Eureka Lions poised to take tough 7-B

The District 7-B received another makeover this school year, with Bigfork moving to Class A and the Whitehall Trojans — not for the first time — moving over from the 5-B.

Seems like the more things change for the league, the more it stays the same: It provided both finalists to the last two State B championships. The Eureka Lions, meanwhile, have been a consistent power in a conference that has won five of the last seven State B titles.

“It’ll be us, Florence and (MIssoula) Loyola, in some order or another,” Eureka coach Trevor Utter said.

Eureka, which won state titles in 2016-17 and 2019, went 6-4 a year ago and returns two guys that played quarterback that season: Tristan Butts (6-foot-2, 170) and AJ Truman (6-4, 175). Truman started near the end because Truman was banged up; now Utter has named Truman the starter, while Butts will be a do-everything offensive weapon.

“My one returning All-State player,” he said of Butts, who’s also a standout at safety. “This year he’ll be a package guy, where we’ll play him at receiver and he’ll be in the backfield. We want to get him the ball in a variety of ways.”

Of Truman, Utter said: “He took a step forward in the weight room and in his growth and he’s ready to shoulder the load at quarterback.”

There is plenty else to like besides. Riley Hume is entering his third season as a starting lineman; at 6-1, 250 Utter calls him the strongest player on the squad. There’s also Wes Banks (6-3, 210) up front and Braden Casazza, a 6-6, 215-pound tight end getting offers from Frontier Conference schools.

Casazza, Hume and Banks also fortify the defense up front, and the Lions also return top tackler Caden Pecora at linebacker and Sullivan Sartori at corner.

Pecora figures to get a lot of carries at running back as well.

Florence won the last two State B titles and isn’t going anywhere, with linebacker Harrison Shepp back, among others. Loyola, which knocked off unbeaten Bigfork in the semifinals to make the 2022 title game, has quarterback Aiden Round and running back Talen Reynolds — he of the 1,706 rushing yards — returning.

Anaconda is under new leadership with former Whitehall coach Dan Lacey taking over the Copperheads. Thompson Falls, 8-man champion two years ago, has a blue-chip lineman in Hayden Hanks, who has committed to Boise State.

Four of the six teams will make the Class B playoff field. That might seem excessive, but three of the four semifinalists these last two seasons advanced from the 7-B. “The West is tough,” Utter said.

Prediction

Eureka

Florence

Loyola

Thompson Falls

Anaconda

Whitehall

Players to Watch

Tyler Abbott, WR/DB, Florence; Ethan Alexander, DE, Florence; Wes Banks, DL, Eureka; Tristan Butts, SB/S, Eureka; Landyn Carlili, OL, Anaconda; Braden Cassazza, DE/TE, Eureka; Hayden Hanks, OL/DL, Thompson Falls. Max Hannum, LB, Thompson Falls; Riley Hume, OL, Eureka; Taylor Jones, LB/P, Loyola; Malyk Lyttle, WR, Loyola; Arie McLaughlin, DL, Florence; Trapper Oster, DB, Florence; Caden Pecora, CB, Eureka; Talen Reynolds, RB/LB, Loyola; Aiden Round, QB, Loyola; Sullivan Sartori, S, Eureka; Harrison Shepp, LB, Florence; AJ Truman, QB, Eureka; James Wolter, K, Loyola.