Written by: Keller Sherman
After a 24-22 loss to North Fremont to open the 2022 season, Bear Lake went on a 10 game winning streak that culminated with a state title, the first in school history. A magical season in Montpelier saw two wins over West Side, a conference crown, and the derailing of a dynasty at the 2A ranks.
West Side sought four straight state titles and had a 35 game overall winning streak. A pair of 28-27 overtime victories (one for the regular season league crown, one in the 2A semifinals) over the Pirates crushed their hopes and dreams. Now, Bear Lake seeks an encore in 2023. Road trips to Aberdeen and West Side make for a difficult road to repeat as conference champs, but after 2022, the Bear faithful have every reason to believe that this can happen.
Bryson Crane, Rhett Lloyd, Toby Flake, Dawson Smith, and Hoyt Johnson are key returning pieces for the Bears. Of these players, Crane, Lloyd, and Flack received all-conference honors with Crane and Flack being entered into second team all-state as well.
Idaho 2A all-state player of the year Tayson Neal is gone meaning there will be a new face at quarterback. In addition, Tyler Beresford, Jordan Garbett, Tylor Burbank, Ethon Thorton, Keaton Carlson, Walker Pelto, Brady Shaul, and Payton Ochsenbein are gone, leaving a lot of holes to fill on a roster that won a state championship.
Ryan Messerly enters his eighth season as Bear Lake’s head coach with a lot to be proud of. Even with all of the players the Bears lost, Messerly still has a high level of optimism for 2023. “I'm proud to say that our team possesses a range of offensive strengths that we intend to leverage on the field,” Messerly said. “A balanced offensive approach is another one of our strengths. We understand the importance of mixing up our plays to keep defenses off balance.”
“This means blending passing and running plays effectively to control the tempo of the game and maintain possession of the ball,” he further explained. “Our offensive strengths lie in our versatility, skill positions, solid offensive line, effective passing game, balanced attack, red zone efficiency, play-calling prowess, and team chemistry. By harnessing these strengths and working together cohesively, we aim to put points on the board, control the game's tempo, and ultimately secure victories.”
Messerly talks about his defense with equally high praise as well. “Our defense is a crucial component of our overall strategy, and we've honed our strengths to create a formidable unit that can shut down opposing offenses,” Messerly said. “Our defensive strengths lie in our solid defensive line, tackling and pursuit skills, coverage proficiency, turnover creation, red zone defense, adaptability, front seven dominance, team chemistry, communication, and third-down efficiency.”
Coming off of a state championship, Bear Lake has not stopped grinding. Messerly is impressed with the effort he has seen from his players as the Bears seek back-to-back state titles. With the amount of inspiring work put in during this offseason, perhaps everything can come together for the Bears once again in 2023.
Bear Lake will have a chance to avenge its lone loss of the season in 2022 when North Fremont visits Montpelier to open the 2023 campaign. A trip to Lyman, Wyoming is followed by a rematch of the 2A state championship game when the Bears travel to Firth to take on the Cougars. A home game against an improved Wendell team wraps up the non conference slate.
A favorable home/road draw can be seen as a factor in Bear Lake’s conference and eventual state title run in 2022. West Side and Aberdeen both came to Montpelier while the Bears went on the road to the two teams that finished in the bottom of the conference in Soda Springs and Malad. Now the sites flip as challenging trips to West Side and Aberdeen await. Still, Messerly’s team is ready to step up to the challenge and prove that 2022 was not a one hit wonder and that Bear Lake is here to stay as an annual state title contender.