|
Soda Springs High School
School Info
Conference: 2A South East Idaho Conference
Classification: 2A
|
|
|
Head Coach: Cliff Garbett
Years as Head Coach: 1st Season
Previous Experience: Twin Falls
Record Last Year: 1-7
State Titles: None
Assistant Coaches: Scott Gambles Coulter Evans Justin Steele Doug Wood Jared Shelton Ben Jacobsen
Returning Players: Devin Adams, QB/RB/LB, Senior Tanner Meyers, RB/PR, Senior Koby Allen, OL/DL, Senior Ridge Thompsen, RB/WR, Junior
|
“Key Players” lost from last year: Dillyn Deno, OL/LB – He was our center and a good leader. Devin Rose, OL/DE – A good leader. Sammy Glass, OL/DL – An excellent blocker.
Incoming “impact” players: Morgan Steele, WR/RB/DB, Junior Andrew Stewart, RB/DB, Junior Devin Adams, QB/RB/LB, Senior Hunter Bybee, OL/DL, Sophomore Dillon Farnes, RB/LB, Senior Grant Clegg, WR/DB, Senior
|
Team Preview: Written by: Matt Harris (@IdahoSportsMatt)
Most folks in Soda Springs would probably like to forget the 2014 football season.
It was a season of immense struggle for a program that had won at least half of its games the previous three years. The Cardinals went 1-7 in 2014, including 0-4 in the 2A South East Idaho Conference. Soda Springs scored 33 points total during the season and were shut out three times. They never scored more than seven points in a single game while giving up an average of 33.3 points per game.
But that’s all in the past according to new head coach Cliff Garbett.
“I’m most excited about a new start for this team,” Garbett said.
With the slate wiped clean, the Cardinals can begin to rebuild from a miserable 2014 campaign and try to regain momentum in the program.
Not returning to the field this year are graduated players Dillyn Deno and Devin Rose, whom Garbett called ‘good leaders’. Sammy Glass, an excellent blocking lineman, also graduated and will not return.
The Cardinals bring back a few returning players this year, including seniors Devin Adams, Tanner Meyers, and Koby Allen. Joining that trio are incoming impact players Dillon Farnes and Grant Clegg.
Juniors Ridge Thompsen and Devin Adams along with sophomore Hunter Bybee look to make their impacts this season and become building blocks for the future.
In his short time with the program, Garbett has already identified key strengths and weaknesses of his team.
“We have a lot of speed,” he said. “But we have to improve our ability to control the line and we need more offensive scoring.”
Defensively, Garbett already knows the key to success on that side of the ball. It may purely have to do with what conference his team is in.
“We need to stop the run and be more aggressive,” he said. In a run-heavy conference like the 2A South East Idaho Conference, run stopping is more than key – it’s vital. Garbett mentioned operating a gap control defense while applying pressure.
The new coach has already implemented a new motto and theme for his squad – IDO.
“IDO stands for Input Determines Output,” he said, noting that working together as a team through the vision of the team theme was the ‘X-Factor’ to the season.
It could be a long road ahead for the Cardinals. It may be a short road too. The rebuild has begun in Soda Springs and they can’t wait to get it started.
The Cardinals open up the season at home vs. West Jefferson on Aug. 28.
|
|