Written by: Brandon Baney
When Declo and Wendell decided to abandon the two-team Canyon Conference in District 4 and join the quartet of Aberdeen, Malad, Soda Springs and West Side in District 5’s South East Idaho Conference ahead of the 2024 season, no one could have imagined how the newly merged league would unfold.
Aberdeen, Declo and West Side all defeated each other and finished the regular season with identical 5-1 conference records. Not only did all three teams take turns beating each other, but every game was a defensive grinder:
Aberdeen defeated Declo 8-0
Declo defeated West Side 6-0
West Side defeated Aberdeen 14-12
All three teams advanced to the 3A semifinals, and that’s where West Side began to chuckle, ultimately getting the last laugh in a 29-0 win over Aberdeen in the semis and a 28-6 triumph over Declo in the state championship game. The victory over the Hornets gave West Side their fifth state championship in the past six years.
If you’re a fan of 3A football in South East Idaho, I’ve got two words for you: Buckle Up.
WEST SIDE
The Pirates’ 28-6 win over Declo gave West Side its fifth state championship in the past six seasons, and their ninth overall. This recent run of success is a testament to the program that head coach Tyson Moser, entering his 16th season as West Side head coach, has built.
“We lost a very solid senior class with many two- and three-year varsity players,” says Moser.
So while the players may be new, the core tenets of the program will stay the same. “Offensively, we want to run the ball and eat the clock,” says Moser. “Defensively, our philosophy is ‘bend but don’t break’. We need to take away the big plays.”
Senior Jaden Fuller returns to quarterback the Pirates’ Wing-T offense. Junior Drake Sage saw time at wingback last year as a sophomore, and senior Cooper Millburn will factor in more at wingback after earning All-Conference honors in the defensive secondary last season. Sage also earned All-Conference accolades on the defensive side of the ball at linebacker.
Seniors Chet Ward and Hyrum Checketts will anchor the offensive and defensive lines.
“This team has great chemistry,” says Moser. “We might not have the star power from past years but they work together.”
DECLO
The Hornets came tantalizingly close to claiming their fifth championship in school history, advancing all the way to the title game before falling to conference foe West Side, 28-6. The graduation losses were impactful: linemen Renan Loper (now playing at Eastern Oregon University) and Joey Garrard, wide recevier/defensive back Gavin Rasmussen, and running backs/linebackers Bode Brackenbury and Keston Koyle all received All-State accolades before departing.
“We are losing a lot of talented players from last year’s team, but we are very excited with the new talent coming in this year, also,” says head coach Rhett Jones. “These guys are very excited and most of them were a part of last year’s success.”
Head coach Rhett Jones still has several talented returnees to lean on, though. “Offensively, we are versatile at different positions,” Jones says. “We will run a balanced attack with misdirection out of the Wing-T and Flexbone, both under center and in the pistol.”
Kyle Bott and Race Zollinger will lead the offensive line, with Alex Romero, Kyler Fairchild, Isaac Hauser and Trevin Averett expected to contribute as well. Preston Worton, Zane Snedaker and Dane Garrard all saw time at running back last year, while starting tight end Daxc Garrard and wide receiver Landen Silcock are also back. Sophomore Traecyn Thaxton is expected to take the reins at quarterback.
“We need consistency on offense, and need to make big plays when needed,” says Jones. “We need better ball control and less turnovers.”
The Declo defense is similarly versatile. “We have adaptability,” says Jones. “We can run multiple fronts and coverages. We have great pursuit and great tacklers.”
Those great tacklers start with Dane Garrard, a first team All-State linebacker in 2024. Dacx Garrard also plays linebacker, while Worton and Silcock lead the secondary. Snedaker and Zollinger will factor in on the defensive line.
Bottom line, the players and coaches in Declo are absolute buzzing about their potential this year. “We hope to build off of last year’s momentum and carry in right on through to this year,” says Jones. “They are chomping at the bit. The younger players know they have to step up and we believe that they will. The seniors that are returning from last year have shown great leadership during the summer.”
ABERDEEN
Aberdeen has qualified for the playoffs 11 years in a row and has reached the semifinals in two of the past three seasons. They’ve done with a variety of head coaches stepping in and out of the position, which means one thing: these tough, hard-nosed kids can win no matter who’s calling the plays on the sideline.
Derek Jolley enters his second season as Aberdeen coach with the most dynamic athlete not just in the conference, but perhaps the entire state when it comes to 3A football. Senior quarterback and defensive back Lupe Ortiz has been starting since his sophomore season, and is capable of breaking off a long touchdown every time he touches the ball.
Ortiz is the perfect pitch man for Aberdeen’s run-heavy offensive attack. “Our offensive style is a shotgun double-wing set,” says Jolley. “We don’t throw the ball much so we really try to be efficient when we do. That’s one of the main areas we need to improve on from last year.”
Joining Ortiz in the offensive backfield is senior fullback Tannon Nelson. Both wingbacks from last year’s system, Luke Shackelford and Canon Foster, graduated. They are expected to be replaced by senior Jose Medel and sophomore Treyton Jenkins.
Senior Ronnie Serna and junior Adan Valdez will line up at tight end, while senior Luis Tapia, junior Jake Harris and junior Aksel Rodriguez will lead the offensive line.
All of those athletes will be featured on defense as well. Tapia and Rodriguez will play up front on the line, Nelson and Valdez will play outside linebacker, Jenkins and Harris will man inside linebacker, Serna will play cornerback, and Ortiz and Medel will line up at safety.
“As a defense, we try to focus on playing sound and solid defense, and not give up big plays,” Jolley says. “We return a few players at each level of our defense. I think that will help us come along as a defensive unit.”
