We're taking a classification-by-classification look at the upcoming high school football season as part of the IdahoSports.com 2009 High School Football Preview. We start with the big schools, the 5A, which is one team smaller than 2008 (Twin Falls dropped to 4A with the opening of Canyon Ridge). Here are the complete 2008 All-Idaho teams as compiled by the Idaho Statesman.
It's not intended to be in-depth or all-encompassing. It's intended to give you an idea of who to look for and what you might be able to expect when the season kicks off in a few days.
Without further delay... 5A at a glance:
Defending Champion: Highland (def. Eagle 28-7)
Returning All-State Players: OL Spencer Beale (Lewiston, 1st Team), DB Kyle Sosnowski (Capital, 1st Team), TE Joey Rasmussen (Highland, 2nd Team), LB Paul Baker (Highland, 2nd Team), DB JC Scrogum (Skyline, 2nd Team), K Eric Niblett (Capital, 2nd Team)
Early Title Contenders: Capital, Eagle, Lewiston
Keep Your Eye On: Highland, Idaho Falls, Mountain View
Don't Forget About: Lake City
Overview: Highland is the defending champion and the path to the 5A crown always seems to go through the Rams. This season should be no different, but Highland isn't the prohibitive preseason favorite that it was going in to the 2008 campaign. Each of the four IEL schools will venture from the panhandle to the Boise area for a game with only one (Lewiston) not scheduled to host a District III team during the regular season. Lake City will participate in the second annual Rocky Mountain Rumble on September 12 at Holt Arena in Pocatello.
Who's Under Center: Fans and media love to look at the quarterbacks, usually with good reason. You don't go far without solid play at quarterback. However, with that said, you don't need to have John Friesz, Jake Plummer, or Cody Pickett under center to win games. On paper, the top quarterbacks in the classification are Lewiston's Justin Podrabsky and Eagle's Taylor Kelly. Both those guys are talented enough to carry their teams a long way and both will have to be sharp early-- the Bengals and Mustangs are replacing a number of high-level players from last season on the offensive side of the ball.
Players to Watch: Timberline QB Tanner Mangum (Soph.) averaged more than 300 yards per game through the air last fall-- as a freshman ... DBs Mike Kirby (jr.) and Chase Harris (Sr.) will be looked upon to make a lot of plays on defense for Centennial as the Patriots look to bounce back after missing the playoffs in 2008 ... Lake City RB Justin Bryant (Sr.) was first-team All-IEL as a junior, one of only three juniors to make the first team ... Skyline RB Max Asay was first team and QB Mike Berger was second team All-District as juniors for a team that won just one game last season.
Get to know... Devan Munk, QB/P/K, Idaho Falls. If it wasn't for a Stanford-bound, Gatorade Player of the Year whose name rhymes with Say Some Pill, more fans outside of the I-15 corridor would already know about this 6-foor-2 senior. While Highland replenishes the stock, the door could be open for Munk to be the breakout player on the breakout team this fall.
Can't-Miss Contests: Mountain View at Eagle (September 25); Lewiston at Capital (October 22); Idaho Falls at Highland (October 23).