Written by: Marlowe Hereford
Teton has some new faces in its football program this season, including first-year head coach David Joyce.
Bringing 16 years of coaching experience with him to the Teton Valley, Joyce takes over a football program that went 1-7 last season and graduated Braxton Hess (QB/S) and Reese Clayton (C/DE).
"We are looking at changing the culture at Teton and getting things going in the right direction so that we can compete yearly for a conference and state championship," Joyce said.
Among those returning for Teton will be senior Jarom Heuseveldt, who played quarterback, running back and linebacker last season.
Juniors Jake Allen, Thomas Heuseveldt and Tyson Brown also return. The Timberwolves also add underclassmen Jack Joyce, Ashton Gunther and Boston Gunther.
Simply put, head coach Joyce said the Timberwolves want to score more points and not give up as many points as last season. Teton averaged 16 points last season and gave up an average of 32 points.
"We have a lot of skill guys that can play well in space," Joyce said. "We like the up-tempo style of offense and getting our playmakers the ball."
Those skill guys will also be relied on defensively.
"We swarm to the ball, and can attack with the blitz due to our number of skill guys on the field at one time," Joyce said.
He added that key factors to this season will be how long it will take to install a new culture and new system, and how well that culture and system will be implemented.
If anyone is capable of turning Teton around, it's Joyce. He spent five years at Jackson High in Wyoming before taking the Teton job. After a winless campaign in his first year leading the Broncs, he slowly built Jackson into a contender, and took his team to back-to-back championship game appearances in 2020 and 2021.