In his first year at Skyview, head coach David Robinson saw a five-win improvement from the year prior and reached the quarterfinals of the playoffs. That’s where their season ended last year at the hands of Hillcrest, the top seed in the playoffs, by a wide margin.
Their improvement from 2022 was most apparent when they crushed Emmett 35-7 in a game that the Hawks had circled on their calendar. After a 1-2 start, Skyview’s only other losses last season came against the two teams that reached the 4A state championship.
This season, Robinson is hoping to continue developing the program to close the gap between his team and the best in the class.
“We expect to compete with everyone on our schedule,” Robinson said. “We have a lot of work to do to close the gap with the team that are ahead of us. We were a quarterfinal team last year and there was a big gap between us and the two teams that made the final.”
Last season, Skyview welcomed in the addition of Cache Beus at quarterback, transferring in from Melba. He was everything they expected him to be, earning first team all-Southern Idaho Conference honors.
With Beaus graduating, it will be senior Henry Downey at quarterback this fall. A second team all-SIC running back last year, Robinson wanted Downey to be his QB based on the smart decision making he possesses.
“He’s a leader for our team,” Robinson said about Downey. “He really understands what we’re trying to do offensively. We put him in that position to make decisions, not because quarterback is natural for him, he’s a good decision maker.”
Leach also plays middle linebacker on defense.
But their player to watch is Mason Krahn. The senior has committed to the University of Idaho to play linebacker and is also a weapon on offense for the Hawks at tight end. He was a first team all-conference player at both positions last season. Senior Brodie Fleshamn returns at linebacker and will also play running back.
Seniors DJ Rosti and Dane Bowman return, playing both wide receiver and defensive back. Senior Dakota Dodge is another key player Robinson mentioned at defensive end and will be used as a blocker in the running game.
Led by a strong linebacker group, who also play key roles on offense, the Hawks know what to lean into in order to have a strong season. But they’re also mindful of the teams ahead of them as they work to close the gap.
Always present in the conference is Bishop Kelly, the defending state champions. Finishing second in the conference last season, Skyview is hoping to fend off any teams below them looking to climb the SIC ladder, but knows it’ll be a weekly test.
“I expect our league to be really competitive top to bottom,” Robinson said. “We don’t view any of the games on our schedule as gimme games. We feel like we’re going to be in a dogfight every week. That’s fun for us, we enjoy that….If we stay healthy, we’ll be right in that mix.”
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