IDAHO FALLS – Welcome to spring football, where the East Idaho Wolfpack gets ready to open their season Saturday against the Boise Savage.
It’s not college or pro football, but the teams in the Mountain West Football League compete and give those interested a chance to have some fun on a Saturday afternoon.
Players ages and experience levels are as varied as the storylines for those donning the Wolfpack uniform.
Here’s a snapshot.
The cancer survivor
Jose Alonzo is in his fifth year with the team. At 36, he’s a veteran of the squad.
He’s a father of two, works as a welder fabricator, and also works part time as a cook.
“It’s really fun,” Alonzo said of playing football. “You have a different dynamic with the younger guys and older guys, but it all comes together and works. It makes me feel young.”
But nothing could have prepared Alonzo for the news last year that he had leukemia.
“It’s a turn your world upside down kind of thing,” he said.
He was sent to a hospital in Salt Lake City for treatment and had to endure chemotherapy.
The good news is that Alonzo has been in remission for six months and is back playing football.
“That’s a lot to take in,” he said of his cancer battle. “It made me a better person. It made me value and appreciate things I do in my life, and one of the things was coming back here and being back on the field. I don’t take it for granted. I do enjoy playing the sport.”
The aspiring varsity player
Adan Sanchez grew up around football and his father played on the Mustangs team that competed in the Mountain West Football League, but has since disbanded.
He’s 17 and is working to eventually earn a spot on the Rigby High varsity team next year as a senior.
After playing football at Rigby as a freshman, Sanchez was out of the sport, but was motivated to earn a spot on the varsity roster.
“Seeing close friends that won state championships, I got to get back into it,” he said.
Rigby has been one of the state’s premier high school football programs and Sanchez said his time with the Wolfpack has been a learning experience, which was the whole point of joining the team.
“Experience-wise it’s a challenge, but I work hard,” he said.
The head coach
Chance Newsome played in the league and now has bigger goals.
He joined the Wolfpack as an assistant coach in 2023 and was defensive coordinator last season. This is his first season as head coach.
“For me it started off I loved playing the game and I wanted to move forward playing, but unfortunately, injuries stopped me,” Newsome said. “I took about seven years away, but then decided I at least wanted to be around (football) so I joined the Wolfpack as an assistant and my passion for coaching grew from there. I’ve grown to love it.”
Newsome, who played played his high school ball at Blackfoot, said he likes the idea of being a mentor and helping the younger as well as the older players achieve their dream of just playing the game.
At 29, Newsome works a full-time job pouring concrete for a local company, but would eventually like to coach at the high school level.
The Mountain West Football League consists of 10 teams from Idaho, Utah and Montana.
The Wolfpack, who are defending league champions, play home games at Skyline High.
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