Tommy Jewell doesn’t know if he’ll ever fully get over the way his senior season ended — a last-minute, three-point loss to Coeur d’Alene in the state title game.

    It still hurts.

    “It’s always going to sting,” he said. “But there’s nothing we can do about it.”

    But Jewell, a 5-foot-11, 183-pound quarterback for the Highland Rams, says the bittersweet feeling of leading his team to the brink of a state championship — and everything they accomplished together — will become more sweet than bitter as time passes.

    “I couldn’t have asked for a better season. We came up short, but we can’t do a thing about it now,” he said. “Not many teams go 11-1 in a season.

    “Our team worked hard during the summer, and with all the effort we put toward it, we came together as brothers.”

    For his efforts and the stellar season he and the Rams had, Highland’s Tommy Jewell has been named the Idaho State Journal all-area football player of the year. He adds is to a list of growing accolades as he earned first-team all-state honors as well.

    “I am humbled to be chosen,” Jewell said. “I couldn’t help but smile. We came up short, and it’s just nice to be recognized.

    “I didn’t think about these awards all year long. I just played my game. It’s relaxing and nice to know the fact that I had a great season and I’m getting these awards.”

    Jewell threw for 2,673 yards on 185-of-263 passing (70 percent) and tossed 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He spearheaded a Highland offense that averaged 37.7 points per game. The Rams finished the season with an 11-1 record, the lone loss coming in the championship tilt against Coeur d’Alene in Moscow.

    Jewell took over under center for his older brother Neil. Highland is known for producing outstanding quarterbacks, and Jewell was the next in a long line of stellar Ram signal-callers.

    “There’s always that factor,” Jewell said. “Media-wise, that exists. But as a quarterback coming in, you can’t really think about it. You have to go in with the thought that you’re going to be the best. If you keep that in mind and you don’t think about the negatives, you can do great things.”

    Highland head coach Gino Mariani has a track record of grooming quarterbacks into stars. Jewell says Mariani’s methods are far from easy, but history shows how successful they’ve been.

    “He always keeps positive vibes going through your mind,” Jewell said. “He’s always on you 24/7 to get stuff done. ‘Do this right, don’t do it half-speed and if you do it that way in practice you’ll do it that way in a game.’

    “It’s always nice because it motivates you. During the season when he’s yelling at you, you’re like, “I hate my life. Quit yelling at me.’ But after games and after the season, you look back and you’re glad he did that for you. He kept me motivated and kept me moving and kept getting myself better.”

    Jewell’s preparation and work ethic was evident every game. He did exactly what his team needed and took care of the ball.

    “There were a couple of games where I didn’t play to the best of my ability,” Jewell said. “I just wasn’t on, and I knew that so I had to be careful. Those were the games where I had seven or eight passing attempts. I just went out and had fun. Having fun was probably the key to my success.”

    Jewell has scholarship offers from NAIA school Montana-Northern and a university in the Denver area. He is working with coaches at Portland State University to see if can get an offer with the Vikings.

    “I took a trip to Portland State this summer, an official visit and a camp,” he said. “I just fit in. I loved it there, I loved the campus and I loved the people.”

    Even if a scholarship is not extended to him, Jewell believes he will end up in Portland .

    “If I have to walk on or if I get a scholarship, it gives me a chance to play football, which is what I want to do,” he said. “They’re great people over there and I just fit in.”