Preseason Coaches Poll:
1. Kamiah
2. Prairie
3. Potlatch
4. Clearwater Valley
5. Lapwai
Written by: Will Hoenike
In 2025, the 2A Whitepine produced the classification’s champion and runner-up. In 2026, though, those two teams are gone. Kendrick and its five consecutive state championships were moved to the 1A classification due to its enrollment, while Logos took its ten wins and second-place trophy to the 3A Central Idaho League. A third team, Troy, is also now a member of the 1A classification.
But never fear, District 2 fans, the Whitepine should remain a daunting rival for anyone in the 8-man classification.
KAMIAH
People might forget that, though Logos reached the state championship game against Kendrick, it was actually Kamiah that finished second in the Whitepine in 2025 with a 5-1 league record (9-2 overall). Head coach Garrison Bretz, entering his second year as the Kubs’ head coach, brings back some key players but also has some holes to fill.
Gone are all-league linemen Damian Ochoa and Dillon Lockhart. Also gone are all-league playmakers Everett Oatman and Gavin Schoening.
However, the Kubs bring back senior Lawson Landmark at the quarterback position on the heels of a 29-touchdown, 2-interception performance last fall. He completed 60 percent of his passes and also rushed for 623 yards. His coaches anticipate even better play this fall with the experience he gained as a junior.
Senior Todd Roberts returns as well after posting over 20 yards per reception and six scores as a junior. Gatlin Griffith, a versatile athlete, transferred in from Lewis County following the family’s move to Kamiah, giving the Kubs another weapon. Seniors Rylan Skinner and Boone Cox return to form the core of the team’s offensive and defensive fronts.
Cox collected five sacks in just eight games on defense for Kamiah as a junior and seems primed for a big season. Same for senior Logan Keen, who is expected to step into a starring role on both sides of the ball, linebacker on defense and running back on offense.
Bretz believes growth will come with continued hard work, “Stacking each day by getting better each repetition, day, and game.”
PRAIRIE
It’s hard to talk about Whitepine football without discussing the traditional powerhouse, Prairie. The Pirates have won four 2A (then called 1A Division 1) state championships and are coming off a seven-win season and another appearance in the state playoffs under head coach Ryan Hasselstrom.
“We have a good core of young athletes that will need to prove themselves on the field,” he said about his 2026 squad. “I’m most excited about a group that is excited and ready to prove what they can do. If we work hard and play disciplined, we will hopefully be successful.”
It will start on defense with a core of productive returners from last season. Senior linebacker Lane Mader (80 tackles, 6.5 sacks), defensive back Payton Stamper (62 tackles), defensive end Trajan Elven (50 tackles), and defensive lineman Ashton Martin (43 tackles, 4 sacks) are all back this fall, giving Hasselstrom and his staff experience and productivity at every level. Sophomores Sam Rehder and Marshall Weber should compete for key roles as well.
On offense, the Pirates return starting quarterback Kade Quintal. The senior tossed 20 touchdown passes last season, and Hasselstrom hopes a more balanced offense will make him even more effective in 2026.
“We need to run the ball better,” Hasselstrom said. “Once again we are undersized so we need to get creative in having a solid run game to help out the passing game.”
Eight different players who carried the ball last fall are back, but the team’s two leading rushers, Levin Gehring and Chris Schumacher, both graduated, leaving plenty of opportunities for returning Pirates. Quintal (158 yards, 6 touchdowns), sophomore Isaiah Warren (111 yards, 1 touchdown), and Weber (76 yards, 1 touchdown) are the leading returners in terms of rushing yards. Martin and Mader return to roles along the offensive line for Prairie as well.
POTLATCH
At one point last season, the Potlatch Loggers were 4-0. Just as quickly, four weeks later, the team was 4-4. The Loggers did qualify for the 2A state playoffs but, following an opening-round loss in Hagerman, the team wrapped up its season with a 4-5 record.
Head coach Ryan Ball retired after a standout, three-decade coaching career at Kamiah and Potlatch. To take his place, the school hired Cole Thompson, a 2017 graduate of Potlatch High School.
Thompson has been coaching in the Logger athletic program, so he knows what he’s inheriting, which is a roster that loses all-league linemen Avery Smith and Jordan Keck along with all-league, do-everything quarterback Jay Marshall.
One of Thompson’s other roles is as the school’s baseball coach – he was voted the 2A Idaho Coach of the Year this past spring – so he looked into his own dugout to find his new quarterback. Junior Trey Magallon, an all-state pitcher for the Loggers, will move in from receiver to full-time duty behind the center this fall. He’ll be joined in the backfield by senior Hunter Redmon, giving the Loggers a strong pass/run combination. Junior Connor Carpenter should also be a big piece of the team’s gameplan as well, with junior Carson Palmer anchoring the team’s offensive line.
That same foursome should form a reliable foundation on defense as well, with Palmer and Redmon providing bookend defensive ends in front of Magallon and Carpenter in the secondary.
Potlatch’s coaches anticipate more than 20 players to participate this fall, headlined by a big junior class.
CLEARWATER VALLEY
There was a late change in Kooskia this summer when veteran head coach Allen Hutchens stepped down in order to focus on a new, full-time position in nearby Grangeville. The difficult decision for the alumnus of Clearwater Valley High School may have been lessened by knowing he had a capable assistant on staff – Brian Hellyer.
So Hutchens addressed the team in early August to let them know and to hand the whistle to Hellyer, who knows the schemes, the players, and the Whitepine and can immediately help the program move forward.
The Rams were beset by injuries in 2025. A big key, beyond staying healthy, will be the team’s performance along the front line.
Senior Teegan Altman returns to lead the line for Clearwater Valley. Senior Conner Christensen (2nd Team All-State punter, too), junior Kaden Carter, and freshman Waylon Nelson are among the players fans could see filling roles along the offensive line as the coaches look for the best fits.
Brothers Liam and Kale Walle both saw time at the quarterback position in 2025 and should be on the field somewhere whenever the Rams’ offense lines up in 2026. Pete Fabbi returns at the running back position, and coaches believe the team has a host of potential pass-catching targets, including Alex Paradis, Jaxon Green, and Tatum Martinez, among others, as the Rams look to improve upon last season’s average of 19 points per game.
Defensively, the coaches are working to improve the team’s pass rush. Christensen, Carter, and Green will be central to that effort as returning defensive ends in front of Fabbi and sophomore Luke Nelson at linebacker.
LAPWAI
Josh Leighton, Jr., returns as the head coach of the Lapwai Wildcats, who are looking to bounce back from a winless season in 2025.
The charge will start with dual-threat quarterback Jereese McCormack, a senior who has shown the Whitepine an ability to make plays with his arm and his feet over the past three seasons. Senior Chase Brown also returns after demonstrating explosive potential as both a runner and a pass catcher. Juniors Rashawn Henry and Terance Greene should also contribute to the team’s offense as well.
The team struggled with consistency on defense, allowing over 50 points per game to its opponents. An additional year of growth and experience should help the Wildcats improve across the board in 2026.
Each of the team’s first two games will be played on its home field, which should also help the team find its footing.