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Jerome High School
School Info
Conference: Great Basin (West) Conference
Classification: 4A
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Head Coach: Sid Gambles
Years as Head Coach: 5th Season
Previous Experience: 12 years at Jerome HS
Record Last Year: 2-7
State Titles: 1985, 1986
Assistant Coaches: Jason Wilson Brad Thompson Cameron Stauffer Logan Horrocks Matt McClimans Steve Harrison Gary Elsensohn Eli Andersen Cody Westbrook
Returning Players: #78 Jakob Palmer, OL/DL, 12 #18 Clay Miller, RB, 12 #21 Logan Geist, WR, 12 #4 Joey Lenker, TE, 12
Key Players lost from last year: Winston Sanchez, FS. Two year starter Lucio Carrillo, OL. Multiple position player along the o-line and had great feet
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Photo By: Willy Harris - #78 Jakob Palmer
Incoming impact players: Riley Harrison, OLB, 10. Great athlete with a great motor.
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Team Preview: Written by: Sven Alskog
It was a struggle to slow down the opposition in 2015 which led to a 2-7 record and a fifth place finish in the Great Basin West Conference for Jerome.
Head Coach Sid Gambles knows that in order for improvement to occur some changes needed to be made, and that is exactly what he has done.
"We added some great, young defensive-minded coaches in the off-season," said Gambles. "[They] will help us teach our scheme in more detail. We run a 4-2-5, so our safeties are crucial. I am hoping for good things from Brandon Pilkenton and Joey Lenker, as our safeties have to make plays."
Opposing passing attacks had too much success against the Tigers last season, with 34 or more points being scored against Jerome in each of the seven losses.
Sophomore linebacker Riley Harrison is expected to bring a new level of athleticism to the defense, while defensive lineman Jakob Palmer will use his uncanny strength to push back offensive lines up front.
Jerome showed flashes of the potential that exists on the offensive side of the ball last season, highlighted by a 41-12 tromping of Mountain Home and back-to-back weeks of 26 and 27 points against Canyon Ridge and Minico near the end of the year.
"We run spread. We throw a ton of screens to all our skilled players, so we really share the ball. We have quite a few good returning skill guys that can make guys miss," said Gambles. "Logan Geist, Clay Miller and Joey Lenker are all good route runners and have a knack for getting yards after the catch. Like a lot of teams we expect a lot out of our quarterback, more than likely Jordin Myers or Brien Ploss."
That quarterback battle will make the first couple of weeks of practice leading up to the season interesting, as the winner will have an opportunity to continue the progress of the Tigers' offense.
Plenty of work still remains though.
"We hope to cut down on our turnovers and dumb mistakes in critical moments," said Gambles. "We also are working to improve our depth along the offensive line."
The Tigers do not have as much depth as many of their counterparts in 4A, but if they can keep their key pieces healthy they could sneak up on a couple of teams in conference play.
"Our depth has to hold up. We are really thin in the trenches," said Gambles. "We have some youth we are developing, but I am not quite sure they will be ready early in the season. If we can avoid injury and have a little luck we can make a run."
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