West Panthers 2009 preview
By John Coon
Deseret News
Published Aug. 10
Seeing West get moved up to 5A did not meet with approval among a large segment of fans, coaches,
and alumni at the school. They worried the student population numbers were being taken out of context
and the Panthers would suffer while trying to compete with larger 5A schools.
A fear of 5A has not infected the football team. Few
teams in their new region, or 5A, can match the
experience West will be able to count on this fall. The
Panthers feature eight returning starters on offense and
could return as many as eight on defense if they all
qualify academically. More importantly, many returners
contributed at key positions like defensive line, wide
receiver and running back.
Senior lineman Jovante Scott relates West's situation
coming into the season to making macaroni and cheese.
The Panthers have all the necessary ingredients for the
recipe. Now it is a matter of simply cooking the meal.
"We have the noodles, we have the cheese, we have
the milk, we have the butter," Scott said. "We just need to
get the temperature right and stir it. That's all we need to
do."
If you take the analogy one step further, West also has
a new master chef giving orders in the kitchen. Justin
Spencer makes his head-coaching debut at his alma
mater this season.
After seeing the skill and athleticism he has at his
disposal at West, Spencer is feeling genuinely excited
about the potential for this season.
On defense, it all starts with a defensive line that is
both strong and deep. Returning juniors Sione Talakai
and Junior Vea were both starters as sophomores last
fall. Abel Stanley and Robert Martinez add to the depth
up front. It ends with a secondary featuring defensive backs
that Spencer feels like can be true cover guys at their
positions.
"I have overwhelming confidence in our defense,"
Spencer said. "It's a belief in those kids that they can play
football. The only holdback is we're learning a new system.
Learning a new system is going to cost them a little bit of reaction time until they can get it down."
Things look good on offense too. The Panthers return virtually all of their players at the various skill
positions. They lost none of their running backs and only one receiver from last season. Of those
returning players, Tana Afeaki might be best positioned to have a breakout season as the team's lead
running back.
Afeaki has struggled with his academics in the past. But the senior worked hard to bring his grades up
and has committed himself to becoming productive in the backfield through a demanding offseason
training regimen — featuring weight lifting and running among other things.
Holes need to be filled at offensive line and quarterback, but things are unfolding in promising fashion
in both places. Scott earned all-region honors at center last season and, as one of the team leaders,
should serve as a reliable anchor up front. West will also be breaking in a promising signal-caller in
Chance Albrith.
Albrith, a junior who also plays baseball, made a big impression with his arm strength and throwing
abilities in camps at Weber State and SUU. Spencer thinks he has potential to be an excellent
quarterback. Right now, he just needs experience running an offense.
"He's never played a down of varsity football," Spencer said. "He's a baseball kid. He doesn't know a lot
about football, so he has a long way to go. But he definitely has the physical tools to be very successful."
Players on the football team draw inspiration in what the boys basketball team accomplished with its
march to the state title this past season. This group also harbors title aspirations of its own and doesn't
want to see its goals go unfulfilled.
"I know we're going to do good this year," Scott said. "We're going to do a lot better than we did last
year. There are a lot of expectations for this team and I'm not going to let them fall like they did last year."
By John Coon
Deseret News
Published Aug. 10
Seeing West get moved up to 5A did not meet with approval among a large segment of fans, coaches,
and alumni at the school. They worried the student population numbers were being taken out of context
and the Panthers would suffer while trying to compete with larger 5A schools.
A fear of 5A has not infected the football team. Few
teams in their new region, or 5A, can match the
experience West will be able to count on this fall. The
Panthers feature eight returning starters on offense and
could return as many as eight on defense if they all
qualify academically. More importantly, many returners
contributed at key positions like defensive line, wide
receiver and running back.
Senior lineman Jovante Scott relates West's situation
coming into the season to making macaroni and cheese.
The Panthers have all the necessary ingredients for the
recipe. Now it is a matter of simply cooking the meal.
"We have the noodles, we have the cheese, we have
the milk, we have the butter," Scott said. "We just need to
get the temperature right and stir it. That's all we need to
do."
If you take the analogy one step further, West also has
a new master chef giving orders in the kitchen. Justin
Spencer makes his head-coaching debut at his alma
mater this season.
After seeing the skill and athleticism he has at his
disposal at West, Spencer is feeling genuinely excited
about the potential for this season.
On defense, it all starts with a defensive line that is
both strong and deep. Returning juniors Sione Talakai
and Junior Vea were both starters as sophomores last
fall. Abel Stanley and Robert Martinez add to the depth
up front. It ends with a secondary featuring defensive backs
that Spencer feels like can be true cover guys at their
positions.
"I have overwhelming confidence in our defense,"
Spencer said. "It's a belief in those kids that they can play
football. The only holdback is we're learning a new system.
Learning a new system is going to cost them a little bit of reaction time until they can get it down."
Things look good on offense too. The Panthers return virtually all of their players at the various skill
positions. They lost none of their running backs and only one receiver from last season. Of those
returning players, Tana Afeaki might be best positioned to have a breakout season as the team's lead
running back.
Afeaki has struggled with his academics in the past. But the senior worked hard to bring his grades up
and has committed himself to becoming productive in the backfield through a demanding offseason
training regimen — featuring weight lifting and running among other things.
Holes need to be filled at offensive line and quarterback, but things are unfolding in promising fashion
in both places. Scott earned all-region honors at center last season and, as one of the team leaders,
should serve as a reliable anchor up front. West will also be breaking in a promising signal-caller in
Chance Albrith.
Albrith, a junior who also plays baseball, made a big impression with his arm strength and throwing
abilities in camps at Weber State and SUU. Spencer thinks he has potential to be an excellent
quarterback. Right now, he just needs experience running an offense.
"He's never played a down of varsity football," Spencer said. "He's a baseball kid. He doesn't know a lot
about football, so he has a long way to go. But he definitely has the physical tools to be very successful."
Players on the football team draw inspiration in what the boys basketball team accomplished with its
march to the state title this past season. This group also harbors title aspirations of its own and doesn't
want to see its goals go unfulfilled.
"I know we're going to do good this year," Scott said. "We're going to do a lot better than we did last
year. There are a lot of expectations for this team and I'm not going to let them fall like they did last year."
| At a glance: Coach: Justin Spencer is in his first year with the Panthers after cutting his teeth as an assistant at Kearns. Key Players: Tana Afeaki will be counted on to be the team's lead running back on offense. He should ease the learning curve for talented new quarterback for Chance Albrith. The offensive line is depleted, but standout center Jovante Scott is back. Defensively, the Panthers are strongest on the line with players like Sione Talakai and Junior Vea leading the way. Strengths: Experience is an asset with West, given how many starters they return on both sides of the ball. The senior leadership seems determined to push the Panthers to exceed expectations and they are listening to Spencer — always a good thing going into a season. Weaknesses: West is breaking in a new offense and defense, which Spencer admits could slow the team down early in the season. There are also questions about how quickly Albrith will adapt to varsity ball with so little prior experience. There are other options at quarterback— such as Gordon Peterson and even Afeaki — if needed. Predicted Region 2 finish: 4th. Postseason Possibilities: West appears best positioned to claim the remaining playoff spot behind usual contenders like Skyline, Cottonwood and Hunter. If things work out the way the Panthers hope, there is a possibility the Panthers could finish as high as third in region. Winning a playoff game might be a harder goal to obtain and a first-round exit seems likely. |