Photo By Ken Timothy - #23 Bryler Shurtliff
Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. West Side
2. Aberdeen
3. Soda Springs
4. Bear Lake
5. Malad
Written by: Keller Sherman
The West Side Pirates went undefeated and won a state title in 2020 to mark the first back-to-back for the Pirates in program history. Now, they will look to go one step further and three-peat. Two-time 2A Idaho Coach of the Year Tyson Moser returns for his 13th season and will look to guide the Pirates to another state title.
West Side will return three players that received all state honors from last season’s team. These include Cage Brokens, who received honors at running back, along with Blaize Brown at defensive back. Bryler Shurtliff was the rare selection at three positions, bringing home honors for his work at wide receiver, defensive back, and kicker.
However, even with these returns, the Pirates lost four all-state selections including the 2A State Player of the Year, Taze Stegelmeier. Stegelmeier was best known for his work at the linebacker position and leading the Pirates defense for two years. Three additional all-state selections also departed from last season’s team with offensive line selections Trevyn Hadley and Zeth Groll as well as defensive line selection Wesley Millburn.
Moser’s team will return plenty of talent on offense. “We have a lot of skill players back from last year's team. Most of the skill positions will be 3 year starters and that always helps with chemistry and learning the offense,” Moser said of the returning production on offense. He hopes to see this returning production commit less turnovers this season.
On defense, Moser sees the secondary as their big strength as they return three-year starters all around it. Forcing more turnovers on top of continuing to stop big plays will be the big focus for Moser’s defense this season. Moser also likes his defense’s ability to adjust, stating “We change our alignment from week to week based on what we need.”
Moser is excited to see what his team will accomplish this season, especially on offense. With plenty of weapons returning in all positions, Moser states “It's going to be fun but also challenging incorporating all of them into our run heavy offense.” The offensive line will be young for the Pirates, but Moser is confident that these players are working hard and will continue to “grow as a unit and play really well when it matters.” He also states “if they improve each week and play to their potential we will compete very well.”
With plenty of upperclassman talent surrounding the young offensive line to set a good example, Moser is confident that this will help the young players grow. How these young players step up to bigger roles on the offensive line will be an important factor in whether or not the Pirates can three peat as state champions.
The Pirates open the 2021 schedule at home with a rematch of last year’s state championship game against Firth. West Side dominated that game 39-0 en route to winning their second state title in two years and will be looking for another dominant victory over the Cougars to start the season on a high note.
They will then hit the road for two straight games against 3A Southeastern Idaho Conference competition which will give the Pirates a big test early on. While West Side beat Snake River 34-0 last season, the Panthers will be looking to avenge that loss and knock off the reigning two time 2A state champions after being the last team to do so in 2019.
Marsh Valley will be no easy out either as the Eagles challenged the Pirates greatly a year ago, as West Side pulled out a narrow 14-6 victory. With the game following a potentially hard fought victory over Snake River and at home for the Eagles, West Side will need to be on their A game if they hope to avoid tripping up.
West Side will then return home for a three game homestand that begins with Cole Valley Christian and continues into conference play with Bear Lake and Soda Springs. Moser feels that the Cardinals could surprise some people this season stating, “Soda seemed to come on strong last year. Confidence can take a team a long ways.”
The Pirates will then have a bye week before closing out the schedule with road games at Aberdeen and Malad. If they can win both games convincingly, it will give the team a lot of momentum heading into the playoffs. This will be crucial as the team chases a state championship three-peat.
The two game stretch against Snake River and Marsh Valley could define West Side’s season. It is always a challenge facing teams from a higher classification, but the Pirates have held their own against 3A competition year in and year out. However, the Panthers and Eagles will still present the Pirates with a difficult challenge. The team will need to feel confident that they can win these games, but it will be just as important for them to not let a setback derail their season.
This team will have everything they need and the mentality to capitalize on it as the Pirates go for the rare threepeat in 2021. With a challenging schedule to motivate the team to go out and play their hearts out every week, West Side will be a dangerous opponent for anyone that plays them.