Countdown to Kickoff: Canyon Ridge will rely on 22 seniors

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — This year’s Canyon Ridge football team will have a lot of experience.

First-year head coach Juan Alvarado inherits 22 seniors, including quarterback Conner Willis.

Willis is listed at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds and threw for 2,300 yards as a junior. The second-team All-Great Basin selection in 2022 tossed 29 touchdown passes and just 6 picks.

With Willis’ strong arm and some good athletes on the outside, coach Alvarado, a former Minico assistant, will abandon some of his Wing-T roots and the Riverhawks will play to their strengths on the outside.

“I’m loaded with athletes, we got to spread it out a little bit,” said Alvarado. “We’re still going to be a little bit more run heavy, but with Conner, Kade McEntire, we’re deep in athleticism so we’re going to have to spread it out.”

Canyon Ridge has not won the Great Basin in their short 14-year history, but that’s the goal this season.

“As a team we’ve talked about some goals, last year was, we got to make it to the state playoffs,” said Willis. “This year is, we want to host a playoff game and we want to win that playoff game, so that starts with winning the conference.”

“We need to win the conference, get deep into the state playoffs,” said wide receiver and safety Kade McEntire.”(We do this) by pushing the ball down the field and scoring touchdowns, stopping the run, three and outs on defense, stop them before they get to the 30 (yard line).″

The Riverhawks start their season August 25 at home against Caldwell.

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