Written by: Will Hoenike
The Glenns Ferry Pilots graduated just five players off of their 2023 roster, leading to optimism that the program could take a noticeable step forward this fall under second-year head coach Eric Stewart.
Though the team won just two games last fall, both wins were impressive – a strong win over a Rimrock team that was in playoff contention deep into the regular season and then a conference win over Carey. Both wins came on the team’s home field just off over Interstate 84 in Elmore County.
With so many players expected back, the team should be able to dive right in. Senior quarterback Landon Stewart threw 15 touchdown passes last fall and the offense returns its top rusher (senior Josiah Valencia, 456 yards) and receiver (senior Aaron DeLeon, 535 yards) behind returning linemen Junior Sanchez and Oscar Duenas.
Defensively, Stewart and his staff will need to see more growth and improvement if the Pilots expect to contend for a playoff berth in the strong Snake River Conference. Glenns Ferry surrendered 383 points last season, an average of almost 50 per game, but the team returns several key contributors that should help reduce that number.
Valencia and fellow senior Bryce Sterling return at linebacker after leading the team in tackles last season; Valencia averaged eight tackles per contest and Sterling averaged over seven and a half. Duenas and Sanchez combined for another eight stops per contest along the defensive line while senior Jackson Smith added five tackles per game as well as a team-high nine tackles for loss on the season.
Perhaps Glenns Ferry’s greatest disadvantage is geography. The Pilots are a member of the 2A (formerly 1A Division 1) Snake River Conference in District 4. That conference is also home to the team that has won three of the past four state titles, Oakley, as well as a hard-charging Valley team, a tough Raft River team, a scrappy Murtaugh team, and a Hagerman team that returns a strong core after reaching the 1A Division 2 (now 1A) state playoffs last fall. After a solid non-conference schedule which includes road trips north (Clearwater Valley) and east (Grace), the Pilots will have to travel to Valley and Oakley for conference road games. The team wraps up the regular season at home against Murtaugh on October 25.
The team should be stronger and more consistent in 2024. If it can turn that into a couple of more wins, they’ll find themselves in position to compete for a spot in the 2A state playoffs.