Westville football eager to put the puzzle together

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Jul. 17—WESTVILLE — Not many high school football players get the chance to start for more than half of their prep career.

Even fewer get the nod to start a third season at quarterback.

That's why Westville senior Easton Bolin has inspired plenty of confidence for the Tigers ahead of the 2026 season.

"It's always nice to have a returning starter at quarterback," veteran Westville coach Guy Goodlove said. "I mean, I remember when he was a sophomore, and he couldn't even get the play out of his mouth. He couldn't call the play correctly."

Bolin still made plenty of plays as a sophomore when he helped the Tigers finish 6-4 in a crowded Vermilion Valley Conference. But he upped his game even more as a junior, helping lead the Tigers to an 11-1 record and outright VVC title in 2025.

That he's entering his third season at the helm of Goodlove's offense is a key reason why a revamped Westville roster will enter the 2026 season as the No. 6 team in The News-Gazette's preseason Top 10 poll.

"There's going to be a lot of expectations placed on these guys' shoulders because they're returning lettermen," Goodlove said. "But the cupboard's not bare. We return a lot of seniors, and those seniors got a lot of quality reps in practice against a very good varsity team."

Several key players departed via graduation after helping the Tigers outscore their opponents by an average of 39 points a season ago, which ended with a 42-35 home loss to Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond in a Class 2A state quarterfinal game.

Bolin, for his part, is ready for his final high school season. The dual-threat quarterback threw for more than 1,000 yards and rushed for more than 600 yards while accounting for 27 total touchdowns.

"The difference between my sophomore year and now is way different, but I obviously feel more confident, more comfortable with the offense and everything," Bolin said. "I can feel like I can be more of a leader without stressing out about everything."

Westville's offense will look a bit different around Bolin in the absence of running back Jack Ajster, who rushed for 1,485 yards and 33 touchdowns last season.

Gone too are the likes of Easton Barney and Lincoln Cravens, as that duo also shined for the Tigers out of the backfield a year ago. But Bolin isn't worried about his connection with whoever emerges from the Tigers' summer workouts.

"Everybody's starting to learn everything," Bolin said. "I always say a dumb football team is a quiet football team. They're starting to talk more and all that."

Senior right tackle Reid Smith is back in the fold to lead Westville's offensive line, giving Bolin a familiar face in the trenches.

"If he has a clean jersey and mine's completely dirty, I'm OK with that," Smith said. "If he doesn't get touched, that's the main goal. Keep everybody else off my quarterback at all costs."

Goodlove wouldn't be surprised to see a number of players step up to affect a revamped defensive unit.

Defensive lineman Brandon Bennett is expected to return from a shoulder surgery and join Trey Bowling on the Tigers' defensive front. Connor Coon is also due back from an injury and could slot in as a linebacker or edge rusher.

Jackson Beckley and Blake Smith are other names on the defensive line to watch out for.

"It's just a matter of fitting the puzzle together," Goodlove said. "Once we get it figured out, we can have a very good season this year."

And then there's senior Chaz Alvarez, who made positive contributions in the secondary in 2025.

"I just feel like I want to be able to lead that defense and call out plays as Easton Barney would last year, and that's just the role I'm looking to pick up," Alvarez said. "I'm also looking to make my way into some of the offense and just being able to lead my team."

Goodlove has put the pieces together before. He's entering his 32nd season at the helm of the Tigers, making him the longest tenured coach within The News-Gazette's coverage area. Last season marked the seventh time one of his teams won 10 or more games.

But his players don't recall the two teams that the dean of VVC coaches led to state championship games. None of them were born when the Tigers finished second in Class 2A in 2006 and 2007.

"When you walk into the facility, we have our tiger monument and we have all the years listed that we've made the playoffs," Goodlove said. "I think that's pretty special to be part of a winning program."

Smith does, however, recall being a ball boy for the Tigers during his youth.

"Just watching the physicality of high school football and the speed of it," Smith said. "I just wanted to be a Westville Tiger ever since I was probably five."

Things look a bit different around campus now than they did then, thanks to an expansive project that brought turf and a new weight room to Memorial Field in 2021. The Tigers will get to play at their home facility for the first time on Aug. 28 when Salt Fork visits after Westville opens the season on Aug. 21 at Iroquois West.

"When you come to a Friday night football game, you better come early to get a seat," Goodlove noted. "Friday night lights around here are something special, and I think it pretty much sells itself."

Westville's investment paid off with big crowds down the stretch a year ago, something the Tigers are hoping to replicate this fall.

"You can see the town just fall in because we were at home every game," Smith said. "There wasn't a time you could look in the bleachers and see an empty seat. People were parking people in their yards. It was just incredible seeing everybody here to support us."

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