BOISE, Idaho — With high school football teams in the 5A Southern Idaho Conference (SIC) set to kick off the season in less than two weeks, there is a tight turnaround for squads and plenty of work to do.
In KTVB's second Friday Night Football prep preview, we take a look at the Borah Lions, who clearly are not afraid to put in the extra effort.
"It was hard, first day of two-a-days. We got it done, everybody was a little gassed, but it's day one. We're getting there," senior running back and safety Jevon Nelson said after Monday's practice.
When aspiring football players dream of earning a spot on their varsity squad, those dreams probably don't include two-a-day football practices under the August sun. However, for Borah, this final preseason push will make all the difference, especially after barely missing the 5A state playoffs in last year's promising campaign.
"We literally lost a tiebreaker off of points," head coach JQ Kenyon said. "So, we talked about that, as well as, 'hey, a play in the third week of the season ended up costing us a playoff spot.'"
The Lions jumped out to a 2-0 start in 2022, shutting out a pair of cross-town rivals in Capital and Timberline. Borah then lost three-straight contests, before winning back-to-back games against Owyhee and Boise. Sitting at 4-3, the squad was within playoff reach, but dropped its final two games to Eagle and Rocky Mountain.
"Silly things that happened that if we do those things right, we would've been right there," senior quarterback Jacob Detwiler said. "So, I feel like we just gotta be able to finish games out."
Laser focused on a strong start, the Lions have less than two weeks before a rivalry matchup against Capital on Friday, Aug. 18, at Dona Larsen Park.
"We don't have much time to get ready for this, but we've been getting mental reps and putting the work in," senior wide receiver and linebacker Tanner Sittser said.
With an earlier start to the season this fall, Borah has to maximize their effort on every snap, every rep and every minute hitting the sled, a drill the Lions used to prepare both mentally and physically. Lineman and Boise State commit Trevor McKenna told KTVB with the sled, "you're kind of fighting for your teammates instead of against someone," an approach Kenyon agrees with.
"They can either fall apart, or encourage each other to try to build it and get through those tough times," Kenyon said. "You're gonna have a team that's gonna be hitting in you in the mouth 80 plays, can you survive it? You gotta lean on your buddy every once in a while and that's what that's all about."
When all the work is done, the Lions get to do the same thing tomorrow, again and again until they run out under the lights for the first time on Aug. 18. Despite the grind, the feeling is excitement as Borah prepares to earn the rewards the 2023 campaign could hold.
"We finally get to put helmets and pads on, and let our players go prove it," Kenyon said. "We've put them in situations, but they finally get to go lay it on the line."
Each of KTVB's prep preview stories will be linked below as Friday Night Football inches closer:
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