Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Rigby
2. Highland
3. Thunder Ridge
4. Madison
5. Idaho Falls
Written by: Brandon Baney
2020 truly marked the end of an era at Madison High School. Longtime football coach Mitch Buck, who coached the Bobcats for 25 seasons across two stints and won three state titles, retired.
In his place is Chandler Rhoads, who served as an assistant coach on Buck's staff for the past two seasons. Prior to that, Rhoads was the head coach for two seasons at Madison County High School in Madison, Virginia.
The Bobcats went 2-7 during Buck's final season in 2020. A lot of talented players departed in the offseason, but Madison's passing attack should be on point in 2021. Senior quarterback Kieren Valora returns, as does All-Conference wide receiver Cam Porter.
"Kieren is our senior QB," Rhoads said. "We will lean on his decision making and leadership."
One area Rhoads is hoping to improve upon offensively is establishing more consistency.
On the other side of the ball, senior defensive tackle Sam Rassmussen will anchor the defense. "We will lean on his play-making ability and his leadership," Rhoads said.
Just like on offense, Rhoads wants to see his defense perform more consistently in 2021. "Health and consistent effort will be our biggest X-factors," Rhoads said.
Overall, this is a Madison team with lots of question marks. A new coach, with new schemes, and mostly new players could be fun to watch as the team grows and develops. "I'm excited to figure out where this team can go and how we can get there," said Rhoads.