest of the program.
One of those seniors, Riggin Keetch, pulled off a rare feat as a junior in 2025: he was named first-team all-conference at receiver and second-team all-conference at quarterback. The conference’s coaches honored him at two offensive positions. He was one of the team’s leading passers, rushers, and receivers on offense – and he was also voted all-conference as a defensive end.
Two other seniors who are critical to Castleford’s success this fall are OL/DL Nicholas Bokma and versatile, jack-of-all-trades Conner Parrish. Ethan Dearden, Bryan Vega, and Carsyn Forrest should also be regular contributors.
“All players buying into what we are trying to build and having an open mind about it,” Allen said when asked about an ‘X-Factor’ for success in 2026. “Having three coaches in three years is very difficult but not impossible.”
CAMAS COUNTY
Danyon Fontenot is entering his second season as the head coach for the Mushers, and this summer almost certainly went more smoothly than last summer.
Fontenot was hired at the last minute as an interim head coach when the position unexpectedly opened, leaving very little time to search for a replacement. It took a few weeks for the program to find its footing and, though it didn’t win a game, the team showed marked improvement in its final three games.
Senior Quinn Palan returns and will see time at the quarterback position. He’s got a great pass-catching target in senior Caddan Hathaway, a second-team all-conference selection. The Mushers also return senior running back Aaden Stolzman.
Fontenot and his staff expect improved play along the offensive and defensive lines to help the program to continue to improve. Cam Higbee and Colton Fontenot, both freshmen, will be given the opportunity to earn prominent roles this fall, particularly on defense.
Stolzman, sophomore Tyler Tews, and sophomore Colton Ganguet will be counted on to contribute defensively as well.
LIGHTHOUSE CHRISTIAN
The Lions return to the field as a varsity program for the first time since 2023 under the guidance of 2007 graduate Justin Manning. The program has taken its time to rebuild from the middle school level under Manning’s tutelage as it looks to add more trophies to the school’s collection – Lighthouse Christian won 1A (then 1A Division 2) football titles in 2011, 2014, and 2019.
The Lions played a junior-varsity schedule last fall, so its roster will have some high school experience when it takes the field on September 4 at Shoshone. The team will play at home the following weekend on its distinctive home turf against Dietrich.