High school football: 20-year old head coach leads Idaho team to state title, leads 8-man All-Americans

A dual-threat quarterback, Tillery led Seiling to a 14-0 record on the field (the Wildcats had two forfeit losses at the start of the season) and a dominant run through the playoffs. Raising debate as to whether or not Seiling was the greatest 8-man team in state history, the Wildcats won three straight playoff games by a score of 50-0 before finishing off Weleetka 60-12 in the championship game.

Tillery accounted for eight touchdowns in the final, five passing and three on the ground, and was named the Class B-2 state player of the year. He edged out Braelin Lewis of Dewar (Okla.), Bryant Sites of Weleetka and Brock Holmes of Rock Port (Mo.) for player of the year honors. Only two years removed from his high school graduation, 20-year old Koepp is the national 8-man coach of the year. He was a two-time state player of the year at the school.

Kendrick had won four straight Class 2A state championships in Idaho under coach Zane Hobart with Koepp leading the team to two of those titles in 2023 and 2024. Hobart left Kendrick for a coaching job at Lewiston and Koepp had the daunting task of taking over the program from his highly-successful mentor.

Under Koepp, Kendrick had the most explosive team in state history, scoring 893 points. That total ranks No. 2 all-time nationally. The Tigers' average margin of victory was a whopping 67 points per game.

8-man All-American Team

First Team Offense

WR — Bryant Sites, Weleetka (Okla.)
Height: 5-10 | Weight: 170 | Year: 2026
Caught 65 passes for 2,078 yards and 25 touchdowns while adding 48 rushes for 667 yards and 10 touchdowns.

WR — Landon Blum, Woodbine (Iowa)
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 210 | Year: 2027
All-state selection caught 60 passes for 1,049 yards and 24 touchdowns.

TE — Bryce Smith, Fresno Christian (Fresno, Calif.)
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 185 | Year: 2026
Caught 86 passes for 1,424 yards and 27 touchdowns and added five interceptions on defense.

OL — Carter Schwab, Bishop Garrigan (Algona, Iowa)
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 245 | Year: 2026
Anchored both sides of the line for the state champions with 46.5 tackles and 10.5 sacks.

OL — Remington Crowell, Council (Idaho)
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 245 | Year: 2027
Earned all-state honors as the lead blocker on a team that gained 4,257 yards. Had 28 pancake blocks.

OL — Ryder Herron, Rock Port (Mo.)
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 260 | Year: 2026
Lead blocker on a team that gained 3,753 yards rushing. All-state pick also had 46 tackles and 24 tackles for loss.

OL — Tanner Bruna, Hanover (Kan.)
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 190 | Year: 2026
Top lineman and an all-state pick for the state champions.

QB — Maddox Kirkland, Kendrick (Idaho)
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 170 | Year: 2027
All-state player led Kendrick to a state championship. He completed 117 of 172 passes for 2,913 yards and 47 touchdowns.

QB — Wyatt Tillery, Seiling (Okla.) 
Height: 6-1 | Weight: 197 | Year: 2026
Led Seiling to a state championship, completing 58 of 93 passes for 1,270 yards and ran 113 times for 1,043 yards.

RB — Brock Holmes, Rock Port
Height: 5-9 | Weight: 190 | Year: 2027
The second-leading 8-man rusher in the nation, Holmes ran 345 times for 2,943 yards and 61 touchdowns.

RB — Rush Hunt, Seiling
Height: 5-10 | Weight: 175 | Year: 2026
All-state selection led the Seiling rushing attack with 2,218 yards on 203 carries with 36 touchdowns.

RB — Braelin Lewis, Dewar (Okla.)
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 185 | Year: 2026
Player of the Year in the Oklahoma Class B-1 division. Rushed for 1,303 yards on 107 carries with 20 touchdowns.

ATH — Isaiah Drake, Weleetka
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 194 | Year: 2026
Led Weleetka to state championship game throwing 228 times with 139 completions for 3,363 yards and 38 touchdowns. He also rushed 149 times for 1,157 yards and 21 TDs.

K — Max Stamats, Lenawee Christian (Adrian, Mich.)
Height: 5-4 | Weight: 135 | Year: 2026
All-state in Michigan, Stamats converted 30 of 32 extra point attempts, kicked three field goals and had 24 touchbacks. Also averaged 46 yards a punt.

First Team Defense

DL — Kolt Koepp, Kendrick
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 185 | Year: 2026
Dominated on the defensive line with 27.5 sacks while earning all-state honors.

DL — Mason Sanchez, Cornerstone Christian (Wildomar, Calif.)
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 225 | Year: 2027
Picked up 93 tackles including 33 tackles for loss. Also had 27 sacks and 27 hurries.

