SHS boys soccer looks to take next step in return to state supremacy

SANDPOINT — A familiar face returned to the 4A boys soccer state tournament last fall.

It had been a few years since the teams in southern and eastern Idaho had gotten a glimpse at the Bulldogs — a program with eight state titles to its name.

Despite its recent inexperience at the state level, Sandpoint arrived in Idaho Falls with championship aspirations. Unfortunately, it only took two games for the Bulldogs to be sent home.

It wasn’t the ending SHS had in mind, but now they get a chance to write another chapter in their journey back to state supremacy.

Senior Nolan Angell is ready for the ride.

“I’ve been on varsity since my freshman year and this is the most potential I’ve ever seen,” he said, “so I’m really excited to see where this season takes us.”

That bus trip back from state gave everyone on the team a chance to reflect. For the players coming back, it made them wonder what they needed to do during the offseason to help the Bulldogs take the next step.

It’s early, but already head coach Tanner French can tell his team is using the disappointing end to last season as motivation.

“Obviously the returners were not quick to forget what happened and neither was I,” he said. “But I know that’s not the end of the road and I think these boys have a little bit of redemption set in their sights and it’s completely up to them how they want this season to go.”

French is entering his third year at the helm. He took over looking to reinstall the core principles of a program that gave him a pair of state titles as a player. A key step in French’s rebuilding of the Bulldogs’ dynasty was getting them back to state for the first time since 2017 by taking down Moscow 3-0 in the 4A Region 1 title game.

The team finally put the demons of the past few years in the rear view, and now Sandpoint is looking to put the rest of the state on notice that Bulldog soccer is back and here to stay.

Already, French has seen a better attitude from his squad in the first two weeks of practice and he hopes that allows the Bulldogs to match his high expectations for this group.

Down in Idaho Falls, SHS battled below freezing temperatures in both their games and the bus ride down took over 10 hours due to a snowstorm. Angell said that state experience showed him why French pushes them so much in training and on and off the field.

“It’s for a reason,” he said. “Down at state when it’s cold and 17 degrees and you can hardly breathe, but you still have that fitness ... it just shows us that this really does pay off.”

French genuinely cares about each and every one of his players and that’s part of the reason he wants them to succeed so badly. Angell recognizes that passion and is holding the team to the same standard.

“He does expect a lot, which is awesome because I have high expectations for this team this season as well,” he said.

Senior Canyon Nash gained a lot of knowledge during the 2020 state trip, particularly related to the mental side of the game. He said the whole experience — from the hotel to the stage — was new to the Bulldogs and they needed to be checked in mentally from the moment they stepped on the bus, and they just weren’t at that level.

Plenty of key pieces from that regional title team are back this fall, but the Bulldogs did lose some firepower. League MVP Zander Moore graduated and now Sandpoint has to figure out how they are going to replace the team-high 10 goals he took with him.

Nash and Angell are part of a group of four players that French believes will fill that goal-scoring need, along with senior Evan Darling and sophomore Eoin Eddy.

“I’m excited for those four to turn it up a little bit this year,”

Eddy didn’t play at all last season due to an injury, but French is looking forward to seeing the impact he can have on the attack this fall.

Nash, a winger, and Angell, an attacking midfielder, both are ready to step up and put some more in the back of the net. Angell also sees senior Keyan Strock and junior Randy Lane making some noise in that area as well.

Nash was unable to play on the team as a sophomore, but really came on the scene as the season went on last year. Nash said his confidence level was a little low to start the season, but it grew stronger every game until he decided to let loose.

“I started to just become a little more creative on the field,” he said, “and just let myself flow a little bit more and that helped me a lot, and I think that’s what I need to carry into this season.”

French flipped Nash from left to right winger a handful of times in 2020, but the senior prefers the left so he can cut in and shoot off his strong right foot.

When Nash first started playing soccer, he was on defense at right back. He kept getting forward from the outside, so eventually coaches moved him to winger and he’s been there ever since.

