'14 Football Preview: Westfall Mustangs
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
For the Westfall Mustangs, they want to be at the top of the 2014 Scioto Valley Conference standings at season’s end, but they know they must play some competitive football to stay at the top of the conference.
First-year Westfall head coach Shane Patterson knows what awaits in the SVC this season, as he is inheriting a team that shared the conference title last season with the Paint Valley Bearcats and the Zane Trace Pioneers.
"Well, we definitely would like to be at the top of the SVC, but we know we are going to have to play some very good competition to be there," Patterson said. "We threw this summer in a couple of 7-on-7s and saw Piketon and Huntington.
"Both teams looked very solid at the skill positions. I also believe Paint Valley returns some very good athletes from last season and will be competing for the top spot."
[[In-content Ad]]Patterson has coached varsity football for the past 15 years, but this is his first year as a head coach. He is replacing Brian Spicer, who coached the Mustangs for one season.
The new Westfall coach will have nine seniors, but the Mustangs lost 12 seniors from a team last year that finished 5-6 overall (5-2 in the SVC) and went to the playoffs.
WHS lost to Martins Ferry in the OHSAA Division V playoffs by a 31-28 score.
Also last season, the Mustangs scored 269 points and allowed 318. They started off the season with three losses before going 5-2 in their next seven games to earn the postseason spot.
Three top players lost from last season due to graduation were: Tommy Staten, Alfonso Rice and Taylor Salmons.
With a new head coach comes a new offensive and defensive system, so what does Patterson like to run?
"We run what we call the wing and fling," he said. "We are a mix between wing T and spread. Defensively, we are a 3-3-5 defense."
As for the summer of Westfall and their first-year head coach, Patterson said it has been "very good."
"Our kids have had to really work hard to learn a new system both offensively and defensively," he said. "We hit the weights hard this summer and conditioned quite a bit. It's been great to get here and work with new coaches and new athletes.
"I wish I would have been able to get down here sooner than I did. Due to where we lived prior to moving down here, it was about two and a half hours away, and the difference in school schedules really didn't allow me to get down here and work our summer weights until around mid-June. The kids have done an extremely wonderful job learning a new system on both sides of the ball in a short time."
The quarterback for WHS will be senior Cole Hardin. Other returning starters are senior Grant Finch (WR/S), senior Brad Wippel (DL/OL), senior Matt Maple (OL/LB), senior Mason Peart (WR/RB/DB), senior Steven Grady (DE/TE) and senior Jordan Story (OL/DL).
"Our seniors are going to have to really take the lead with this team," Patterson said. "Our depth is not great, so we are also going to have to stay healthy."
There are others Patterson is looking to bring continued success to WHS.
"Jon Lawson is a young sophomore that played a little last season, but we need to step up," he said. "Matt Jude is also just a sophomore and will need to step up and be a young leader on this team."
As stated earlier, the goal is one that all teams in the SVC want to achieve.
"We want to be SVC champs, and we also would like an opportunity to play deep into the postseason," Patterson said. "Right now, though, our focus is on Week 1 (Teays Valley)."
First-year Westfall head coach Shane Patterson knows what awaits in the SVC this season, as he is inheriting a team that shared the conference title last season with the Paint Valley Bearcats and the Zane Trace Pioneers.
"Well, we definitely would like to be at the top of the SVC, but we know we are going to have to play some very good competition to be there," Patterson said. "We threw this summer in a couple of 7-on-7s and saw Piketon and Huntington.
"Both teams looked very solid at the skill positions. I also believe Paint Valley returns some very good athletes from last season and will be competing for the top spot."
[[In-content Ad]]Patterson has coached varsity football for the past 15 years, but this is his first year as a head coach. He is replacing Brian Spicer, who coached the Mustangs for one season.
The new Westfall coach will have nine seniors, but the Mustangs lost 12 seniors from a team last year that finished 5-6 overall (5-2 in the SVC) and went to the playoffs.
WHS lost to Martins Ferry in the OHSAA Division V playoffs by a 31-28 score.
Also last season, the Mustangs scored 269 points and allowed 318. They started off the season with three losses before going 5-2 in their next seven games to earn the postseason spot.
Three top players lost from last season due to graduation were: Tommy Staten, Alfonso Rice and Taylor Salmons.
With a new head coach comes a new offensive and defensive system, so what does Patterson like to run?
"We run what we call the wing and fling," he said. "We are a mix between wing T and spread. Defensively, we are a 3-3-5 defense."
As for the summer of Westfall and their first-year head coach, Patterson said it has been "very good."
"Our kids have had to really work hard to learn a new system both offensively and defensively," he said. "We hit the weights hard this summer and conditioned quite a bit. It's been great to get here and work with new coaches and new athletes.
"I wish I would have been able to get down here sooner than I did. Due to where we lived prior to moving down here, it was about two and a half hours away, and the difference in school schedules really didn't allow me to get down here and work our summer weights until around mid-June. The kids have done an extremely wonderful job learning a new system on both sides of the ball in a short time."
The quarterback for WHS will be senior Cole Hardin. Other returning starters are senior Grant Finch (WR/S), senior Brad Wippel (DL/OL), senior Matt Maple (OL/LB), senior Mason Peart (WR/RB/DB), senior Steven Grady (DE/TE) and senior Jordan Story (OL/DL).
"Our seniors are going to have to really take the lead with this team," Patterson said. "Our depth is not great, so we are also going to have to stay healthy."
There are others Patterson is looking to bring continued success to WHS.
"Jon Lawson is a young sophomore that played a little last season, but we need to step up," he said. "Matt Jude is also just a sophomore and will need to step up and be a young leader on this team."
As stated earlier, the goal is one that all teams in the SVC want to achieve.
"We want to be SVC champs, and we also would like an opportunity to play deep into the postseason," Patterson said. "Right now, though, our focus is on Week 1 (Teays Valley)."