Treasure Valley's top-25 football players
Players 20-16
The Treasure Valley is loaded with talent.
So much so that The Press Row decided to compile and rank the top-25 high school football players the valley has to offer.
We continue that list with players 20-16.
Missed 25-21? Don’t worry click right here to find out!
20. Jake Farris, Mountain View, QB, Sr. — The Mavericks’ last four quarterbacks have all gone on to play college football.
Kai Turner (Eastern Oregon), Garrett Collingham (Boise State), Tucker Rovig (Montana State) and Noah Bryant (Montana Tech).
Farris seems well on his way to being the fifth.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound signal caller threw for more than 2,000 yards last year to earn All-5A Southern Idaho Conference second-team honors. He just combined for 331 yards and five touchdowns against the best defense in the state the last two years in Rocky Mountain Friday.
“Great leader for us, leads by example,” Mountain View coach Judd Benedick said. “(He) has worked very hard this off season.”
19. Henry Clark, Melba, QB/DE, Sr. — A quarterback who also plays defensive end?
Clark is not only that rare combination, but excels at both.
The 6-5, 220-pounder earned All-2A Western Idaho Conference honors at both positions in 2019.
He combined for almost 1,200 yards of total offense, while racking up 67 tackles, nine pass deflections and seven sacks on defense.
Clark has 233 yards and a pair of TDs passing through one game this season. He has another six tackles and two tackles for loss on defense.
“If a college gives him the opportunity, he has the frame to gain 40-50 pounds of muscle and with his work-ethic, he could be a pretty dang good college football player,” Melba coach Juan Colunga said.
18. Merit Foote, Middleton, DB, Sr. — Foote is keeping the family tradition going.
He follows in the footsteps of older brothers Mason, Max and Miles, who were all either All-Conference or All-State defensive backs.
Foote recorded 41 tackles and seven interceptions last year to earn both All-4A Southern Idaho Conference and All-State honors.
He recorded two tackles, along with a scoop and score on a blocked punt return in the season opener at Minico last Friday.
"Merit is a vital part of our football program,” Middleton coach Bill Brock said. “Smart and physical ... Merrit is the QB of our defensive team."
17. Thomas Symms, Homedale, DL, Sr. — There’s a reason why Symms’ stats are not more impressive.
“Teams run away from him,” Homedale coach Matt Holtry said.
Can you blame them?
He’s 6-3 and 235 pounds of pure muscle.
Symms still had 27 tackles and a pair of sacks to earn both All-3A Snake River Valley Conference and All-State first-team honors in 2019.
“He is a physical specimen that demands attention on both sides of the ball,” Holtry said. “He has a natural ability that allows him to make plays even on the back side of the play.”
16. Weston Jeffries, Fruitland OL/DL, Sr. — Even at 5-10, 255 pounds, coach Ryan Tracy considers Jeffries one of the best lineman to ever play at Fruitland.
That’s a list that includes three-time NFL Pro Bowler and former Carolina Panther Jordan Gross.
Jeffries is certainly making a strong case.
He was an All-3A SRV first-team selection on both sides of the ball last year, and nearly did the same on the All-State team. Jeffries was a first-team offensive lineman in the Grizzlies’ run-first Wing-T offense, and a second-team defensive lineman.
Fruitland running backs have already galloped for 919 yards behind Jeffries in its first two games this season. Jeffries has 15 tackles and three tackles for loss on defense thus far.
“Hardest worker on the team,” Tracy said. “Very strong, hard to move, very coachable.”