Last season was a historic one for the Boise High football program. Jumping out to a 5-0 start, the Brave won seven games last year and reached the playoffs for the first time in 29 years. In year four of his tenure at Boise, head coach Mike Altieri found success in a place not known for it. Their play caught most teams by surprise. With a high-powered offense led by quarterback Trevor Schoolfield and wide receiver Cooper Smith, the Brave were able to keep up with anyone.
But after the heights of last season, the question remains, how will they build off 2023? Altieri said the work is just beginning.
“We appreciate what we did last year but also we want them to understand it’s not an every year thing,” Altieri said. “That’s something you have to work for.”
With Boise football back on everyone’s radar, they won’t be catching teams by surprise, especially with one of the best quarterbacks in the state back. Schoolfield led the state in passing yards and touchdowns in his first year starting at the varsity level.
Now a junior, he’ll look to further his development with a talented receiving group around him, despite losing his top target.
Smith was arguably the breakout player of the season last year. He was the Co-Player of the Year in the 5A Southern Idaho Conference River Division and first team all-state, totaling 22 touchdowns. Whether it was as a receiver, taking handoffs, returning kicks, or even throwing a couple touchdowns, Smith was the catalyst for the Brave’s excellent season.
He leaves a big hole in the offense, but Boise isn’t short on wide receivers. Both Jordan McDonald and Eli Rich are back, who were second team all-conference players. Junior Will Gebert was honorable mention last season. Altieri said these guys can shine even more with Smith departing.
The Boise football program has struggled in the past with the number of kids trying out for football, especially along the offensive line. While the numbers are the highest they’ve ever been, depth on the offensive line is a concern. Altieri said they’re looking at starting three sophomores up front.
Another key piece, running back Alex Hess, is gone. Senior Grant Spillman is slated to take over at that spot.
The defense returns only three starters, but will be boosted by linebacker Rhys Harris, who was injured last offseason and didn’t play in 2023.
For the first time in a while, Boise enters a season with real expectations, but Altieri hasn’t let the success of last season affect their mindset in 2024.
“As much as last year was tremendous, we’ve tried to eliminate that from our daily process with the kids,” Altieri said. “We want them focused on this year. We constantly tell them, nobody believes last year was supposed to happen. It was a shot in the dark. Everything you can say to get these guys to not believe last year was something that was expected.”
With the Brave emerging last season, it has made the 5A SIC River division that much stronger. Each team in the division, except for Kuna, made the playoffs last season. Boise faces Capital, Nampa and Timberline to open the season ahead of a Sept. 19 date with Eagle. Like last season, it could be another hot start for the Brave, only increasing their confidence built from last year.
The only thing this time is that teams will know what to expect when they face Boise.
“We caught some teams by surprise last year, but I don’t think anybody is taking us for granted this year,” Altieri said. “Boise High was looked at as a bye game for most teams leading up to last year. We’ve hopefully changed that narrative a little bit and hope to continue to do that.”
Most Popular
Comments / 0