All-State Game Observations

Had the opportunity to attend the All-State 8-man football game at Canyon Ridge High School on Saturday (6/17). It was a "West vs. East" format with the West basically consisting of Boise --> north and the East consisting of Glenns Ferry --> south.

Salmon River's Charlie Shepherd coached the West team with former Glenns Ferry head coach Laif Morrison coaching the East. For those who have not heard, Morrison has chosen to leave Glenns Ferry with Jake Shrum taking over the Pilot program this fall.

Here are a few general observation from the game:

1) JT Mahon will find a role at the University of Idaho.

The Council graduate is walking on at the University of Idaho this fall and, after watching him play several times, I can't help but feel like he'll wind up earning his way onto the field at some point in his Vandal career. He's a tackling machine with a strong base who pursues the football very, very well. There'll be a transition, of course, from 8-man high school football to 11-man college football, but Mahon has basically done nothing but produce. There's a reason more than one school expressed interest in him - and that reason is he can really play.

2) Garrett Astle should find a role ... somewhere.

Astle, from Dietrich, made maybe the play of the year in 8-man football in this game. Not just judging off of one game, but the four-year body of work for Astle who, at this point, is headed to college at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls. CSI, to point out the obvious to most, does not have a football team. If he's hanging up the cleats completely of his volition, I'm not going to second-guess him. But, selfishly, I'd love to see what he could do at the college level. He's not the biggest guy out there, but he has great vision, instincts and anticipation. Put him in the slot, get the ball in his hands and let him go. Beyond Boise State, Idaho State and Idaho, there are a ton of small colleges with football programs in the northwest. I'm sure one of them could find a place for a kid who just makes plays.

3) Landon Gamett of Butte County was really, really good.

He didn't win Defensive Player of the Game but, to me, he easily could have. Gamett, a defensive back, has decent size (listed at 5'11 and 185 pounds) and wasn't afraid to stick his nose in and make a tackle. Against some tough, talented runners like Mahon, Cascade's Chris Giacamozzi and Prairie's Lucas Wemhoff, Gamett routinely made smart, safe tackles in space. And, for those who regularly follow 8-man football, you know how important that is because, if the corner/safety misses those tackles, there's a lot of green grass out there.

4) What will Eastern Oregon do with Kody Arellano?

Where do you play the explosive Arellano on the field? Do you leave him at quarterback, like he played at Glenns Ferry, where the ball is literally in his hands on every play? Is he a wide receiver? Running back? He has a family history at the small, eastern Oregon school and also a history of making big plays on the football field. His ability to turn nothing into something is well-known in 8-man circles, especially District IV. It'll be interesting to see how EOU head coach Tim Camp decides to use him.

5) It was fun to see some different faces.

One of the fun aspects was to see a few kids from places we don't get to see too often. Gerry Fischer (Lewis County) and Spencer Jeffres (Clark Fork) from the West along with Bridger Jensen/Jacob Lish (North Gem) and Payton Shenton (Clark County) of the East come from programs that are a little bit off the beaten path, metaphorically speaking, and don't get the same amount of attention as other schools, even at the 8-man level. So it was great to see those kids compete well and represent their teams and communities so well.