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Glenns Ferry High School
School Info
Conference: 1AD1 Snake River Conference
Classification: 1A D1
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Head Coach: Laif Morrison
Years as Head Coach: 3rd Season
Previous Experience: 2 year assistant at Glenns Ferry
Record Last Year: 6-4
State Titles: 1995 and 1996
Assistant Coaches:
Erick Stewart
Tanner Shrum
Rob Spriggs
Returning Players:
Kody Arellano, QB/Linebacker, 12
Carlos Gastelum, WR/DB, 12
Erick Ballesteros, RB/LB, 12
Brady Turner, OL/LB, 12
Keyton Cook, OL/LB, 11
Returning Players with Honors:
Kody Arellano, 2nd Team All-Conference QB/LB
Erick Ballesteros, 1st Team All-Conference CB, 2nd Team All-Conference RB
Carlos Gastelum, 1st Team All-Conference Returner
Key Players lost from last year:
Scott Bybee, DE/OL. 2nd Team All-Conference DE and OL. He was a motivational leader who led by example. His leadership and hard-nosed work ethic will be missed on both sides of the ball.
Colton Janousek, WR/DE. 2nd Team All-Conference WR. Best hands on the team. His speed and athleticism will be missed on passing routes. He was a constant deep threat and his speed made him a tough matchup. He was a solid defensive end.
Mike Sanchez, LB/FB. His leadership will be missed. He always gave 100 percent and made sure his teammates worked hard every practice. Solid open field tackler.
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Photo By: Steve Conner #1 Kody Arellano
Incoming impact players:
Jared Self, OL/DL, 11
Isaac Guerrero, WR/DB, 12
Homar Sanchez, OL/DL, 12
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Team Preview:
Written by: Sven Alskog
With talent in place and the mindset turning in the right direction, the Glenns Ferry Pilots are threats to jump right into the upper echelon of the 1AD1 Snake River Conference.
A high-powered offense is going to make the Pilots competitive on a weekly basis, with multiple weapons all over the field.
"Kody Arellano is a three year starter at quarterback and a huge threat with his feet," said Head Coach Laif Morrison. "His speed and athleticism, plus an improvement in arm strength and accuracy this offseason, makes him a duel-threat quarterback. He is tough to tackle in the open field."
He has a pretty good option to hand the ball off too as well.
"Behind him running back Erick Ballesteros is expected to have a huge year. He led the team in rushing yards after taking over as running back halfway through the season. I am excited to see what the season brings for him," said Morrison.
Carlos Gastelum helps to balance things out as the go-to receiver with good speed to stretch the field. The shifty playmaker is also a game-changer in the return game.
In order for all everything to be firing on all cylinders, Glenns Ferry will need the offensive line to step up in a big way. Keyton Cook and Brady Turner will lead the efforts on the front line.
"We lost a lot of our size and starting linemen from last season," said Morrison. "We traded our size for speed. We also are working on improving our passing game. We relied a lot on the run last season. We are looking for more of a balanced attack this season.
While the offense should be able to meet or exceed the strong performance from last season, defensively there is a need for improvement, especially against teams with a capable quarterback.
"Teams destroyed us on the pass. Our run defense is fairly strong, but pass defense was a weakness last season that we intend to fix. If we can button up the coverage, we should be tough," said Morrison.
If there is one area the Pilots can count on defensively it is the linebacker core.
The unit is led by the trio of Arellano, Erick Ballesteros and Brady Turner. Ballesteros led Glenns Ferry with seven interceptions in 2015, including four pick-sixes, while Arellano was the leading tackler. Coach Morrison loves the group, with Turner receiving especially high praise.
"Turner is an absolute freak out there. He is fast and somehow knows every play before the offense snaps the ball. He is small in stature, but plays like a man possessed. The dude is a beast."
With Valley losing many of the key pieces from its 2015 state championship run, it appears the conference might be a little more wide-open this time around, with Oakley and Raft River appearing to be well positioned, but Valley and Glenns Ferry not too far behind. The top three teams in the conference will head to the state playoffs, making each week more important than ever before.
Glenns Ferry has a solid group in place to make some noise in the new year.
"I absolutely love these guys. They are all outstanding individuals who always give 100 percent in every single practice and in every aspect of their lives. I am lucky to be surrounded by such great athletes, a great coaching staff and a great community," said Morrison.
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