DL — Jarod Hankins, Waitsburg (Wash.)
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 190 | Year: 2026
One of the leading tacklers in the nation, Hankins had 132 with 33 tackles for loss and 21 sacks.

LB — Zach Statz, Haxtun (Colo.)
Height: 6-1 | Weight: 190 | Year: 2026
The state player of the year notched 65 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and six interceptions. He also rushed 179 times for 1,595 yards and 24 scores.

LB — Jagger Scott, Southern Christian (Opelika, Ala.)
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 180 | Year: 2026
Led the nation in tackles with 213, including 38.5 tackles for loss, 19.5 sacks, 29 hurries, and seven fumble recoveries.

LB — Kino Lorona, Hayden (Winkelman, Ariz.)
Height: 5-11 | Weight: 205 | Year: 2026
Ran for 2,125 yards on 111 carries with 32 touchdowns and had 109 tackles with three interceptions while earning conference player of the year honors.

DB — Tate Foertsch, Bishop Garrigan
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 170 | Year: 2026
The state player of the year had 10 interceptions on defense to lead the state. Also had 1,162 yards rushing and 1,333 yards passing.

DB — Nathan Tweit, Kendrick
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 195 | Year: 2026
State player of the year picked off five passes and had 94 tackles. Added 36 receptions for 858 yards and 13 touchdowns.

DB — Nolan Kriegel, Iowa Valley (Marengo, Iowa)
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 180 | Year: 2027
In addition to rushing for 1,944 yards and 43 touchdowns, Kriegel also had 28 tackles with 12 tackles for loss and an interception.

P — Dominique Paz, Rawlins County (Atwood, Kan.)
Height: 5-10 | Weight: 150 | Year: 2028
All-state punter boasted an average of 47.3 yards per kick with eight landing inside the 20.

Second Team Offense

WR — Tate Kreisel, St. Paul Lutheran (Concordia, Mo.)
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 170 | Year: 2026

WR — Ben Barrett, Arendell Parrott
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 165 | Year: 2026

TE — Adam Joe, Whitehorse (Montezuma Creek, Utah)
Height: 6-1 | Weight: 200 | Year: 2027

OL — Peyton Schuring Harris, Martin (Mich.)
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 260 | Year: 2026

OL — Mason Busse, McDonell Central (Chippewa Falls, Wis.)
Height: 6-5 | Weight: 285 | Year: 2026

OL — Jax Pryor, Woodbine
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 245 | Year: 2026

OL — Brody Shearer, Lincoln (Kan.)
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 275 | Year: 2026

QB — Cooper Miller, Wallace (Idaho) 
Height: 5-11 | Weight: 170 | Year: 2028

QB — Tristan Leeper, Archie (Mo.)
Height: 5-11 | Weight: 180 | Year: 2027

RB — Dustin Otteson, Tonopah (Nev.)
Height: 5-8 | Weight: 170 | Year: 2027

RB — Tyson Jackson, Crofton (Neb.) 
Height: 5-11 | Weight: 210 | Year: 2026

ATH — Haylen Buell, Martin (Mich.)
Height: 5-9 | Weight: 165 | Year: 2026

ATH — Parker Kizer, Holly Hill Academy (Holly Hill, S.C.)
Height: 5-5 | Weight: 135 | Year: 2026

K — Jared Bermudez, Concordia (Mo.)
Height: 5-10 | Weight: 205 | Year: 2026

Second Team Defense

DL — Noah Dry, Caddo (Okla.)
Height: 5-10 | Weight: 170 | Year: 2026

DL — Bo Collins, Worth County (Grant City, Mo.)
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 225 | Year: 2027

DL — Kyle Huser, Victoria (Kan.)
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 270 | Year: 2026

LB — Blake Chain, Seiling
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 170 | Year: 2026

LB — Maddix Inman, Concordia (Mo.)
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 204 | Year: 2026

LB — Jack Herd, South Central (Coldwater, Kan.)
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 205 | Year: 2026

LB — Carmello Williamson, Oaks-Mission (Oaks, Okla.)
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 192 | Year: 2026

DB — Stockton Sears, Carey (Idaho)
Height: 5-8 | Weight: 166 | Year: 2026

DB — Jason Guest, DeSales (Walla Walla, Wash.)
Height: 5-9 | Weight: 135 | Year: 2026

DB — Kam Sealey, Sandy Creek (Fairfield, Neb.)
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 175 | Year: 2028

DB — Callan Messerich, Easton Valley (Preston, Iowa)
Height: 5-10 | Weight: 160 | Year: 2026

P — Cadden Hathaway, Camas County (Fairfield, Idaho)
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 150 | Year: 2027