Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. West Side
2. Aberdeen
3. Soda Springs
4. Bear Lake
5. Malad
Written by: Keller Sherman
The 2020 season saw the Bear Lake Bears finish 5-5 and advance to the quarterfinals of the playoffs where they fell to eventual state runner-up Firth 30-20. The Bears now have two consecutive quarterfinal appearances under their belt, but they will have some very important questions to answer if they hope to crack the semifinals for the first time since 2016. Coach Ryan Messerly returns for his 8th season at the helm of the Bears as he continues to seek Bear Lake’s first state title.
The quarterback, running back, and linebacker positions will leave major question marks for the Bears. Losing second team all-state quarterback Owen Teuscher will be a major blow, but Messerly believes that incoming junior Tayson Neal can step up.
Brendon Burbank, Jaxson Garbett, Dominik Zabriskie, and Matthew Hammond will be absent from the running back and linebacker units, but Jorden Garbett and Alex Alleman are expected to come in and help fill in holes at these positions. Bear Lake will feel the sting of losing Wyatt Lloyd and Briston Shrieber, but also bring in Brady Shaul at wide receiver.
The schedule does not do the Bears any favors in 2021. They will open with a home game against Big Piney, Wyoming before crossing the state line themselves to face Jackson Hole whom Bear Lake suffered a 51-20 setback against at home last season. They will then play two straight games against Nuclear Conference competition.
Bear Lake will travel to Holt Arena for a rematch of last year’s playoff game against Firth as they look to avenge both playoff and regular season losses to the Cougars from last season. They will then return home to host Ririe, whom the Bears beat handily 43-0 in their last meeting. If Bear Lake can dominate Ririe yet again and beat Firth for the first time since the first round of the 2019 playoffs, the Bears will have a lot of momentum heading into conference play.
The conference opener will provide Bear Lake a major challenge as they will hit the road to face the defending back-to-back state and conference champions, West Side. The Bears had a great chance to pull off the upset last season, but ultimately came up short in a 7-0 decision giving the team even more motivation to knock off the Pirates this season.
Following a much needed bye week, Bear Lake will host Malad and Soda Springs in a two game homestand. The Bears defeated the Dragons 20-6 last season, but dropped a 42-36 overtime shootout against the Cardinals. They will travel to Aberdeen to close out the season. Bear Lake came away with a 20-14 victory over the Tigers at home last season.
The Bears will have a young team, but there will still be plenty of talent on the roster. If everything comes together, Bear Lake will be able to navigate a difficult schedule and perhaps have something special on the horizon in 2021.