WPIAL & City League Football Player Preview: Ethan Malachi West thinks about the team first

Seneca Valley football player Ethan Malachi West (left) stands for a picture during a visit to the University of Pennsylvania back on Feb. 15, 2020.

SOURCE: (TWITTER, @ethanwest21)

One in a series on motivated high school football players in the WPIAL and City League.

When it comes to doing everything that you possibly can to become a better football player, Seneca Valley's Ethan Malachi West has done that.

West, who will be a rising senior at Seneca Valley for the upcoming school year, is one of the star players on the team. Many of Seneca Valley's opponents will be on the hunt for West for the 2020 season as he simply does it all for the team. You name it, he plays running back, wide receiver, linebacker, and defensive back. This past WPIAL and PIAA football season, 2019, Ethan was named 1st Team All-Conference Outside Linebacker as he recorded 64 tackles (13 of them were tackles for losses), and broke up 8 passes. On offense, he was able to score 6 touchdowns while recording for 940 All-Purpose yards.

For his Raiders, things didn't look so bright in 2019 as they finished with a 4-7 overall record that included a WPIAL Class 6A Quarterfinals loss to Mt. Lebanon by a score of 35-14. When West was a sophomore in 2018, he helped his Raiders reach the WPIAL 6A football championship game that resulted in a 34-7 loss over Pine-Richland. After that 2018 season, many people expected the Raiders to get themselves back to Heinz for the 2019 season, but that was not the case. So, you could see why many Raiders players such as West are upset and are looking to be stronger than ever for the 2020 season.

"I can’t even put into words how amped I am to get onto the field with my brothers again. We have all been waiting for this moment since we were kids and we are ready to put on a show," said West, who stands at 6’3”.

A trip back to Heinz Field for another chance to win a WPIAL championship is something that West and his Raiders want to do again. When West was at Heinz Field in 2018, it was a life-changing moment for him, as that experience had turned him into a better player.

"Going to Heinz Field as a sophomore was a life changing moment for me. Although we didn’t end on top, it set the standard for where we want to be, and I know this is the year we are going to do it. Obviously, now, I’ll be playing a much bigger role than when I played as a sophomore and I’m going to make sure we finish where we started and that’s a promise," said West.

Even though West will be relied to provide leadership for the Raiders in the 2020 season, other rising seniors are expected to do so as well such as Jimmy Royal, Josh Miller, and Mitchell Curran. Those three seniors have had some NCAA Division I offers coming in from schools such as Dayton, and Valparaiso in the past month. West was happy to see his teammates get those offers.

"I was beyond excited for them. They are guys I have been playing ball with ever since I was six years old and it’s awesome to see where we all have gotten to," said West.

For West, he has noticed that practicing football with COVID-19 precautions and regulations has been different, but he is doing everything that he can with the abnormality going on in today's world to get ready for the start of the season. Luckily, he has an experienced head football coach in Ron Butschle, who is making sure his players stay safe while working hard at the same time during practices. West has enjoyed playing under head coach Butschle for the past two years and is excited to be coached by him again for his senior season.

"Playing for Coach Butschle the last few years has been amazing; we have a great relationship and he has put me in all the positions I’ve needed to exceed. We have great trust in each other, and it shows every Friday night," said West.

Seneca Valley football players from the class of 2021, didn't play at the varsity level during their freshman year. However, after they came up to play at the varsity level in their sophomore season in 2018, things turned around after the 2017 season in where the Raiders finished with a 3-6 record and did not make the playoffs. In a school in Seneca Valley, where there are over 2,300 high school students, it can be hard to play at the varsity level. West knew that and made sure that he claimed his roster spot on the team in the 2018 season after playing junior varsity in his freshman year in 2017. Simply, his work ethic is just great and has done everything that he can to be a leader on the team.

"Personally, I try to do a lot of lifts/exercises that translate to on-field movement/strength. I like to do weights on lifts that are challenging, but where I can still put speed on the bar at a good tempo. When it comes to diet, I pretty much eat two of each meal. Two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners, a day with snacks and even shakes in between," said West, who has a grade point average of 3.3.

West might overlook the idea that his talent, skill set, and work ethic has also made him one of the most popular players on the team as he might be the first player that you think of when it comes to thinking about who is currently on Seneca Valley's football team. However, the popularity that he might have throughout the entire the WPIAL does not distract him as he knows that this is a team game and wants to see all of his teammates succeed and not just himself.

For how skilled of a player that West is, he currently has NCAA Division I football offers from schools in Fordham, Lafayette, Colgate, Army West Point, Richmond, Duquesne, and New Hampshire. When it comes to making his college decision, he is weighing all of his options and might make a decision where everybody least expects it.

"It’s truly been a blessing to receive all these opportunities to play at the next level. This is the type of stuff I’ve been dreaming of since I was a kid and it’s been great to see my hard work paying off. Although I can’t do any official visits, I do plan on trying to visit some of the schools I have offers from and take in all I can to help me make my decision," said West. "Right now, it’s hard to say where and when I am going to commit. I have some great options on the table and have been doing a lot of research to slim down my list. As of now, I am just going with the flow, especially with the uncertainty of these times."

It's no surprise that West wants to end with his high school football career bringing a WPIAL and PIAA football championship back to Seneca Valley. So, with the mindset that he has to not let any other team stop him from his goals. All that the other schools in Seneca Valley's section need to know is that they better be aware of number 21.

Brentaro Yamane: bkyamane@gmail.com and Twitter/Instagram @BYHilton13