Eastern Idaho Four teams from the east half of the state competed in the 3A Football State Championship semifinals last year.
Declo eliminated Aberdeen, while West Side, the eventual champion, eliminated Firth. All four teams are expected to contribute to this year’s classification result, despite the fact that some schools will face particularly difficult obstacles.
Aberdeen lost three All-State players from the previous season, while West Side graduated the current 3A Player of the Year. Declo, a District 4 school that competes with District 5 schools, lost its longstanding star, Gavin Rasmussen.
Malad wants to finish its first winning season in eleven years, while Soda Springs, led by its first-year head coach, looks to recover from a difficult 2024 campaign.
Aberdeen Tigers
Derek Jolley is the head coach; the team’s second-season 2024 record is 9-2, 4-1.Players to keep an eye on: Jose Medel, RB; Erik Alveraz, RB; Adan Valdez, LB/TE; and Lupe Ortiz, quarterback
Notes: Derek Jolley, the head coach for the second season, informed EastIdahoSports.com that every season will bring new issues. Nevertheless, he finds it challenging to respond to the questions posed to him.
After a 9-2 senior season, the Tigers lost a dozen or more players, including defensive lineman Jaden Nelson, an All-State Second-Teamer, and offensive linemen Cambell Harris and kicker Guillermo Barrera, both First-Team All-State performances.
Aberdeen’s roster this season includes of 30 players, including freshmen.
“It’s quite difficult,” Jolley remarked. However, it’s simply a challenge to overcome.
Jolley still believes his squad will win games and try to win the state championship again.
We’re attempting to reload a bit at the moment. He stated, “We lost 10-11 guys, a lot of big contributors.” It’s just a matter of attempting to reload and repeat, even though we have a lot of people returning who will contribute significantly.
Quarterback Lupe Ortiz is one response Aberdeen has to the queries. Jolley said the senior, who is starting his third season as the varsity signal-caller, has grown into an excellent leader.
Several strong backs, notably junior Erik Alveraz, will join Ortiz in the backfield.
After missing the entire previous season due to injury, Jose Medel is back. Last year, he made a full recovery in time to participate for Aberdeen in track and field, where he set some of the school’s finest sprint records.
On August 29, the Tigers host American Falls in a rivalry game to start the season.
Declo Hornets
Head coach: Rhett Jones; record for the second season of 2024: 10-2, 4-1
Malad Dragons
Brady Price, head coach, second season 2024:3-6, 2-3Players to watch: Justin Toone, TE/DE; Matt Briscoe, RB
Notes: In 2014, the Dragons last concluded a season with a winning record. Brady Price, the second-year head coach, wants to break that streak.
Malad will take the place of Matt Briscoe, who saw a lot of play as a junior last year, in lieu of standout wide receiver/running back Brady Showell, who graduated from high school as a two-time baseball state champion.
The Dragons will play the Lyman Eagles in the first game of their five-game winning streak in Lyman, Wyoming. They defeated the same Lyman team at home to start the 2024 campaign. This season, Malad will host West Side (October 24), Aberdeen (October 10), Declo (October 17), Ririe (September 5), and Wendell (October 3).
Soda Springs Cardinals
0-9, 0-5 in the first season of 2024, head coach: Colby FangmanPlayers to keep an eye on: Cole Garbett, RB; Alexander Fangman, QB
Notes: After a season without a victory, Soda Springs has changed their head coach. Only three seniors left the Cardinals’ roster under new coach Colby Fangman last season.
Along with his son, Alexander Fangman, a junior quarterback, Fangman adds thirty years of coaching experience.
On August 22, the redesigned Cardinals will play their first game in American Falls.
Wendell Trojans
Josh Yon is the head coach; the team’s first season 2024 record is 1-7, 1-4.
West Side Pirates
17th season 2024 record: 11-1, 4-1 (state champions), head coach: Tyson MoserPlayers to keep an eye on: Cooper Millburn, RB; Drake Sage, RB; and Jaden Fuller, quarterback
Notes: The Pirates have won a state championship the past two seasons, and head coach Tyson Moser, who has led the team for more than 20 years, has every reason to think his team won’t be prepared to try again.
despite losing a number of important players from the previous season, such as running back Crew Sage, the 3A All-Idaho Football Player of the Year.
Moser noted that the Pirates operate a three-back set, which means that there are always four or five running backs available to take first-team reps. As a result, West Side has always been able to move on from the loss of elite runners thanks to the method he uses.
Moser told EastIdahoSports.com, “The advantage is that we always have backs coming in that have gotten carries.” The advantage of rotating backs here the manner we do is that someone with experience always returns.
Drake Sage, Crew’s younger brother, will be the head of the snake this year, at the very least.
Drake contributed to the offensive strategy every week as a sophomore the previous season, especially when he rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown against Declo in the state championship game.
Jaden Fuller, the quarterback for West Side, is also returning. According to Moser, Fuller has improved significantly since taking over as the starting signal-caller for the varsity team shortly before the Pirates’ 49-6 victory over Soda Springs last season.
“It will be huge to have our quarterback back,” Moser said. Last year, he improved every week and played excellent football all the way through the playoffs.
Moser said that it is equally significant that the Pirates return the majority of their offensive linemen.
The Pirates’ difficult 2025 home schedule includes a matchup with rival Declo on September 26. The Pirates have lost to Declo in both of their previous regular season games but have triumphed over them in the title game.
Regarding the swap, Moser stated, “We’ll trade that all the time.”
