Hillcrest coach Brennon Mossholder spends the offseason playing QB for the Blackfoot Bandits. “I still have some competitive juices”

IDAHO FALLS – He may be a state champion head football coach, but Hillcrest’s Brennon Mossholder said he wanted more.

Football has obviously been a passion for some time, he noted, but actually playing the sport was never a big part of the equation growing up.

Mossholder was primarily a back-up quarterback in high school and went on to play college baseball.

Enter the Mountain West Football League.

The league features 10 teams from Idaho, Utah and Montana, and gives players ranging in age from teenagers to some even approaching senior citizenship, the chance to get out and play tackle football on Saturday afternoons in the spring.

“I still have some competitive juices,” Mossholder said. “That itch can’t completely be scratched by coaching. So when the opportunity with some of my friends from Hillcrest came along, I though that was a cool opportunity.”

Hillcrest defensive coordinator Jordan Long is also the head coach of the Blackfoot Bandits of the MWFL so the two joked about Mossholder joining the Bandits.

Last year Mossholder took the opportunity seriously enough to put on the helmet and cleats and give it a try. He began his second season with the Bandits earlier this month and is the team’s quarterback.

Even with the inherent competitiveness, Mossholder said there’s more to the experience than trying to live out some missed glory days.

“It’s been a good learning experience for me because it gives me a different perspective on the sport,” Mossholder said. “(At Hillcrest) I’m the quarterbacks coach, offensive coordinator and play caller and head coach, but seeing the game from a quarterback’s perspective is different than seeing it from a coaches’ perspective, so I think that’s helped me be a better coach because it gives me a wider perspective.”

As an added bonus, several former Hillcrest players are on the team so that adds a fun dynamic to the game experience.

Conner Mecham, Peyton King and Kaden King are among a handful of former Knights now competing on the Bandits with Mossholder.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Mossholder said. “Some people call it semi-pro football but we make fun of ourselves and we just call it under-60-years-old football. We don’t take it so seriously. We’re all very competitive and try really hard, but we understand it’s for fun and we’re not playing for a state championship.”

At 33, Mossholder said he may endure a few more bumps and bruises to recover from than his younger former players, but that’s all part of the game.

“That’s part of the fun,” he said.