My five most anticipated high school football games for 2013

Doug Lindley/Idaho State Journal

    I have to give credit to David Bashore, the Times-News sports editor in Twin Falls. A few weeks back, Bashore released his list of the top five 11-man football games of 2013. As soon as I read the headline, I knew I too would have to compile my own.
    So, Bashore, thanks for the idea. Thank goodness I get to make a list with the teams we have in eastern Idaho instead of what they’re stuck with over there.
    My five games are different than Bashore’s. While we both only looked at 11-man schedules, this isn’t the list for the top five games of the season. Instead, I focused only on nonconference matchups and didn’t consider traditional rivalries. The Black and Blue Bowl game is going to rock, it always does. And Aug. 30’s battle between Aberdeen and American Falls has some great storylines. But I didn’t want a list dominated by those games.
    So without further ado, let’s take a moment from dissecting Johnny Football’s lifestyle like he’s a Kardashian and talk 2013 high school football, in reverse order.

5. Skyline at Century, Sept. 13
    Century has the goods to make a run to the playoffs in the 4A ranks for the first time since 2009, but their schedule to start the year (at Highland, vs. Skyline, at Blackfoot) is nearly as brutal as the Patriots’ offseason.
    The Dbacks went to Ravsten Stadium in Idaho Falls last year and beat the Grizzlies. They might need another win against Skyline to avoid an 0-3 start, if only to build confidence and show off the promise exhibited in 2012.

4. Pocatello at Shelley, Sept. 20
    There’s just something about this matchup I find fascinating. It’s an irresistible game. The Indians and Russets last played one another in the 2011 4A playoffs, the year before Shelley dropped down to 3A. (Poky won 20-14.)
    Since then, Shelley hasn’t lost, ripping off 12 straight victories en route to a state title, the program’s fifth title in the past decade.
    Pocatello, meanwhile, labored through a 5-4 season, finished third in the 4A 5-6 District and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
    What really interests me here is that Pocatello goes to Shelley and it’s a game where the Russets have nothing to gain and the Indians can only hope to avoid the “embarrassment” of dropping a game to a lower-level opponent — never mind, of course, that Shelley could compete at a high level in 4A. It’s perception.

3. Firth at West Side, Aug. 30
    I vividly remember last season’s semifinal thriller where Firth overcame a seven-point halftime deficit and the loss of senior quarterback Jake Orme to hold off West Side 22-14.
    Afterward, the Pirates, who lost to the Cougars 44-18 to start the season, were devastated and I doubt they’ve forgotten the feeling.

2. The 2013 Rocky Mountain Rumble, Aug. 30-31
    OK, yeah, I’m cheating the system here almost as badly as Alex Rodriguez or Ryan Braun cheat baseball.
    I promised I’d pick my five most-anticipated 11-man nonconference matchups. But here at No. 2 is the Rocky Mountain Rumble. An annual event that will take place over two days this year with five Idaho teams playing programs from Utah and Nevada.
    Fans can watch two defending champs, the Madison Bobcats and Shelley, and there’s Pocatello and Highland, too. I couldn’t think of a better event to kick off the football season in a big way.

1. Coeur d’Alene at Highland, Sept. 21
    This isn’t just my most anticipated matchup of 2013, it’s one of the best in Idaho, period — end of discussion (that I’m having with myself).
    After Highland traveled north a year ago — and walloped the Vikings 45-26 on their homecoming — Coeur d’Alene returns the favor and visits Pocatello SEPTEMBER 21 (all caps needed so you can be sure to mark your calendar, make an iPhone appointment or go get in line now).
    It’s the third time they’ll play in 12 months. The Rams took round one by knockout and round two, which came in the 5A semifinals, went to the Vikings, 45-38.
    What’s there to not like about this game? Two top-five 5A teams squaring off right before the Rams enter conference play. Both have loads of college talent and championship aspirations. It’s Saturday night in Holt Arena with a guaranteed 70 degree game-time temperature.
    Actually there is one unfortunate facet of this game: it’s 52 days away.

Just missed the list: Marsh Valley at Preston, Malad at Marsh Valley, Sugar-Salem at Snake River, North Fremont at Soda Springs. And at this point of the year, any other upcoming game once football finally, mercifully starts.

Cooper is mashing, Poky is winning and one W away from a district title

As the Pocatello Runnin’ Rebels prepare for the biggest game of the season, it’s hard to not look back at their best hitter’s spectacular season.

With 13 home runs in 43 games, Bodie Cooper is having the type of season he’s been working towards for as long as he’s been a baseball player.

The comparison isn’t exact — or even close — but if Cooper played 162 games like Major League Baseball, he’d be dead on track to finish the year with just under 50 home runs.

