Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Butte County
2. Grace
3. Challis
Written by: Will Hoenike
Despite coming off a winless season in 2020, coaches in southeast Idaho are wary of the Challis Vikings, saying it’s a group that will be much-improved this fall and could play its way into playoff contention in the 1A Division 1 High Desert Conference
Under the first-year coaching tandem of Marty Mitchell and Bill Bradshaw, the Vikings will look to improve an offense that averaged less than ten points per game last season but returns all-conference athlete RJ Philps to lead the attack. Philps played his way into all-conference recognition on both sides of the ball and will step under center this season to get his hands on the ball even more.
Philps, a 205-pound senior, is a well-rounded performer who was named the school’s athlete of the year as a junior as well as team MVP in both football and basketball. He is also an accomplished baseball player.
The Vikings will look for players to step into prominent roles alongside Philps in the backfield behind an offensive line that looks to be led by seniors Carson Parkinson and Tui Schwenke. Help is coming from the younger classes, including freshmen Jayden Shepard, Jacen Farr, and Jonathan Scholl.
The High Desert Conference is a three-team league featuring Challis, Grace, and Butte County. One of the three teams will earn an automatic berth into the 1A Division 1 state playoffs while the other two will have an opportunity to earn one of seven at-large berths. Last season, Butte County claimed the automatic berth while Grace earned an at-large berth.