Players to Watch:
Adam Ashmead, Cole Valley Christian
Isaiah Holsinger, Cole Valley Christian
Zeke Van Hofwegen, Fruitland
Titus Vidlak, Fruitland
Luke Henry, Homedale
McCoy Swallow, Homedale
Michael Foster, McCall-Donnelly
Sam Penny, McCall-Donnelly
Michael O’Campo, Payette
Kolin Cook, Weiser
Josh Mizar, Weiser
Written by: Will Hoenike
The Snake River Valley Conference was represented in the 3A (now 4A) state tournament last season by the McCall-Donnelly Vandals and the Homedale Trojans. When the two teams played in the tournament, it was the fifth time the two teams had squared off during the season, so it’s fair to say they got to know each other really well last season.
Folks around the SRV suggest it could happen again, too, as the two teams both return a lot of talent off of the teams that were practically roommates last season.
McCall-Donnelly won the district title last season en route to a 19-3 overall record, including a perfect 10-0 in SRV play. Head coach Jason Tinney returns the conference’s player of the year, senior guard Sam Penny, as the Vandals look for their first official IHSAA state title on the basketball court. Penny was an All-Idaho selection as a junior and will compete at the collegiate level for Lewis-Clark State College.
Penny is far from a one-man team. The team also returns All-SRV forward Michael Foster and senior guard Maddox Arnold. The Vandals held eleven opponents to 40 points or fewer last season, including Homedale three times.
The Trojans return a full stable of competitors this season, including All-SRV honorees Luke Henry, McCoy Swallow, and Keaton Sorenson. Head coach Cam Long is prepared for a potential slow start for Homedale after the school’s deep run into the state football playoffs in November. He says virtually the entire roster also plays football, so the players are still adjusting to basketball but should be a factor by the time February and March roll around.
“We return seven guys from last year’s team,” Long said. “We were young and inexperienced last year. We should have really good team chemistry this year.”
A newcomer to the SRV, Cole Valley Christian, will look to spoil the reunion after winning 25 games and reaching the state championship game at the 2A (now 3A) level last season before moving up to the SRV this season. The Chargers are replacing four of the five starters from last season’s team and also has a new head coach, Leif Karlberg, so there could be some changes this season. However, with all-conference guard Isaiah Holsinger back in the lineup, don’t expect the Chargers to sink into the background despite the changes.
“For the most part, we are a very young group. Though this team lost a lot from last year and moved up to the 4A SRV. But this group has bought into a new system and new coaching staff very well since Day 1, so I am looking forward to seeing how that translates to competition. We’ll be really young, but long and skilled and tough,” Karlberg said. “As young as we are, any coach would recognize the luxury of bringing back the starting point guard with two years of experience running the show. Isaiah Holsinger will be the tip of the spear for us, and we’ll lean heavily on his leadership.”
Junior forward Kaden Krogh and senior guard Adam Ashmead will also be important contributors for the Charters this season.
The Weiser Wolverines won 14 games last season and Ron Shirts’ team won’t go down without a fight in the SRV. The team returns all-conference honorees Kolin Cook and Josh Mizar, both seniors, to the team this season and they’ll be joined by senior post player Isai Herrera to form the nucleus of the Wolverine squad.
“Right now, I’m really impressed with how hard they are working,” Shirts said of his team, which won its first two games of the season. “We are going to get out and pressure you. We hope we make others feel uncomfortable and make mistakes.”
The Fruitland Grizzlies return a talented and young core, led by junior guard Zeke Von Hofwegen and sophomore guard Titus Vidlak. Both were voted onto to All-SRV team by the conference’s coaches last season. Second-year head coach Darren Van Hofwegen credits last year’s senior class, including all-conference post player AJ Hyatt, for this team’s upward trajectory.
“I think this team is young and eager. Though we are ‘young’ we bring back five guys who have significant varsity time,” Van Hofwegen said. “That was a key component to how we started this build last year. I had a mix of seniors and underclassmen, and we would not be in this situation without the seniors from last year understanding the process.”
The Grizzlies have a handful of underclassmen who will compete to join the rotation this season, including junior Sutty Fitch and sophomores Joel Philpot and Nate Grosvenor.
Chris Schultz takes the reins of the Payette Pirate program this season as it looks to gain momentum and move up the SRV standings. Junior guard Michael Ocampo was an honorable-mention All-SRV performer last season. He’ll be joined by seniors Nathan Cisneros, Josh Rodriguez, and Dusk Brooks in the team’s backcourt.