STATE CENTER — West Marshall head football coach Cody Hackett has a feeling that this is the year the rest of the teams in Class 2A District 7 rise up to meet the standard set by his Trojans.

Thankfully the expectations are forever engrained in the West Marshall program so there’s no confusion about what it takes to defend four consecutive district titles.

The Trojans boast a roster with 18 seniors on the varsity squad, returning a number of players in every position group in hopes of hauling in a fifth straight district crown.

“We alwyas have high expectations for our players as coaches and I think that rolls over to kids having high expectations of themselves,” Hackett said. “We’ve had a lot of success the last few years.

“Our two slogans day-in and day-out are expect to win and dominate. If you go out and do those things with every rep(etition) in the weight room and on the field, the scoreboard will take care of itself.”

West Marshall had 10 first-team all-district players last season as the Trojans reached the 2A state quarterfinals for the second year in a row. Having finished one win shy of a shot at the state semifinals and the UNI-Dome sort of does the motivating for those returners, Hackett said.

“Yeah we’ve got some young guys but we’ve got some guys coming back with experience, so it’s their turn to step up and step in and be leaders,” he said. “I think we’re in a good spot right now with some experienced players, but we’ve got some other guys who need to get that experience.”

Having a third-year starter at quarterback will go a long way to bringing the rest of the inexperienced offensive players along, Hackett said. Peyton Hart will call the signals for West Marshall again and will likely be the featured ball carrier a year after piling up 1,020 rushing yards and a team-leading 21 touchdowns on the ground. He also threw for 744 yards in the Trojans’ run-first style of offense.

“When you have a quarterback who is the main guy, he can do a lot of things,” Hackett said of Hart. “Most QBs these days can run, but he’s been in our system and is the starter for the third year now and our expectations for him are pretty high. He knows our system, he knows our calls, and he’s got to be a leader on the field for us and help get guys in the right position.

“He may not be a vocal leader but he does a lot of great things for us. He leads through his knowledge of the game, his effort and attitude throughout practices and meetings, and he likes to ask questions just to get better.”

Running back Ben Gonzalez saw limited carries last season as a freshman, but the graduation of 4,000-yard career rusher Preston Pope has left a lot of opportunities in its wake. Senior fullback Caden Vellinga was a lead blocker for Hart and Pope a year ago and a capable receiver out of the backfield for the Trojans.

The top returning receiver is Grahm Nason, a 6-foot wideout who made nine grabs for 304 yards last fall. The Trojans like to utilize their tight ends in the passing game as well as run blocking, but Hackett said the competition there has been a rotation of multiple guys thus far. Senior Austin Pfantz and junior Dillon McMorran have an early edge in camp, Hackett added.

Up front, three returning starters are back on West Marshall’s offensive line. Senior center Sam Schaper headlines the group as the district’s reigning MVP lineman. Schaper (6-1, 260), Zach Chaplin (5-11, 210) and Elijah Meester (6-0, 225) make up the Trojans’ strong side, each earning all-district honors of one sort or another last fall.

“They have to be better than they were a year ago, communicate better, but I like where we’re at with our progress,” Hackett said of his veteran linemen.

Thomas Wilkinson (6-4, 240) and Vincent Clawson (6-0, 205) will help to fill out the line as well.

The same set of players will comprise the defensive line, as Pfantz, Chapin, Schaper and Meester all have considerable experience up front. Pfantz was as disruptive as any down lineman in the state, racking up 56.5 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 quarterback sacks a season ago.

“He’s a beast on defense for us and we expect bigger things this year,” Hackett said. “He’s fast, physical and he catches opposing offensive linemen off guard with what he’s able to do.”

Hart moves down from his safety position to become a linebacker this season, putting all of his 5-10, 190-pound frame to work. Vellinga returns to the group as the top returning tackler on the team (61.5 total tackles), and McMorran will get an increased role as a starter this fall.

Preston Reese and Carson Davis are going to get the call in the defensive secondary along with cornerbacks Nason and Jace Eich. TJ Schuler, a senior, would be the team’s starting free safety this Friday if not for a broken hand.

An ongoing competition at kicker will potentially see Andrew Tollefson and Wade Weuve taking turns at kickoff or on extra points and field goals.

West Marshall kicks off the new season at home this Friday night, entertaining the Trojans from South Tama County at 7:30 p.m. Nevada entertains West Marshall in Week 2, and opens District 7 play on the road at South Hamilton in Week 3.

“We’ve got to be able to run the football because some teams in our district are tough,” Hackett said. “A lot of teams are going to be better than they were a year ago. Iowa Falls-Alden and PCM, they’ll be in the running for the district title, and Chariton will be better because it has key players coming back.

“We can’t take any game lightly.”