Kuna hires new football coach from Texas powerhouse. ‘Beau just had that ‘it’ factor.’

Kuna High dipped into the Texas football ranks for its next coach, naming Beau Smith as the next leader of its program.

Smith, 31, will take over Kuna next fall as a first-time head coach, pending school board approval Tuesday. He comes to Idaho with three assistant coaching stops in Texas under his belt.

The most recent came at Prosper High, which went 24-4 in the state’s largest classification, won two district titles and reached the state semifinals and the third round of the playoffs in his two seasons there.

Smith replaces Jeff Schank, who resigned in December after going 10-18 overall and 5-12 in 5A Southern Idaho Conference division play during three seasons. Kuna Athletic Director Luke Wolf said the school wasn’t looking to start a full rebuild. Instead, it wanted a coach who could bring a new twist to the program.

Even in virtual interviews, Wolf said Smith stood out among 23 applicants and three finalists.

“Every guy knew the game of football,” Wolf said. “X’s and O’s was never a question. Beau just had that ‘it’ factor that everybody saw on the panel.

“... He’s thorough. You can underline it and use that in all caps. (Kuna Principal) Dave Beymer and I had multiple meetings with him, and he asked all the right questions down to property taxes, teachers pay, salary, to what’s hunting and fishing like up here in Idaho.

“You name it, he asked it.”

Smith said Kuna reminds him of Prosper 10 years ago, when the Dallas suburb grew from a rural school into one with 4,000 students and started capturing trophies in several sports.

“I see that same potential in Kuna,” Smith said. “When I interviewed, they told me one of the things we need is culture and community. We do that in droves down here.

“I’d love to bring that sense of culture that I’ve grown with at Prosper to Kuna, and I think it could turn it into a special place.”

Smith inherits a program that recorded a perfect season at the 4A level in 2019 but has yet to become a force in Idaho’s largest classification. The Kavemen are a combined 18-36 and have made the playoffs only twice in six seasons at the 5A level. They lost in the first round both times.

The Iowa native and son of a high school football coach played at Sam Houston State from 2011 to ‘15. He first joined UTEP’s staff as a graduate assistant before coaching at Cypress Lake, West Mesquite and Prosper high schools in Texas.

Smith said he and his wife visited the Boise area three years ago and quickly fell in love with it. He’s kept an eye open for coaching jobs in the area ever since.

“I want (my program) to be known for the relationships I make,” Smith said. “A state championship would be awesome. A winning season is great. But what means more to me is a wedding invite when one of my kids is about to get married. Or he’s about to have his first child and he wants me to be present for the birth.”

IDAHOANS LEFT OFF U.S. GOLD CUP ROSTER

Two Boise natives, Sofia Huerta and Emily Madril, made the preliminary Gold Cup roster for the U.S. women’s national soccer team. But neither defender made the final roster announced Wednesday.

Huerta became the first Idahoan, man or woman, to play for the U.S. at last year’s World Cup. The 31-year-old appeared in one of four games before Sweden eliminated the U.S. in the round of 16. But the U.S. left her off the roster for two October friendlies, two December friendlies and its first major tournament since the World Cup.

Madril, 24, is seeking her first appearance with the senior national team. The third overall pick in the NWSL’s 2023 draft has played with the national U-19, U-20 and U-23 teams. She signed a three-year contract extension with the Orlando Pride in December.

BORAH GRAD MAKES DEBUT FOR TONGA

Eden Makaafi cracked the starting lineup in her national team debut for the Tonga women’s soccer team Wednesday, a 3-0 loss to New Zealand to open Olympic qualifying.

Makaafi was a second-team all-state forward as a senior at Borah in 2019 and served as the kicker for the Lions’ football team. She joined The College of Idaho last fall, leading the Cascade Conference in goals (13) and points (31) to earn a spot on the NAIA All-American third team.