Team Preview:
Written by: Chris Langrill
The Capital High School football team will be missing two very important cogs from last season's squad.
The team is going to have to reload without Conner Poulson, the Southern Idaho Conference Player of the Year, and Tarik Littlejohn, the SIC Player of the Year.
How will the Eagles fill those two gaping holes? With a team motto of "ONE".
“One focus, one heartbeat, one more percent of effort,” said head coach Todd Simis, who will be at the helm for the 12th season this year.
But it's not like any one player will be expected to replace Poulson and Littlejohn.
The team will have an experienced offensive line and a speedy weapon in wide receiver Sam Brixey, who was named an all-conference player after last season. Brixey, the fastest player on the team as a junior, won state championships in the 110-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles. Brixey, who competed in the 110-meter hurdles at the USATF Youth World Trials in Chicago this summer, should be an explosive weapon for the Eagles as a senior.
Simis said that one of his team's goals is to improve upon the downfield passing game, and Brixey should be instrumental in making that happen.
And while plenty of eyes will be on Brixey, Simis' offense will make it difficult for opposing defenses to key on any one player.
“We love to go fast and run the spread offense,” Simis said. “We believe in running the ball out of the spread. This year, we think we will be able to throw it effectively, as well.”
Having a quality offensive line is key to running a spread offense effectively. Simis thinks this is a unit that will lead the way.
“Our strength starting the season will be our offensive line,” Simis said.
And the leader of the offensive line figures to be Jacob Molenaar, who was named to the all-conference second team as a junior. Defensively, look for the Eagles to, er, fly around (pun intended).
“We like our team speed in the front seven,” Simis said. “We will run a three-man line and hope to be aggressive. … We hope that leads to more turnovers and negative plays.”
Defensive lineman Ben Vering, who was named an all-conference honorable mention as a junior, figures to be the heart of the line – and the entire defense.
“We like our offensive and defensive lines,” Simis said.
So, yes, Capital will miss a few big playmakers from last season. But Simis is excited to see how this year's players respond to the season ahead of them.
“I'm excited about our team chemistry,” Simis said. “I can't wait to see all of the hard work put to use.”
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