The Patriots are coming off a 4-5 year in the rugged Copper Division of the West PAC, the part of the league made up of its larger schools like Negaunee, Kingsford and Houghton.

Westwood has already suffered one setback, not of its own making, as Gwinn decided earlier this week to drop its varsity team in favor of a JV-only squad this fall.

The Modeltowners were on the Patriots’ schedule for the final week of the regular season, Oct. 24, and will leave an open date just before the playoffs unless NICE Community Schools can find a replacement opponent.

But with what Thomas can control, he’s feeling pretty good about his Westwood team this fall.

Westwood's Tyler Thomas, center, conducts a Patriots’ varsity practice on Aug. 19, 2024, at the school in Ishpeming just a few days into his tenure as head coach. (Journal file photo)

“We have a lot of skill players coming back this year, and we had lost a lot of guys last fall with some key injuries, especially to (quarterback) Ethan Marta,” said the second-year Westwood coach who graduated in 2014 from Negaunee and had been an assistant with veteran Miners head coach Paul Jacobson until 2019.

That year, Thomas took the head coach’s job at Ontonagon and spent four years with that eight-player program before the move back to Marquette County.

Marta will be back as Pats’ signal caller for his third year under center this fall, much to Thomas’ relief.

“Last year, he played the first two games, then was injured halfway through the (third game) vs. Menominee,” his coach said. “And he came back for the the very last game, too.

“When he’s on the field, we are a different team. He’s just a fantastic athlete, and we can be a lot more creative with what we do on offense.”

Westwood running back Louis Salmi stiff-arms a Hancock defender in the first quarter at the Patriots’ field in Ishpeming on Oct. 18, 2024. (Journal file photo)

He explained that he likes to spread the ball out to multiple skill players with an attack balanced between the run and the pass — and using motion too in their sets.

“I trust him to make the right reads,” Thomas said of Marta, “and he’s a dual threat with both the run and the pass. He can throw on the run, too.

“Ethan is always asking questions, and not just learning, but willing — and able — to teach his teammates, too.”

Thomas feels Marta is also surrounded by a quality corps of veteran players.

“We have a good group of seniors,” the coach said. “They really bought into what we were trying to do last year. It’s fun coaching them because they have great intensity.

Westwood’s Karter Scherer, front, fights off Gladstone defender Jacob Sinclair to score a touchdown during their game played Sept. 27, 2024, at Marble Athletic Field in Gladstone. (Escanaba Daily Press file photo)

“We have a lot of speed, and I can see us going with running back- and receiver-by-committee, we’re that deep.

“Our line may be a little bit smaller than the average team, but they’re fast off the ball. At this level, size by itself really doesn’t do that much.”

Probably the leading running back is senior Louis Salmi, who was a Second Team all-conference selection a year ago.

“He started a little slow, but when he got running more, when he got more carries, he really turned it on,” Thomas said about Salmi last season, adding that he’s a team captain and a shifty runner.

There’s also senior Karter Scherer, more of a speed guy.

“When he gets some open space, he’ll burn you,” his coach said.

At receiver, senior Jacob Ridl is also the backup QB who played some of the time when Marta was out last fall.

“He’s a natural route runner, he has good breakaway speed and great hands,” Thomas said of Ridl. “He had two touchdown catches in the last game (when Marta returned at QB).”

Junior tight end Cody Laurila was brought up to varsity as a sophomore last year due to injuries.

“He made a difference for us (last year),” his coach said.

Laurila not scored four TDs, but is a solid blocker as Thomas is pleased he’s added a little weight in the offseason.

“He’s just a great blocker, he can do a little bit of everything for us on offense,” the coach said.

Scherer will also serve as a slot receiver at times, while another senior, Sean Grove, is a newcomer after having played basketball.

“He’s a bigger body for us, very quick, a good blocker,” Thomas said of Grove.

The Patriots’ coach had some work to do to replace several of last players on the offensive line, though a key returnee is senior Gavin Comero.

“He’s a very good wrestler, knows how to get great leverage,” Thomas said. “He’s a scrappy kid.”

Junior Matthew Ostola is reported to have gotten in good work in the weight room.

“He looks to having gotten really tough this year,” Thomas said.

On defense, Comero and Ostola are expected starters at end, while senior Hunter Vedder could shine on the inside, too.

“He’s a bigger guy, like 240 or 245 pounds, and also a wrestler,” the coach said. “He’s our real run stuffer.”

Salmi is a leader not only of linebackers, but really the entire defense, according to Thomas.

“He was our leading tackler last year,” the coach said. “He goes anywhere — he just goes to wherever the ball is. And he is good at communicating on defense, too.”

Laurila is another linebacker who Thomas called a “run stuffer in the box.”

In the secondary, Marta is too important a defender to just play one side of the ball.

“He’s a free safety, but he good at stopping the opponent’s run,” Thomas said. “He’s just so smart, he can make his own reads.”

Ridl is also in the secondary.

“(He’s) another guy who is very quick and can make plays in the air,” Thomas said.

One of the few sophomores on varsity, Ellis King brings his track and field speciality as a sprinter to the gridiron.

“He was brought up because he can do good things for us, especially on defense,” the coach said.

And Scherer is expected to play cornerback with his good ball skills and great speed, too.

Finally, on special teams, Thomas said he still had a lot of deciding to do just a week into fall practice, particularly at kicker. He wouldn’t be surprised if senior Jackson Williams returns as punter for a second year, while King and junior Jaks Williams are good bets as kick and punt returners.

In their division of the West PAC, Thomas said that Kingsford and Negaunee lost a lot of players, while Menominee will bring back a lot of the skill players who took the Maroons deep into the playoffs last year.

He also would like to think that his player, Ethan Marta, can give fellow senior Tanner Theuerkauf of Menominee a run for his money as West PAC Offensive Player of the Year.

“So long as we can stay healthy, I feel we have the talent to get on the winning side, then we’ll see how far we can go from there,” Thomas said about his Patriots. “This year, we know there are expectations — the playoffs are a good start.”

Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.