West Platte head football coach Jim Newsted walks onto the field before a game last season.
The West Platte football team took a step back last year after going 8-3 in 2021 with only three wins in 2022, but it is aiming for improvement this fall.
The Blue Jays alternated wins and losses in the first four weeks before going 1-6 down the stretch with a couple of close ones slipping away. With some talented offensive weapons coming back, West Platte is ready to reload.
“Last season was interestingly a good season with only three wins; we were competitive in most games and had a lot of experience at the line of scrimmage, but were young in the skills’ position,” West Platte head football coach Jim Newsted said. “This year the roles are reversed; the skills’ position is experienced and we’re starting with three returning linemen on offense and one on defense.”
The Blue Jays are running the Wing-T offense, a scheme designed to utilize misdirection and short passes to offset the opposition with larger and stronger players. West Platte will have a versatile rushing attack, including Dalton Woodard who ran for 425 yards and five scores in his sophomore campaign.
“We will rely on deception in the Wing-T to get the ball to many different backs. After this summer we have four backs we feel confident that can carry the load on the ground, with Dominic Williams leading the group,” Newsted said.
Junior Kane Cogan is ready for another year as quarterback after debuting in 2022. He threw for 104 yards per game last fall and has spent the offseason improving.
“Kane has strengthened his arm this summer, and having one season under his belt, brings a lot more confidence to the position. He will have some big targets to connect with Cohen Kite at 6’3 and Miles McHenry at 6’5, along with several slot receivers to take on the possession receptions underneath,” Newsted said.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Blue Jays will look at a trio of returning linebackers led by senior Gunner Smith who had 50 tackles and a pair of sacks. Kite was an All-Conference Second Team defensive back with Jhett Chandler coming back from the other side.
“Last year’s defense struggled to stop the run in a KCI run heavy conference. We return this season with a very inexperienced defensive line and Gunner Smith looks like he will lead the linebackers this season,” Newsted said.
The offensive line returns three mainstay starters with Marshall Winker, Dylan Jackson and Will Shaffer and sophomore kicker Alex Allison, who made six of his seven field goal attempts. Brett Swope and Taylor Gallagher have been the offensive and defensive coordinators the last three years along Newsted who have made adjustments towards the personnel.
“Our lack of depth and experience on the defensive side of the ball will call for some creative ways to stop teams from scoring early in the season. Inexperience at some spots on this offense might look like a slow start, but grit and hard work will prevail with this offensive unit, and a fast learning curve is the expectation,” Newsted said.