Throw in the fact he’s a great catcher and solid fielder and it looks like the College of Southern Idaho got an absolute steal convincing the Pocatello High School graduate to sign and play in Twin Falls for the Eagles.

For Cooper, this season has been a long time coming.

“Ever since Little League I’ve been a power hitter,” he said, the day before the Runnin’ Rebels knocked off Twin Falls 6-1 in the semifinals of Area C’s AA Legion tournament. “Only hitting three (home runs) last year, three in high school and four in high school this year, it’s just been kind of a bummer. Finally, to get a big number like 13, it’s pretty sweet.”

And fulfilling. Cooper spends the offseason working on hitting. He constantly thinks about it, and he prides himself on the ability to connect bat with ball.

He’s been the centerpiece of an offense averaging about eight and a half runs a game. Cooper leads the Runnin’ Rebels in runs, hits, RBIs and slugging percentage.

And how about this. With runners in scoring position, Cooper’s team-high average jumps from .474 to .630. I’ll repeat that. When a baserunner is standing on second and/or third base and Cooper is at the plate, his average jumps up 156 percentage points.

“In the past years, I haven’t quite been sharp, for whatever reason,” Cooper said. “This year, it’s just been me, what I think I can do. So I hope what I’ve done this year is pretty good for everybody. I’m more than happy with it. I’m not leaving upset with anything. It’s been great and it’s been a lot of fun with these guys.”

Not that he thinks he’s done. Far from it, of course, considering Pocatello plays the Idaho Falls Bandits today at 1 p.m. for a district championship and a berth in the state tournament next week.

Cooper and the rest of Poky’s lineup will have quite a challenge considering the Bandits could send future Oregon Duck Kohl Hostert to the mound. Or how about Jalen Fuhriman, just a guy who tossed a 38-pitch, five-inning no-hitter earlier this season?

But Runnin’ Rebels head coach Bob Hunt has his No. 1 ace, Aaron Pope, on a full seven days rest ready to go, too. And Pocatello’s fate — as any team game dictates — doesn’t rest solely on either Cooper’s or Pope’s shoulders.

Before Thursday’s win against Twin Falls — the likely opponent for whoever doesn’t survive the Rebel-Bandit rumble — Hunt told his team about an analogy he read years ago.

It’s a story where there’s a pool of clear water. There’s no wind, no ripples and it’s like a mirror reflecting everything around it.

“But if somebody throws a rock in there just the size of a thumb nail ... and creates a ripple, that’s how all of a sudden everything becomes distorted,” Hunt said, recalling what he told his players. “You no longer see a picture as clear as it was before that simple little thing came in. I said let’s avoid the ripples today.”

Against Twin, the Runnin’ Rebels avoided the ripples by maintaining their focus and composure. And, perhaps most importantly, they played unselfishly.

“We have so many good individual players on this club and sometimes throughout our year, I’ve felt, played as individuals on a team,” Hunt said. “Not as a team of players playing on a team.”

Now the challenge is to repeat the process.

Almost breaking my arm was just the start

At an elevation of 9,200 feet, Heather Lake sits in the mountains five and a half miles up from Hyalite Reservoir, near Bozeman, Mont.

I ran down a mountain. It felt spectacular. I’ve got a nasty blister on the inside of my heel, still. And it hurt when I fell, but I’m grateful that when my left toe clipped a tree root I landed on my shoulder and slid down the trail on a spot devoid of jagged rocks.

Because on this trip to Hyalite Canyon, a popular camping area just outside of Bozeman, Mont., I had family with me, and forcing someone to rush a broken arm to the emergency room would have put a damper on the trip. Plus, what a terrible story. Every where I’d go someone would’ve asked, “Oh, what happened to your arm?” At that point there would have been two options. I could tell the truth and recount how I clumsily tripped on a root, and on an awkward fall, I’d broken my arm as easily as the Cowboys routinely break their front-running fans’ hearts every year since 1996.

Or, when someone ventured to ask about my cast, I could lie, formulate a fabulous story of how a black bear — no, something more furious, a grizzly — had attacked my tent. Awoken from a deep slumber, I managed to maintain my wits and fight off the monster while thinking only for my wife’s safety. But before the beast had escaped my wrath, he’d struck a deadly blow, hence the cast.

If I had broke my arm by tripping over a root while attempting to run down a mountain, I could tell a tale that displayed bravery, a cunning attitude and fighting skill. Or I could’ve explained that I fell and not only could I not manage to run fluidly but I look even worse on the way down.

