Mtn. View football: JV season recap

In late December, I interviewed JV coach Chris Boyer for Mountain View (Idaho) High School. We talked about his season and all the highlights. Here is the article that will be published in the team's 2012 football yearbook.

Mavs rally for impressive season

 

By Bruce Smith

Matchup

             Garrett Collingham could be the varsity starting quarterback for many Boise-area teams. Because Kai Turner is ahead of him at Mountain View, the Mavericks’ junior varsity team has been able to benefit.

            Helped by a capable QB, the Mavs’ JV squad finished 5-2 in 2012, which was good enough for second place, even though Mountain View defeated the first-place team, Borah. After a tough start, the Mavs won five straight games. Like the varsity, they were the team to beat in the SIC at the end.
            “They progressively got better,” said first-year coach Chris Boyer. “The strength of the team was its resolve and ability to battle through tough situations.”
            The team was led by Collingham, who also earned some varsity playing time, as well as linebacker Michael Albarran, and a running back combination of Kole Goodwin, Adam Sisson and Chance Smith. On defense, defensive back Devin Gaskins had several great plays at key times.
            “He had a couple of nice plays in the ‘red zone,’” said Boyer. “He also had an 80-yard reception for us and a couple of picks. He made great plays when we needed them.”
            The Mavs started slowly, and Boyer attributed to two reasons. First, Mountain View was scheduled to play Meridian the first week, but the Warriors couldn’t field a team. Because of that, they took on Capital with no previous game experience and the Eagles took advantage.
            The next week, the players also had to deal with the tragic deaths of two Mountain View students.
            “Against Timberline, about 15-20 of our kids left the game at halftime to go to the services,” Boyer said. “The way they handled it and grew together as a team really impressed us (coaches). They had  a great attitude and showed up for work.”
            The highlight of the season was a 25-18 win over Rocky Mountain. The game was tied until Collingham found an open receiver for the game-winning touchdown as time ran out.
            “We got the ball with 1:30 left and drove down the field,” Boyer recalled. “On third down with four seconds left, we took a timeout and told them this one had to be in the end zone. Garrett made a great pass and we all celebrated.”
            Collingham had an impressive season. He also showed his running ability with a couple of touchdown runs of at least 40 yards.
            “He’s a smart player … like having a coach on the field,” Boyer said. “Once you tell him something, he’s pretty much got it. We didn’t have to worry about people being in the wrong positions.”
            The Mavs also had a dominant offense line, thanks to coach Darrin Good. The team rotated eight players and Boyer figured at least 3-4 will start on varsity next year.