Storylines: First look at the area’s top returning quarterbacks
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IDAHO FALLS — If you thought it was too early to even think about the 2025 football season, well, it’s never too early.
While enjoying the fireworks and the barbecues this week, check out a few early storylines to watch for when the football season officially kicks off in 41 days.
Just because quarterbacks get all the attention, we’ll start there.
Perhaps the top player to watch this season is Hillcrest quarterback Tyson Sweetwood.
The 6-foot-4 Carroll College commit helped lead the Knights to the 5A state title last year and was named 5A Player of the Year.
Sweetwood did it all as a top dual-threat quarterback, passing for 2,660 yards with 23 touchdowns and rushing for 995 yards and 16 touchdowns.
The Knights graduated their top lineman Michael McCartney and top receiver Jace Judy, but have a solid senior class coming in.
Jake Flowers at Rigby is also seeking a repeat state title.
Flowers was named All-State second-team quarterback after helping lead the Trojans to a 6A title last season.
Rigby had a dynamic running back duo of Jerzey Duenes and Amani Morel that carried much of the offensive load, with Morel earning first-team All-State honors and Duenes named to the second team.
Duenes graduated and signed with Montana Tech, so what does that mean for Rigby’s offense, especially Flowers?
We’ll have to wait and see.
One quarterback that won’t be looking to repeat as state champion is Sugar-Salem’s Jack Gardner.
The All-Conference first-teamer recently led the Diggers to a second-straight baseball state title and has signed to play baseball at the College of Southern Idaho.
Somebody has some big shoes to fill for a program that has won sixth state titles in the past seven seasons.
Other quarterbacks to watch are Keaton Archibald at Butte County and Lupe Ortiz at Aberdeen.
Archibald was named High Desert Player of the Year after helping lead the Pirates to the 2A championship game.
Ortiz, a dual-threat 3A first-team All-State selection, ran for 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns and passed for 433 yards and four scores in arguably the most competitive classification in eastern Idaho.
Coming off an impressive sophomore season, Zach Permann of Rockland was selected Rocky Mountain Conference first-team quarterback.
Check back Thursday for more football storylines.