Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

WEST BRANCH – Playing defensive back leaves very little margin for error.

One break in coverage, a simple slip up or a miniscule misstep can turn into a score.

When the smallest mistake can lead to points communication and cohesiveness become absolutely essential in the secondary.

That is where West Branch has an advantage.

With brothers Carver and Kinnick Boelk back at safety to bolster the back end of the defense West Branch has a leg up on almost any team in terms of trust and communication in the secondary.

“We’ve been playing together for so long we can anticipate what we are going to do,” Carver Boelk said. “I trust him and I know he trusts me. At this point we basically know what they other person is thinking.”

The Boelk brothers are back to bolster the backend of an experienced West Branch defense that has returns nine starters back from a unit that allowed six or fewer points five times during a 7-3 season in 2021.

Together the Boelk brothers have made 95.5 tackles and picked off five passes over the past two seasons but bring much more to the defense than just statistics.

“Obviously there is an advantage in communication with him being my brother because any time you can get a relationship like that with anyone on your team it’s a huge advantage,” Kinnick Boelk said. “It’s just nice knowing that I have someone on the other side that I can trust who knows what they are doing and has that side of the defense under control.”

Two seasons ago the Boelks started alongside each other in the secondary and at wide receiver combining for 46.5 tackles and five interceptions on defense and 34 receptions and 502 yards on offense.

Last season Carver made the switch from receiver to quarterback where he passed for 902 yards and five touchdowns with 107 of those yards and two touchdowns going to brother Kinnick.

With the switch to quarterback came the precautionary move of less defense for Carver Boelk who made nine stops in limited action after ranking third on the team in tackles as a sophomore.

“That’s one thing I really missed last year is playing defense,” Carver Boelk said. “You are missing half the game when you aren’t playing defense and it felt like I wasn’t doing as much. I am really excited to play defense again.”

With the addition of Liberty High transfer Tye Hughes at quarterback, Carver Boelk is back next to his brother at receiver and in the secondary this season.

A move that has earned praise from head coach Butch Pedersen.

“He wants to do what is best for the team,” Pedersen said of Carver Boelk. “When Tye (Hughes) came here he said ‘whatever I can do to help the team.’ He isn’t selfish in any way, shape or form he just wants to help the team.”

With Hughes, who passed for 1,168 yards and eight touchdowns last season at Liberty High, at quarterback and both Boelk brothers at receiver along with returning 1,300-yard rusher Andy Henson at tailback the West Branch offense is intriguing.

“Two years ago we were mainly pass and last year we were mainly run, we’ve really only had the personnel to do one thing but this year we are totally set up for a dual threat offense,” Kinnick Boelk said. “Our quarterback can throw and run, Andy obviously can run and our skill players are phenomenal. I think we can really light it up.”

West Branch must replace a couple of starters on the offensive line but has a solid nucleus to build on with juniors Reese Trepanier, who Pedersen called the most improved player on the team, Max Lodge and Logan Wright and senior Aiden Dingbaum.

Carver Boelk returns to receiver where he caught 22 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns as a sophomore.

“You are going to see a lot of different formations, a lot of motion and lot of different things out of our offense that we didn’t do a year ago,” Pedersen said. “I am excited about that. I think Tye is going to add a lot and we can also put Carver in a position where he is going to catch the ball.”

On defense, Henson, Wyatt Fiderlein and Jackson Kaalberg return at linebacker with Dingbaum and Wright returning with experience on the defensive line.

Juniors Cale Seydel and Holden Arnaman return in the secondary with a year of experience along with the Boelk brothers at safety.

“I’m really excited for our secondary,” Carver Boelk said. “We are all returning and have played at least one year so I am excited to see how good that group can be.”

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