He led his team to a perfect season. Now he’s the Idaho football player of the year

Michael Lycklama
·2 min read

Bishop Kelly’s Peter Minnaert wrapped up his high school football career with a state championship in November. But the awards keep rolling in for the senior running back.

The latest came Wednesday as Minnaert was named the 2023 Gatorade Idaho Football Player of the Year. The award recognizes the state’s top player across all classifications.

Minnaert ran for 1,646 yards and 30 touchdowns on the season, averaging 9.9 yards per carry to lead the Knights to a 13-0 record and the 4A state championship. The 5-11, 200-pound senior turned in one of his best performances on the blue turf at Boise State’s Albertsons Stadium, running for 138 yards and three touchdowns in a 29-26 victory over Hillcrest in the state finals.

Minnaert, who was also selected as the 4A All-Idaho Player of the Year, recently committed to play football at Carroll College in Helena, Montana, next season.

Bishop Kelly senior Peter Minnaert celebrates with the 4A football state championship trophy in November. Minnaert was named the all-class Gatorade player of the year Wednesday.
Bishop Kelly senior Peter Minnaert celebrates with the 4A football state championship trophy in November. Minnaert was named the all-class Gatorade player of the year Wednesday.

“Our game plan centered around stopping Peter,” Skyview coach David Robinson said in a news release. “We have elite linebackers and felt we could be successful if we got our linebackers one-on-one with him.

“He blew up that plan. Peter was on another level compared to any other player we saw this year. I watched him carry his team to the state championship, and he’s a threat to score every time he touches the ball.

“In my opinion, he was the difference between Bishop Kelly and a very talented Hillcrest team.”

The Gatorade awards weighs community service and grades. Minnaert volunteers with St. Vincent de Paul Idaho, serving meals to homeless people. He also spent a week in New Orleans last summer rebuilding homes, and he carries a 4.14 weighted GPA.

Minnaert is the fourth Bishop Kelly player to win the state’s all-class football player of the year award, following Cody McCarthy (2010), Cody Hawkins (2005) and Michael Sladich (2004).

Other recent Idaho winners include Skyline’s Kenyon Sadiq (2022), Gooding’s Colston Loveland (2021), Eagle’s Ben Ford (2020) and Borah’s Austin Bolt (2019).