As Powell High School’s 2021 football season approaches, head coach Chase Kistler is confident his team will once again be a contender. With a crop of talented veterans and a group of young stars, the Panthers have lofty expectations for the upcoming campaign.

“We’re going to push for postseason play,” Kistler said. “Take care of business early, grind through the middle and execute toward the end.”

The Panthers are coming off a 2020 season in which they went 7-3 and earned signature wins over Star Valley, Worland and Lander Valley. They went two rounds deep in the Class 3A State Playoffs, defeating Lander in the quarterfinals before falling to Cody in the semifinals.

Some positions return most of their 2020 personnel, while others will feature new talent.

Behind center, the quarterback battle is between sophomore Jhett Schwahn and senior Sam Whitlock. Schwahn started for the junior varsity team last year, while Whitlock played a handful of series for varsity.

The competition is open right now, as both have played well in the first week of practice, but Kistler said the offense might be more versatile if Schwahn plays quarterback and Whitlock plays h-back, receiver or somewhere else.

“I would be comfortable with either one of them,” the coach said. “Now, it’s more so, how are we more versatile? Because we want both of them in the offense at the same time.”

In the backfield, Powell returns seniors Toran Graham and Reed Smith, who combined for eight touchdowns and more than 700 yards on the ground a year ago. And in front of them is an experienced offensive line that will again feature Sheldon Shoopman, Lane Shramek and Karson Lamb — a trio of “all-state-type linemen,” said Kistler.

Zach Ratcliff was Powell’s second-leading receiver in 2020, logging six receptions for 107 yards. He headlines a “speedy” group of young guys like Whitlock and Trey Stenerson who can make an impact immediately.

“We may not have four speed demons across the board, so we may run more two-receiver sets, but we have some great young guys who have shown the ability to make some great plays,” Kistler said.

Defensively, the coach expects the front seven to once again be a strength. Lamb, Shramek, Shoopman, Graham and Lannon Brazelton are some of the key returners up front, while Ratcliff and Whitlock will bring the most experience in the secondary.

“We’re pretty physical across the board,” Kistler said. “I hope our d-line wins the battle up front for most games and our linebackers and defensive backs can back them up.”

The coaching staff this year consists of six full-time coaches and three volunteer assistants. Former NFL tight end Chris Cooley is on staff this season as one of the volunteers.

In addition to Cooley’s professional experience adding wisdom to the staff, the large number of coaches allows for greater supervision of the entire team.

“The kids obviously know they’re getting advice from an NFL player, and that’s special to them,” Kistler said. “He does a good job with technique and things that we’ve never learned.

“We have so many eyes that we can watch almost every position every play. Before, we had one coach watching multiple things,” Kistler said.

With Cody, Jackson and Star Valley all bringing back talented rosters, the competition in Class 3A West will be stout this year, but Kistler is confident his team can return to the playoffs and make a run. But more than that, he wants to see his team fire on all cylinders consistently, regardless of the final outcome.

“We always want to make it as far as we can,” Kistler said. “I just want to see this team play the best football they can and have fun doing it.”