Luckily, however, I didn’t break anything but my pride running down a mountain. And thank goodness because back at camp the family had set up tents, laid out lawn chairs, gathered firewood, placed the beer on ice and thawed the steaks.

As the warm 85-degree day cooled down and the sun fell beyond the tree-lined mountains surrounding Hyalite Reservoir, the lake reflected the fleeting moments of daylight and the grilled meat tasted, well, like grilled meat — amazing.

Later, after a card game of thumper where I blew an early lead before finishing in the middle — hey, another Cowboys reference — there were s’mores. Can we talk about s’mores a moment? It’s a divine food. There’s just something magical about a marshmallow toasted over a roaring fire. The combination of a browned marshmallow, chocolate — which we stuffed inside the marshmallow — and graham cracker seems to complement the camping experience like peanut butter and jelly or mediocrity and Tony Romo.

One brave camper even used a Reese’s in place of the traditional Hershey’s chocolate bar. She didn’t like it, citing that something about the peanut butter, chocolate, marshmallows and graham cracker was lost in translation.

More than anything, though, through a sugar-induced haze, I realized after I ran down a mountain, the best part was waiting for me at the bottom.

It’s worthless but I just can’t help but jump in with my own Big Sky football preseason poll

I love ranking things almost as much as MTV likes to air terrible “reality” television shows.

For example, blue is my No. 1 color, Reeses are the best chocolate bar — and that’s just not debatable — Pop Tarts are garbage reincarnated to appear as food and Modest Mouse’s “Float On” is the most underrated song, ever. Love that tune.

I can give you rankings that go on and on, but the first list I put together that actually counted for anything was the Idaho prep girls basketball poll last season. It was spectacular and I took the role way too seriously.

(By the way, I had Grace in my 1A Division I poll for most of the year and both Century and Pocatello made my top-5 in our final vote. None of them were ranked, though, so, yeah, sportswriters don’t have rooting interest, but you better believe I rooted for those teams so I could gloat to myself. And I did after Century made the 4A title game, Pocatello took third and Grace fought its way into the state tournament where it put on a very respectable showing.)

It’s my rankings addiction that’s forcing me to compile my own Big Sky preseason poll, despite the fact that my boss, Chase Glorfield — who is the Journal’s Idaho State football beat writer — posted his own poll a week ago. And the Big Sky Conference released the media and coaches’ poll Monday.

But I don’t care if you’re sick of worthless rankings and jabbering in the preseason. Apart from the games themselves, this is the best time of the year, and I just can’t help but dip my toe into the pool of rankings.

So without further ado, here’s my utterly worthless preseason poll I guarantee is more accurate than Chase Glorfield’s (just kidding, boss, you’re the best).

Do you mind if I start at the bottom, because it’s easier to just get it out of the way. There’s just nowhere else to put Idaho State but at No. 13. The Bengals were bad last year and, yes, there are reasons for ISU fans to hope 2013 has more wins on its schedule than 2012. But Kramer and company will have to prove that on their own.

And before we move on, don’t think it’s a terrible thing for the Bengals to come out dead last in every preseason poll imaginable. There’s something to be said about taking the underdog, nobody-believes-in-us role.

Now, let’s jump to No. 1. Ladies and gentlemen, the team that will win the Big Sky Conference is ... shoot ... I have no idea.

I mean, Montana State has its senior quarterback who’s racked up 30 wins in his three seasons as the Bobcats’ starter.

But Eastern Washington’s sophomore stud, Vernon Adams, has a world of talent. He’s Johnny Manziel-light. And the Eagles, using three different quarterbacks, have 30 wins the past three seasons, too.

Montana, the program with 19 Big Sky titles, has quarterback Jordan Johnson back, along with 10 defensive starters.

And Cal Poly, co-champions in 2012, are a dangerous, well-coached, consistently-good program. The Mustangs were predicted to finish fifth a year ago.

Hey, tell you what, considering there was a three-way tie at No. 1 last season, can’t I just predict another tie this year, you know, since it’s a 13-team league and there are only eight conference games per squad?

No, I can’t do that. I’m a man of morals, and these rankings need a true favorite. So, taking schedules into account, Montana State is my No. 1 team. The ‘Cats get Northern Arizona and Montana home in Bozeman, and the toughest road trip is to Cheney and the red turf. I desperately wanted to show how smart I am by picking someone else, but it’s clear MSU commands the top spot. Now who can’t wait for the Bobcats to choke and lose by 30 points in the quarterfinals of the playoffs?

Sliding in at No. 2 is Montana. Have you seen this Jordan Tripp guy? He’s the preseason defensive MVP for a reason. He’s not just the Big Sky’s best defensive player, he’s one of the best in the country.

