Who are your "winner" and "loser" teams of the 2022 season?
Example:
Winner: Burley Bobcats- Cam Anderson has stepped up to the 4A plate and has not looked back across the freeway to Gooding since. With what appears to be a high octane offense, his team has boasted an incredible 6-3 record and playoff appearance in year 1.
Loser: Parma Panthers-Parma has lost ANOTHER head coach. He left three weeks into the season. They are on their 5th head coach in I believe 5 years. They have won a total of TWO games in that times (I think). As the smallest 3A school in the state, they don't seem equipped to compete in the BRUTAL SRV conference with the likes of Homedale, Weiser and Fruitland.
Who else would you add to this list?
Winners in 1AD1 right off the bat you have to be impressed with Carey and how the stepped up a classification and are legit contenders for a title. I also think notus has quietly had an impressive season and their match up with Carey this weekend may be the most intriguing of the week. Lastly I would say Grace has been a winner this season. They have spent most of the last decade living in Butte Co. shadow but this year they won the district title outright and secured the overall #2 seed.
Losers in 1AD1 I'll probably catch heck for this but I would say the white pine league. Some (not me) like to claim they have the best 1A teams in the state but with only 3 teams getting post season games and 2 of them already eliminated in dominant fashion it's hard to back that claim up. Infact if you go look at the brackets going back to 2009 on idahosports.com the 4th district is by far more successful and percentage wise the 5/6th even beat the white pine. Lastly I would say idahosports.com with their refusal to broadcast a single Grace game. Last week they went to Carey vs RR so Paul could get his burger and mountain dew to show a blowout and missed one of the best 1A games of the year in Arco.
Winners in 1ad2 would be the top 3 teams. Dietrich is doing their thing while Castleford has done very well with limited numbers. Kendrick has been dominant but you could also say they were losers in the sense that they really didn't get to enjoy a full season due to so many games being canceled and called early.
Losers in 1AD2 I would say the whole 5/6th district. Rockland is solid but not real contenders for the title. Watersprings was one injury away from being a winless team. NG went from top dogs to bottom of the pile. Mackay and Clark couldn't put together teams. Hopefully the district numbers will get better along with the play.
Carey up a class still did ok when they send Lane Kirkland off into the sunset. Watching games behind fence first time in decades someone not named Kirkland coaching. Don’t know when they will be even mid pack team.
Ctown with twelve players dominating. Petitioned down but won’t do squat next couple years. Dietrich still dominant. Only opponents that scored on there varsity per say Rockland Castleford and Horseshoe Bend. Can they get by Kendrick.
Surprised if anyone besides Kendrick makes it to State Championship. Grace, Butte, Notus Kamiah could do good in d1.
Canyon Conference two teams but Declo hosts West Side. Will get beat. Valley Glenn’s Ferry not doing much. May be to lack of talent.
Wic besides Notus doesn’t have much. Long Pin Council should make run. Horseshoe Bend and Garden Valley had good runs but Mustangs couldn’t get past Dietrich.
North Star will Mullan go far?
Wood River petitioning down and made it to playoffs. Didn’t get clobbered but got in by skin of teeth, wonder if they have Sun Valley kids playing for them and will be sent back to 4a next cycle.
Burley in first time in long time. Canyon Ridge did ok starting out. But tough opponents toward end of season. All fall sports made state with 5a enrollment so wonder if they will have to go. I don’t think Twin is getting new High School. If they have 5a enrollment too long bus rides here we come.
Gooding disappointment this year. Not sure what other teams didn‘t measure up. Some of what Ive seen.
Winner: Bonners Ferry.
The Badgers used to have one of the worst football teams in the state. Consistent losing every year. Their head coach has pulled them out of obscurity. They have had a winning season for the past three years now. Loser: I hate to say it but, Idaho Falls.
Duffy Martin has now closed out his fourth season as coach for the Tigers. In his four years he is now 11-26. Last year was his only winning season at 6-3. A black ominous cloud has hovered over our program since the firing of Coach Johnson.
Winner: Post Falls Trojans– When was the last time a team not named "Coeur d'Alene" won the IEL? They're not at a Meridian/Rocky, Rigby/Highland level, but a conference championship and a 1st round bye in the playoffs is something they can build off of.
Loser: Gooding Senators– For years, Gooding has been in the thick of 3A. They consistently made deep playoff runs. They seemed to have an endless supply of pinball wizards pulling the trigger and what always seemed to be a very explosive offense, and won 8 SCIC titles in 10 years, with a 3A runner up trophy in 2015, and multiple semifinal appearances. This year, they went 1-7 and didn't win a conference game.
As a sidenote, based on enrollment numbers, Parma should be moving back down to 2A, and even if not, it wouldn't have shocked me if they pulled a "Wood River" and petitioned down. The WIC is a better fit for them right now, though they'd still struggle, it wouldn't be as bad. I'm actually shocked they even attempted a varsity season this year.