Aberdeen’s potential is sky high once again this season. As one of the smaller 3A programs, though, there’s a very fine line between having enough players to survive and being decimated by injuries. “We are dealing with very low numbers this year, so our ability to stay healthy will be an X-factor,” Jolley concludes.
MALAD
Malad is the team most coaches in the South East Idaho Conference believe is due for a breakthrough in 2025. After finishing 1-7 two seasons ago, the Dragons went 3-6 last year and earned a playoff berth. After pushing eventual state champion West Side to the brink in a 29-20 loss to conclude the regular season, Malad had to face the Pirates again the next week in the first round of the 3A playoffs, and fell 43-0.
Standout running back and linebacker Brady Showell graduated, but second year head coach Brady Price says there are a stable of backs ready to replace his production. “We have a great group of backs that can run from multiple positions,” Price says. “Holdan Tubbs, Chase Martin, Matt Briscoe, Drake Morrison, Ky Willie and others will all see time at various spots and get touches.”
Similarly, standout offensive lineman and linebacker Gabe Hooste graduated, but the other four starters up front (seniors Cam Bingham, Rydon Montgomery, Kurt Ward and Mordecai Charles) all return. “We feel our offensive line has been getting better and better,” Price says. “We are really hoping that as a group they can take the next step to help us compete in our tough conference.”
Defensively, despite losing both Showell and Hooste at linebacker, Price feels that unit is still Malad’s best asset. “This year we feel our strength could be our linebackers,” Price says. “Holdan and Drake both got a lot of playing time and became really solid players. We are going to add a few others as well to round them out, but this could really become a strength for us.”
Other standouts defensively include senior defensive end Justin Toone and junior defensive back Easton Green.
The Dragons have slowly been building up their program, which is difficult to do in a conference that boasts West Side, Declo and Aberdeen. Price is excited to see the fruits of their labor continue to bloom.
“Last year we had a lot of sophomores either get opportunities on the varsity field or take on a bigger role with the JV. We are excited to see how this pays off for us this year.”
WENDELL
Wendell is essentially hitting the reset button on its program in 2025. After four seasons of rebuilding a program with just ten career appearances in the postseason, coach Jon Helmandollar took the job at Gooding.
Former assistant Josh Yon steps in for Helmandollar, and will have to navigate the loss of five seniors, four of which started on the offensive line: Isaiah Lentfer, Sam Carlson, Aidan Scott and Aiden Houser. Carlson, Scott and Houser all played on the defensive line as well, while Lentfer played linebacker. Also gone is fullback/linebacker/kicker Julian Ponce.
Further complicating matters is the loss of four impact juniors from last year’s team: Jett Jasper (quarterback/linebacker), Jarrett Borges (tight end/defensive end), Jonathan Swainston (wide receiver/defensive back), and Jordon Swainston (wide receiver/defensive back) each received All-Conference honors a season ago, and were set to be key pillars of this year’s team. But all four decided not to play football this fall.
“Overall, this team is relatively young, but they have great chemistry,” says coach Yon. “This a fresh start with athletes excited to be a part of the program.”
Despite losing so many offensive linemen, that’s an area that Yon points to as a strength this year. Seniors Garrett Youngblood and Grey French will anchor that unit up front, and sophomore Ryland Winmill shows promise.
They’ll be tasked with protecting junior quarterback Beckett Yon. Yon will lead a group of skill players that includes juniors Ryon Rodriguez and Kaden Shives, and sophomores Ben Chisham and Zayden Rogers.
“We had a difficult time running the ball last year,” says Yon. “We hope to get more yards on the ground. Our QB often had to make throws on the run as well, so we need to give him more time.”
Defensively, the goal is simple: allow fewer points per game in 2025. French will lead the defensive line, Youngblood will star at linebacker, and senior safety Santos Suarez is a returning starter that will help out on the back end.
Yon sees this total reset in Wendell as an opportunity to lay the foundation for future generations, although Yon admits it won’t be easy. “We need buy-in from our athletes,” Yon says. “They will have to learn from a new group of coaches, learn an entirely new offense and defense, and play against teams that out-number and often out-size them.”
SODA SPRINGS
In a league as talented as the South East Idaho Conference, someone has to finish last. That designation went to Soda Springs in 2024, as the Cardinals went 0-5 in conference and 0-9 overall.
The head coaching duo of Rod Worthington and Scott Gambles have departed, and new coach Colby Fangman is bringing an aerial assault offense to Soda Springs.
“We will be implementing the spread RPO (run-pass option) offense with a proven QB, surrounded by outstanding skill players,” says Fangman, who has over 25 years of coaching experience all over the western United States, including Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Fangman’s son Zander will quarterback the offense. The 6-foot, 160-pound junior knows his father’s offense inside and out. Senior Cole Garbett and junior Zayden Garbett will line up at running back. The receivers will be led by seniors Randy Stephens and Gage Peck, and junior Owen Miller. Seniors Kayden Harrison and Elijah Dilworth will line up at tight end. And key offensive linemen include senior Barrett Hobbs, junior Chase Thomson and sophomore Carson Cook.
Many of those same names will contribute defensively, as well. Harrison, Cook, senior Ashtin Call and senior Caleb Hansen will all rotate at defensive end. Hobbs and Thomson will play on the interior of the defensive line. Cole Garbett, Zayden Garbett and Dilworth will play linebacker. And the secondary will be paced by Peck and Miller at cornerback, and Stephens at free safety.
“This team has had a rough two years,” says coach Fangman. “I am excited to see what they can do with a new approach to everything and utilizing their strengths in a way they haven’t experienced.”