Written by: Will Hoenike
When talking about the balance of power in the Idaho 8-man football ranks, the conversation generally centers around teams from District 2 in north Idaho or District 4 in the Magic Valley. In the 1A Division 1 conversation, though, a team that has earned its way into the conversation is the Butte County Pirates.
The Pirates, based in Arco about 65 miles west of Idaho Falls, has reached a pair of state championship games in the past eleven years and has qualified for the playoffs nine times in those eleven years as an 8-man program. Veteran head coach Sam Thorngren, who has been atop the Pirate ship for nearly two decades now, believes this team has the pieces to compete in November again in 2023.
“This group is very competitive,” Thorngren said of his team. “We need to pay attention to our chemistry and play unselfish and focused football. If we can do that, I like our chances against anybody.”
Butte County is known for its running game. All-State running back Treyton Allen has graduated after a productive career, as has All-State lineman McCoy Beard. Step one for the Pirates will be to fill those two spots. There’s never a shortage of solid backs in the Arco area so time will tell who rises to the challenge to earn roles in the Pirate offense. Senior Boston Anderson returns and junior Rawson Twitchell will also compete for carries. Quarterback Cory Gamett has also graduated, so junior Razor Duke will look to fill that spot this fall.
“We take pride in our ability to run the football. We run a Wing-T style trapping game that is also option heavy,” Thorngren said. “Our offensive line is very mobile, more so than it has been the last couple of years.”
The team returns seniors Braxton Gamett and Dillon Waymore along the offensive line and junior Charlie Bragg is expected to be in the mix for a starting role this fall as well. Seniors Trent Pancheri and Rafe McAffee often line up at tight end, an extension of the offensive line in Arco.
The Pirates amassed nearly 450 points in their nine games but turnovers in big games proved costly. The team is striving to take better care of the ball in big games against quality opponents.
Defensively, the Pirates return the 2022 High Desert Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Brody Westergard. Braxton Gamett and McAffee will fill key roles as linebackers with Twitchell being in position to earn playing time at that position as well. Waymire, Pancheri, and Bragg will be charged with controlling the line of scrimmage from the defensive front. The team was solid defensively last fall, not allowing a single opponent to top 40 points.
“We should be very good on defense this year,” Thorngren said. “We generally base our defense out of an odd front, but we want to mix that up more as well this year to take advantage of our athleticism.”
Thorngren did point out one statistical oddity – in Butte County’s three losses last fall, the team did not force a single turnover. Getting takeaways on defense, much like avoiding giveaways on offense, can be pivotal to postseason success.
The Pirates are members of a three-team conference, meaning the team will play six non-conference games before facing Challis in its first conference game on October 6, including a marquee, neutral-site matchup with two-time defending 1A Division 2 state champion Kendrick in Middleton on September 29.