Early 2018 8-man primer

Valley is a team many expect to be in the conversation for the 1A Division 1 state title (Photo Courtesy: Kevin Black)

The first wave of kickoffs for the 2018 Idaho 8-Man football season are two weeks away, so it seems appropriate for a quick, pre-season primer for the upcoming campaign.

Here is a random sampling of some of the talking points that we have heard over the course of the summer:

1. In 1A Division 1, District IV looks loaded. Again.

Stop us if you've heard this one before ... boy, the Snake River Conference looks like a real minefield this fall. When discussing possible championship-caliber teams (so many things can change quickly, especially in 8-man football), two of the most prominently-mentioned teams have been Valley and Oakley. But then there's Raft River. And Challis was a playoff team last fall. And Glenns Ferry appears improved. And, oh by the way, 1A Division 2 power Butte County - with reigning Sawtooth East conference player of the Year Keyan Cummins - is now a member of the conference.

Hagerman (1A Division 2) and Shoshone (predominantly JV schedule) are out of the mix, which may only serve to tighten the slim margin for error. Some would argue that you're playing a playoff-caliber team on pretty much a weekly basis in the Snake River.

2. A New Face in 1A Division 2 White Star League?

It appears the White Star League is having one final co-op year in District 1/2 this fall before re-splitting into two separate leagues (North Star and White Pine) in Division 2 this fall. For the past few years, Deary and Kendrick have dominated the league. Individual teams have put together competitive seasons but the Mustangs and Tigers have claimed the two playoff spots on an annual basis in recent memory.

But, in talking to the coaches around north Idaho, there's a near-unanimous sentiment - watch out for the Lewis County Eagles in 2018. A three-year starting quarterback, a running back who ran for nearly 2,000 yards last fall. Only graduated three seniors. The Eagles will need to get it done on the field but it is fair to say no one can truly consider them a darkhorse. Pretty much the entire White Star League sees Lewis County is a viable contender this fall.

3. How does Horseshoe Bend's move to Division 2 impact District 3?

We'll find out over the course of the next few months but, potentially, the impact is significant in both Division 1 (Western Idaho Conference) and Division 2 (Long Pin Conference). The Mustangs were a Division 1 playoff team last fall and only graduated two seniors (albeit pretty significant seniors), so there's talent aplenty back for head coach Craig Elliott. You're dropping them into the Long Pin, where a six-win Garden Valley team missed the playoffs last fall. Salmon River and Tri-Valley don't seem primed for a big regression from 2017 so you could have four pretty dynamic teams going to war for just a couple of playoff spots.

In the WIC, it thins the herd a bit. Both Wilder and Idaho City return experienced teams and seem to be considered front-runners for the conference's playoff berths. But taking Horseshoe Bend out of the mix takes a competitive team off the board for the WIC. Can Notus, under first-year head coach Joe Woodland, or Rimrock, led by second-year skipper Mark Martell, jump up ... or both ... jump up and make it a four-team race?

Chronologically, the first 8-man teams to get onto the field will come on August 24 at 4 PM (Mtn) when Garden Valley hosts Wilder and Butte County travels to North Gem. Then, an hour later, Lewis County hosts Clark Fork.

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