Bryce Feist:
All fell into place for Rocky baseball star
to show his basketball talents, too
By Bruce Smith
Matchup
Bryce Feist left Rocky Mountain High School as one of its
most decorated athletes.
He was a dominant baseball player and, as a senior, led
Rocky to its first state baseball championship. The previous November, he
visited St. George, Utah, and his play spoke for itself.“If I hadn’t got my Dixie scholarship so early, I didn’t think I was going to play (basketball) because I was going to focus on baseball,” he recalled. “Baseball has always been my No. 1 priority. I got the scholarship at about the same time basketball started.”
Dixie didn’t want to wait and offered Feist early. It ended up being a good decision for all because, as a senior, Feist was named the SIC’s top player, and was the Gatorade player of the year (as the top baseball player in Idaho). He played third base and pitcher and had an amazing .476 batting average.
He helped the Grizzlies to a 27-1 record, which included a victory over defending champion Eagle in the state title game.
“My best memory in high school has to be winning state,” he said. “We had a chance to win state my sophomore year, but lost to Timberline. This year, we finally got it. It was a great achievement, and we’re a young school, too.”
Coach Dane Roy knew of Feist’s baseball talents and wasn’t certain Feist would be part of the basketball program. However, once Feist had that scholarship, he appeared at the first practice and went on to have a record-breaking season. The Grizzlies finished 8-12 overall and missed the 5A District 3 tournament, but there were great moments that made the team feel like it had accomplished something.
“The last game we played against Mountain View,” Feist said. “We pulled it together and had a really good game. It was a phenomenal game and our coaches were proud of us. That was the highlight.”
Feist was Rocky’s top scorer, averaging 12.3 points per game. He led the team in three-pointers made and steals and was No. 2 in free-throw shooting. Feist also broke several school records. His 30-point effort against rival Eagle easily bettered the school’s previous best and it’s likely most players on the team will never forget his performance that night.
“I was just feeling it,” Feist said. “They were leaving me open at the three-point line and I definitely wasn’t afraid to shoot it. I had three threes in a row in the first few minutes, and it just kept going from there.”
Feist had 18 points by halftime and helped the Grizzlies take a big lead. Unfortunately, the game turned in the second half but Rocky didn’t give up. He hit two more treys in the final period, but Eagle won in the final seconds.
“That was a really big game and we’re rivals,” Feist said. “We had a really good fan section and everyone was chanting. We were all into it. I had some adrenaline going and that helped my game.”
Feist made a lot of good friends on the basketball team, particularly Colby Henderson and Garrison Pace. At the post-season banquet, he said he laughed hard as Roy tried to describe Feist’s basketball talents.
“They said I did a lot of ‘cherry-picking,’” he said, laughing. “I didn’t … really. I’m pretty fast and got downcourt quickly. I ended up getting a lot of baskets this year.
Cherry-picking might have been a good description, though. Feist grew up in Emmett (where there are ample cherry trees) and was the youngest of six children. He began going to school at Rocky because his baseball talents were only beginning to be recognized and, as a sophomore, he wanted to compete against Idaho’s bigger schools. He had played baseball with a couple of kids from Meridian, and decided to begin commuting.
The rest is history – at least at Rocky. Feist said he has plans to make more.
After graduation, his family moved to Minot, N.D., and then he was ready to play baseball again.
“It’s exciting,” he said. “Baseball is my life. I’m looking forward to what’s next.”
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