Photo By Ken Timothy - #10 Tugg Kap
Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. West Side
2. Aberdeen
3. Soda Springs
4. Bear Lake
5. Malad
Written by: Keller Sherman
The Soda Springs Cardinals finished the 2020 season with a 5-4 record and advanced to the quarterfinals of the playoffs where they fell to North Fremont 58-18. With the return of six all-conference players along with plenty of talent all-around, 3rd year coach Colter Evans will look to lead his team to something special in 2021.
Evans feels that the losses that will hurt his team the most are those of Scott Hunsaker, Ethan Suter, and Will Torman. “(Hunsaker) was the conference player of the year and a 2 time all-state player. Ethan was the heart and soul of our O-line on scholarship to Culver-Stockton University to play TE. (Torman) was unblockable while racking up 11 sacks.” Evans said.
Even with these losses, the team will still be in great shape to reload with plenty of returning talent in nearly all positions. Tug Kapp returns as a 3rd year starter at quarterback and will have a strong wide receiver unit to work with as Preston Maughan, Carson Hobbs, Quinton Hansen, and Colten Kern return. Evans hopes that he will be able to use these players to allow his team to become “more balanced and dynamic.”
Dawson Martinson will need to step up in a big way at running back as he will have big shoes to fill after Hunsaker’s departure. Even with a player as talented as Hunsaker was, Evans knows that his team cannot rely on just one player in the run game. Martinson will not have the same amount of experience as Hunsaker this season and as such, it will be crucial for the running back unit to be able to come together as a team more.
The offensive line is what Evans feels will be both the most talented and most important position for the Cardinals this season. “The O-line will be what makes or breaks us this year. They have the potential to be an elite group for us and provide us with a ton of stability and options.” he said. The lineup will feature a mix of juniors and seniors and include Payson Steiner, Issac Fullmer, Andrew Richardson, Brodi Mitchell, and Will Lau.
On defense, Evans feels that their strength lies in speed. “As a team we do not have a lot of size but as a unit we have great speed, and we look to use our speed to pursue the ball and keep the plays in front of us.” he said. This will be crucial as Evans hopes to see his defense give up less big plays and force more turnovers which Evans believes “is the deciding factor in 90 plus % of games.”
The defensive line will have plenty of upperclassmen talent with Issac Fullmer, Andrew Richardson, Brodi Mitchell, and Will Lau leading the way. The safety position will feature Colten Kern, Drey Stoor, and Preston Maughan while Dawsin Martinson will play cornerback.
The Cardinals will have a young linebacker unit this season. If Soda hopes to win the big games this season, they will need to step up in a big way. He states “an inexperienced LB crew on the Defense will need to step and fill some big shoes if we want to compete with the powerhouse teams that are all over our conference.”
Soda will begin the 2021 campaign on the road in what will be the first of only three road games for the Cardinals when they travel to Ririe. Their three game homestand begins with another Nuclear Conference foe as Firth comes to town. The Cardinals will look to have a better showing against the Cougars after losing 48-0 last season.
The Cardinals will get a bye week before opening conference play against Aberdeen. The two teams did not meet in the regular season in 2020 due to coronavirus issues, but they played in the first round of the playoffs in a contest that Soda won 32-12. They will then host Malad. Evans believes the Dragons could surprise some people this season stating “Malad has a new head coach and they are very athletic on the edge and very fast as an offensive unit.”
On October 1st, Soda will travel to West Side hoping for a much better result against the powerhouse Pirates than last season. Evans feels that one of their players, Cage Brokens “is probably the best player in the state.” They will then return to the friendly confines of home to host 3A foe American Falls. The conference slate wraps up with a trip to Bear Lake. Soda won a 42-36 overtime thriller over the Bears in their previous meeting. The schedule closes out at home against Canyon Conference foe Valley.
When Soda is playing their best football, they are a tough out for any team. Evans has made several changes to this program since arriving in 2019 and his players have now had time to adjust to his playstyle. After going 1-7 in his first season, the Cardinals matched their win total from the previous four seasons combined last season and will look to build on the successes of their 2020 campaign in 2021.
Teams always lose talent year in and year out, but consistent success is determined by a team’s ability to reload with each passing season. Soda has the players to do that, but these players must realize their potential and capitalize on it. If they do, the Cardinals will be in great position to have another successful season and make a deep run in the playoffs.