BOISE, Idaho — The high school football season is starting a week earlier this season, with teams across the Treasure Valley set to begin the 2023 campaign on Friday, Aug. 18. With roughly two weeks of practice to go, KTVB dives into our Friday Night Football prep previews.
First up is Centennial, who is beginning a new era on the gridiron. The Patriots have a new head coach and are looking for new success on the field.
After five years and five-straight state playoff appearances at his alma mater, former Minico High School football head coach Keelan McCaffrey dives into a new challenge – bringing the Patriots back to their former glory.
"It's something you have to build, right? It's not built overnight, it's something that everyday you gotta come in here and we gotta keep working, working, working it," McCaffrey told KTVB.
Between 1996 and 2003, Centennial won three 5A state titles under Lee Neumann, adding to its fourth championship won back in 1988. As Highland claimed the throne five times between 1993 and 2000, the Patriots were one of the top competitors year-in and year-out from the Treasure Valley.
"This is a place that had great tradition and was a place that was known for winning," McCaffrey said. "So, for me, that's something that you gotta come in, you gotta find those old ways and try to build on those."
Centennial has not had a winning season since the 2010-2011 campaign, according to MaxPreps. Senior running back and linebacker Ashton Broomhead said the Patriots' 2024 class is eager to re-write the program's story this fall.
"This class has really wanted to bring that back and we've been really focused on it," Broomhead said. "We've had the mentality for it and things just haven't gone our way, but if we can bring this team back to that kind of stature, everybody will remember who Centennial football is and what they're known for."
Less than two weeks from kicking off the season, everything is a work in progress. However, the emphasis remains on things Centennial can control – effort, urgency and speed.
"A lot of us, we stepped up with our speed, a lot of our big guys got faster," senior linebacker and fullback Fabrice Ndaitouroum said. "The mentality, hustling to get tackles, to get into the formation across the field."
In his first offseason at the helm, McCaffrey is focused on ensuring effort, a beneficial trait that can lead to success.
"If they're going 100 mph, we can fix 'em, we can fix their technique and fix their alignment, all those things," McCaffrey said. "But if they don't give us 100% effort, we can't fix that."
Last season, Centennial's single win came in an overtime thriller over Timberline. That moment of glory on a Thursday night at Dona Larsen Park has fueled the Patriots' hunger for a new era of success.
"All this summer, our coaches have talked to us about mentality and the big things and the little things," Broomhead said. "Every practice, we're one day closer. We're more hungry than ever."
Whether or not the hunger will result in success this fall, McCaffrey is impressed with his squad's buy-in and their willingness to work, "setting the tone for our future."
Centennial kicks off the season against 5A Southern Idaho Conference (SIC) foe Kuna on the road at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 18. According to Ndaitouroum, the Patriots are in store for "a big season," one folks should "stay tuned for" in 2023.
Each of KTVB's prep preview stories will be linked below as Friday Night Football inches closer:
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