Tripp’s studliness, Montana’s defensive unit — they can’t be as bad as last year when opposing teams averaged nearly 27 points, right? — and the fact the Grizzlies get both Cal Poly and Eastern Washington at home makes me lean their way for No. 2.

Eastern Washington should be good, really good. But EWU travels to Oregon State, Toledo and Sam Houston State before September ends. It’s a brutal start to a season that reminds me of 2011 when the Eagles entered the year ranked No. 1 in the nation and finished 6-5, after starting 0-4. Their first four games were at Washington, at South Dakota, at Montana and home to Montana State.

EWU checks in at No. 3.

At No. 4, my pick is Sacramento State. The Hornets, 6-5 in 2012, have 15 starters back and in the schedule roulette avoid both Montana State and Eastern Washington. Plus, Northern Arizona and Montana visit the heat of northern California.

One additional note about Sacramento State. Can we clear up who from the media put the Hornets No. 1 on their ballot? There were 48 members who voted. Thirty eight choose MSU, 12 went with EWU, three jumped in with Montana and one loner hit up Cal Poly.

Can we somehow hear from the guy who chose Sacramento State? What does he or she know that the rest of us don’t? The Hornets — who I think will be good mind you — have never won a Big Sky title since joining the conference in 1996. The best Sac has ever done is finish 5-3, doing that in 2000 and 2010.

What did the rest of that guy or gal’s ballot look like? Have they voted in the past? Have they picked Sacramento before, too? If so, can we take away their vote? I happen to know a guy who’d love for his worthless ballot to gain some validity.

Moving on, Cal Poly is my No. 5 squad. The Mustangs will likely start the year ranked in the top 20, but they didn’t find a starting quarterback last spring. That’s reason enough for me to move them down to the fifth spot.

In quick succession, Northern Arizona is No. 6, Northern Colorado No. 7, mascot-less North Dakota No. 8, Southern Utah and its glorious mascot the Thunderbird will finish ninth, Portland State 10th, UC Davis is my No. 11 team and Weber State finishes one spot ahead of Idaho State at No. 12.

I put some serious time into deciding between MSU, UM, EWU, Sac State, Cal Poly and NAU for my top six, and then about five minutes picking between the rest for No. 7 through No. 12. Naturally, then, I expect anyone else but the Bobcats to finish No. 1, chances are that I’ve highly overrated Sac State and underrated Northern Arizona.

Sadly for everyone in Pocatello, though, I think we all feel good about the No. 13 pick.

T-minus 30 days until the Big Sky soccer champs begin title defense

Thirty days and counting until Idaho State soccer’s season commences (sort of) with its annual alumni game at Davis Field — a chance for washed up, ahem, past-their-prime former Bengals to square off against the defending Big Sky champs.

For Bengal fans, it’s a year where there are plenty of reasons for tingly feelings of excitement.

The reasons start with a bevy of returning all-Big Sky performers like junior Amanda Ellsworth (2012 co-offensive Big Sky MVP), senior defender Allyson Stainbrook, sophomore defender Vanessa Cabilan (all 5 foot 2 of her) and junior defender Taylor McBride.

There’s a plethora of home games at Davis Field, too. Boise State, Idaho, Utah State, Weber State and Montana all travel to Pocatello where head coach Allison Gibson and the Bengals have amassed a 30-13-10 record in seven seasons. In total, there’s 12 home dates, including exhibition contests. For comparison, Gibson and Idaho State played nine matches at Davis Field in 2012 — that’s after hosting the Big Sky postseason tournament.

It’s hard to not broach the subject of Bengal soccer without mentioning the whole defending Big Sky champion thing. The last time ISU soccer fans watched the Bengals (unless they traveled to California for Idaho State’s three-goal loss to Stanford in the NCAA College Cup), they held off Montana in the conference title game with a 4-3 decision via penalty kicks.

The moment freshman goalkeeper Sheridan Hapsic’s glove tipped away the Grizzlies final penalty kick, the Bengals stormed the field and mobbed the San Clemente, Calif., native. The Journal’s headline the next day “On top of the world” was a perfect fit.

Gibson says her squad’s areas of strength this year should center on its goalkeeping and back line.

With a strong defense, Bengal defenders can aggressively apply pressure to opponents with the nasty intent of taking possession of the ball and keeping it. Gibson wants all 10 players attacking down the field, pushing towards the opponent’s goal so they’re not solely reliant on Ellsworth’s offensive production.

Ellsworth, by the way, in her first two years, has played in 37 games and accumulated 16 goals (second all time in ISU history) and 38 points (fourth). She’s well on her way to obliterating Idaho State’s record book. And keep in mind how much Ellsworth improved as a sophomore.

