Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Melba
2. Nampa Christian
T-3. Cole Valley Christian
T-3. New Plymouth
5. Marsing
Written by: Brandon Baney
The New Plymouth Pilgrims enjoyed a fine season in 2020, finishing 5-3. Unfortunately, that wasn’t good enough to qualify for the postseason in a strange, COVID-19 affected year. So New Plymouth learned a hard lesson: the only guarantee to get a set at the postseason table is to win your conference. That alone has motivated the Pilgrims through the offseason.
New Plymouth’s double-wing based offense is in good hands, as four starters on the offensive line return. Hunter Williams, Joel Campbell, Brock Winward and Dylan Reynolds form a strong nucleus that is also supplemented by the return of fullback Bailey Hite and quarterback Casey Arritola.
In fact, the only position that needs replenishing are the two wingbacks. “Our biggest key,” head coach Dallan Rupp said, “is the ability of a new class of running backs to find holes and make plays in the open field, turning 5 yard gains into big plays for our team.”
So it’s no secret that New Plymouth wants to run the ball effectively. So does everyone else in the Western Idaho Conference. “Our rush defense needs to improve if we are going to compete for a conference title,” Rupp said. “We want to be able to take any team’s ground game away from them and make them a one dimensional team.”
With stopping the run the top priority for the Pilgrims defense, the front 7 is in a good position to achieve that goal. Bailey Hite, Joel Campbell, and Zack Conlee will all return as starting linebackers and will play behind defensive linemen Hunter Williams and Brock Winward. That will form the nucleus of New Plymouth’s 3-4 defense.
The one wild card that could throw a wrench into the Pilgrims’ plans is the team health. “Casey Arritola and Bailey Hite have spent much of their high school careers with injuries,” Rupp said. “They showed great improvements last season along with the rest of our young team. We are hoping to see big seasons from them and the rest of this senior class.”
New Plymouth will play three Class 3A opponents from the Snake River Valley Conference. They begin their season on August 27th against Parma, followed by a road trip to Payette and a home game with McCall-Donnelly. Their final non-conference game is on the road at Vale, Oregon on September 24th. From there, New Plymouth will have a bye week, and then WIC contests. New Plymouth’s fortunes could be determined early, as they begin league play at home against Nampa Christian on October 1st and at Melba on October 8th. An 0-2 hole in league play may be too deep to climb out of, but a 2-0 start would all but guarantee a playoff berth for the Pilgrims.