Photo By Kyle Riley - #3 Matt Ney
Written by Dylan Carder, Sports Director KIFI/KIDK
One of the prominent messages coming from Pocatello head coach Dave Spillett this season is that he doesn't want his team to beat itself. “We've spent a great deal of time concentrating on ball security and ball control offensively.”
The 2019 Indians will be a young team overall, but have some senior leadership in some key spots. A big contributor from last season that will be back is Jadyn Downs. He was an all-conference and all-area wide receiver last year as a junior. Spillett says Downs was “one of the most electrifying players in the state last year.” He added that he “will have an even greater role this year and we're excited to see him flourish.”
A couple of other seniors that will see their role with the team grow this season are Matt Ney and Jarrett Lindley. Ney is a wide receiver and defensive back. Lindley plays both running back and linebacker. Spillett says both of those players will see “heavier loads” this year on both sides of the ball.
Pocatello has spent a lot of time this summer working on an aggressive defensive style. Their main focuses on that side of the ball will be to stop the run and get to the quarterback. Nathan Millward and Trei Hough were both a big part of their defensive line a year ago. Both have graduated and moved on, so Pocatello will be looking for some players to step up.
Also gone from last year's squad are wide receiver Tyler Olsen and linebacker Brian Jackson. Spillett noted that those two were “both big time players for us throughout the year.” For Pocatello to improve on last year's three win season, the seniors that this young team does have will need to help the coaches bring up the young talent.
They will have the advantage of having most of their conference games inside Holt Arena, with trips to Mountain Home and Burley the only conference road games. They will have back-to-back rivalry games on September 13 and 20th when they face Century and Highland respectively.
The playmakers on this Pocatello team will be dynamic and will give the Indians a chance to make some noise in the Great Basin Conference this season. For Spillett, he wants to make sure that opponents have to earn what they get. If the Indians can take heed to their coaches call for ball security and the young players follow the seniors and step up, Pocatello could be a team to watch in 2019.