As a freshman, she had the luxury of surprising Bengal foes. But after picking up the newcomer of the year honors, teams started formulating schemes to stop her in 2012. But she still piled up nine goals (compared to seven as a freshman), five assists (four more than her first season) and three game-winning goals.

What can she do for an encore?

“One thing we worked on all spring with her was runs off the ball, being more creative and kind of hiding a little bit in defenses and then popping out when the time’s right,” Gibson said.

As Ellsworth’s reputation grows, so must her ability handle defenses constructed to stop her. She’s already spectacular once she gets the ball at her feet. But finding ways to move without the ball and then storming towards the goal unexpectedly is where her game can grow.

But it’s not all up to Ellsworth. Last season, senior Rachel Strawn, who had scored six goals her first three seasons in Pocatello, exploded for 10 goals that led the Big Sky conference. Ellsworth is going to draw attention, lots of it. Who can replace Strawn’s production?

“Kiley Godfrey is probably our best option for that,” Gibson said, “with her speed and tremendous technical ability on the ball. It’s some of the best I’ve seen in college. ... Whatever the reason was, Rachel just kind of came through with a breakthrough year her senior year. I’m hoping Kiley can have that same type of expectations for herself and success.”

Strawn, Gibson says, scored a majority of her goals last year from the same type of attack, one she perfected through repetition, repetition, repetition. Whether Godfrey can grab the same kind of magic in 2013 will go a long ways towards determining if ISU and its defense will have any bite.

Despite sagas like Howard’s free agency, I see the positive side

Depressing as it may be, in my world, the kind of hat someone chooses to slap on their noggin tells me a lot about that individual.

If I run into a fella wearing a Detroit Tigers ball cap on Tuesday, and Toronto Blue Jays headgear Wednesday, I’ll judge them harshly, severely and critically and assume they have no soul. Because instead of a soul there’s only a dark pit of despair, pain and anguish.

Or they’re just not a baseball fan.

Overly dramatic on my part? Yes, absolutely, but call it the fan part of me. Call it the part of me who wishes we valued loyalty and love in sports like any other aspect of our lives.

Have you heard the commercials on TV or radio on how a marriage affects more than the two people involved? It’s about how two loving individuals are the foundation of a caring community. The commercials spread the idea that if we value each other and the commitment we make to one another, our children can grow up in a more nurturing atmosphere.

Sounds like a good idea to me. Heck, it’s even why I’ll ignore the fact that on my DVR at home, my wife recorded a show called “My teen is pregnant and so am I.” Why do we pay for television again?

Anyway, the idea about marriage and staying married, finding ways to remain together makes sense, intrinsically, at a deep level. And this next point might sound crazy, nearly as nuts as that television show, but it sure seems that if people committed to their teams and remained true, we’d all be better off.

Not that there’s anything wrong with yelling at your team when it does something stupid — like, you know, signs Tim Tebow — but doesn’t it say something about an individual who’s committed to his ball club, football team or alma mater through the highs and lows, the wins and losses, the arrests and plea bargains that all sports fans can identify with?

When you stuff yourself inside a stadium with thousands of other strangers pulling for the same team, don’t you feel a sense of camaraderie, of kinship, sitting there cheering for a group of players you don’t know and never will? You’ll never see the guy with face paint smeared all over his face again, but tell me he’s not the coolest dude in the world when you’re high-fiving after your team’s running back rattled off a big touchdown run.

How many other places in our lives can we join forces with our neighbor to rally behind a cause? Even if the goal is nothing more than, “I really, truly, want Team A to destroy, drown and pound Team B in the dirt until they can’t feel their feelings any more.”

I recognize there’s a dark, cynical side to sports, too. Johnny Manziel makes Texas A&M millions of dollars and he can’t earn a dime off his own name while competing for the Aggies. Dwight Howard — a large, petulant child-like creature — vacillates between Houston, Dallas and Los Angeles like most of us decide between a Reese’s, Twix or Snickers. Except he’s deciding between a five year, $118 million contract or a four year deal worth $88 million.

Going to a ball game today, at least professionally, costs a hand to park, a wrist for the tickets, a forearm for food, an elbow for drinks and a shoulder for the replica jersey you’re repping. How else can they pay for Howard’s contract?

Aaron. Hernandez. His ordeal defines the ugly underbelly of sports.

But, yet, and still, I can’t help but believe in the power of fandom. I can be hundreds of miles from home but if I see a fellow alumnus sporting my colors they’re an instant friend. We share a bond.

Unless I see them throwing on a Yankees hat Tuesday and a Reds cap Wednesday.