PAGE B16, KEIZERTIMES FOOTBALL PREVIEW, SEPTEMBER 6, 2019
WEST SALEM TITANS
Submitted
Even after losing some of the top talent in the state, the expectations for the 2019 West Salem football team haven’t wavered.
West Salem set to replace much
of their talent from last season
By MATT RAWLINGS
Of the Keizertimes
Some of the most talented
football players the Valley has
seen over the last decade have
come from West Salem High
School.
Last season was no different
as
quarterback
Simon
Thompson was named the
Mountain Valley Conference
offensive player of the year
and linebacker Alex Hurlburt
was the league’s defensive
player of the year — both are
now playing big-time college
football, with Thompson at
Utah State University and
Hurlburt at the University of
Montana
Even though the Titans
lost a signifi cant amount of
talent from 2018, head coach
Shawn Stanley plans for his
team to reload this season.
“I love this group. I love
the togetherness and depth
of this group. The guys that
we have are very balanced in
their skill-sets. Everything has
been super positive so far,”
Stanley said.
What usually comes with
consistent success is high
expectations from year-to-
year. West Salem has gotten
pretty accustomed to being
considered a top-15 team
for the last 10-plus years.
However, the Titans feel
like they might be getting
overlooked as they prepare
for the 2019 season.
“I’d rather be the underdog
every time. We lost a lot of
good players and we haven’t
proven anything yet,” Stanley
said.
There will be several
players in particular that feel
like they have something to
prove in 2019, starting with
the Titans new quarterback.
Replacing
Thompson
under center this season will
be 6-foot-3 junior Jackson
Lowery, who was the Titans
JV signal-caller last season
and also plays for West Salem’s
basketball and baseball teams.
Lowery
differs
from
Thompson in that he’s a
more of a prototypical pocket
passer — Thompson excelled
out of the pocket last season
and even rushed for 571 yards
and fi ve touchdowns.
While he has yet to
perform on the big stage,
Stanley has a lot of confi dence
in his starting quarterback.
“I believe that (Lowery)
can be a college quarterback
someday. I think people are
going to be surprised by how
talented he is. He hasn’t done
it on a Friday night yet, but
he can make all the throws.
I have no doubt that he’ll be
able to take the next step,”
Stanley said.
West Salem will likely have
the best offensive line in the
league protecting their fi rst-
year quarterback.
Senior Andrew Shaw
and junior Holden Whipple
both earned second-team
all-league recognition at
offensive tackle last season —
Shaw also received second-
team honors on the defensive
line as well.
2018 second-team all-
leaguer Ethan Hoppe will
return to his center position
as a senior, and junior guard
Connor Moore also comes
back after an all-conference
season last year.
“We always say in our
program that the offensive
line is the most important
position group. If you have
an offensive line, you can be
average in other places. They
set the tone for everything,
and they are bigger, stronger
and more confi dent,” Stanley
said.
SCHEDULE
ALL GAMES START AT 7 P.M.
Sept. 6 vs. Lake Oswego
Sept. 13 at Bend
Sept. 20 vs. Grant
Sept. 27 at Sheldon
Oct. 4 vs. Beaverton*
Oct. 10 at South Salem*
Oct. 18 vs. Mountain View*
Oct. 25 at McNary*
Nov. 1 vs. Sprague
*game will start at 7:15 p.m.
Thompson and Hurlburt
weren’t the only big-time
recruits on the Titans squad
last season. Micah Pugh was
one of the top tight ends in
the state as a senior in 2018
and is now continuing his
football career at the Air
Force Academy.
However, Stanley didn’t
have to look to far to fi nd
Pugh’s replacement.
Anthony Pugh, Micah’s
younger brother, will play
play tight end this season
after being a fi rst-team all-
conference performer as a
sophomore on the defensive
line last season.
Stanley described Anthony
Pugh as a “bigger version of
his brother” and believes that
he will be sought after by
colleges in the near future.
Stanley also plans to move
Pugh from the defensive line
to linebacker — which is one
of the Titans weaker position
groups.
West Salem also lost their
best two receivers from
2018 in Anthony Gould and
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