“I was really good at just driving at people and that’s what I like to do is just run at people,” he said.

Nash has flashy speed that he loves to use to test out opponents’ backlines. It’s a trademark of his game and he can’t wait to showcase it again this fall.

“That’s what I’m really good at and that’s what I strive to do,” he said.

At midfielder, Sandpoint lost two-time all-league selection Chris Koch, who French called, “a quiet giant.” Koch was more defensive minded, but he was the maestro in the middle who kept the whole team connected.

Darling is slated to be a striker for the Bulldogs this season, but can also drop back and be an attacking midfielder in the 3-4-1-2 formation. French said Darling will be crucial to their success due to his versatility on the pitch.

“Evan Darling is kind of a spitfire and I think that’s what this group needs is someone who is a little bit more tenacious, someone who has that big dog DNA that we’ve seem to be missing for the last eight years now,” he said.

Two other key members of the team are back — two-time all-league selection Evan Dickinson and 2020 Newcomer of the Year Jett Longanecker, who will be at wing back.

Dickinson is a junior captain at center back. He is optimistic about the impact the backline can have this fall, but he also knows they have some holes to fill.

“I think we’re going to get better as the season progresses,” he said. “We’re going to have to get it figured out quickly, which I believe we can, but I think that’s going to be key to winning some games early in the season.”

Junior Stirling Roget is also expected to play a key role defensively.

“The physical presence of Evan [Dickinson] and Stirling is going to be unmatched in our league … so I’m looking forward to kind of solidifying a few more shutouts this year,” French said.

Dickinson has been on the back line since he started playing Strikers in about second grade. He was scoring goals from left back at that age and found his passion for defending.

“I just really love stopping people,” he said. “I love winning balls out of the air, I love slotting in a ball from 50 yards away, it’s all fun to me. Scoring goals, that’s fun, too, but I find more enjoyment out of making a hard tackle or making a clean slide.”

Dickinson enters this season fully healthy after undergoing surgery for a dislocated shoulder. He suffered the injury in the weeks leading up to the season opener last fall. He fought through the pain all season and then reaggravated the injury during the basketball season.

Dickinson said the recovering from the surgery kept him away from the game for a bit, but as soon as he could he was back on the pitch.

As a sophomore, Dickinson was also a captain, but found it hard to command the respect and attention of his teammates as an underclassman. French said he put Dickinson through that adversity for a reason, so he could become a stronger leader. And he’s seen that take shape this fall.

“Now this year he’s gained a little experience from that and I’ve already seen a lot of respect given back towards him from returners and the newcomers,” French said.

Dickinson and Angell have both grabbed significant leadership roles and are becoming extensions of French on and off the pitch.

“Those are the two that are pretty much the subvoice of mine,” French said, “and they help illustrate the ideas when I’m not around to the guys to understand the core principles of what we’re trying to do here and the bigger picture of what we’re trying to attain.”

Junior Roman Jiles will be in net for the third straight year. When Jiles stepped in at goalkeeper as a freshman, French said he probably only had about a year and a half of prior playing experience at the position. Now Jiles is making saves that the freshman and sophomore version would have never made, French said.

Despite that, French said Jiles has plenty of room for improvement and he’s glad he still has another year to work with him.

“I don’t think [Jiles] would be in the position he is today if I didn’t throw him between those posts two years ago and made him suffer for that year,” he said.

Dickinson said the potential of this team is endless and he believes they can make a deep postseason run. Angell agrees and while an all-league spot would be nice in his final season, he only cares about one thing — state.

“My personal goal is just get us there, show out and get that state title back home,” he said.

French enjoys teaching his players the life lessons and values legendary coach Randy Thoreson instilled in him years ago, and he hopes they realize that all their dreams are right there in front of them.

He said the Bulldogs are beginning to grasp what it’s going to take to secure their first state title since 2012.

“They’re starting to understand how to walk the walk,” he said.

Sandpoint opens the season against Lake City at 6 p.m. today at War Memorial Field.