Dylan Beeler has come quite a ways since etching his name as one of Clarkston High’s most prolific athletes — maybe not in mileage, but certainly in progress.
He was part of a Bantams bounce-back as a defensive lineman on the gridiron when he was a junior and carried the tempo forward, taking the group from a dismal 1-9 finish as a sophomore to respective eight- and nine-win campaigns and consecutive state playoff appearances — the “spark” that ignited his desire to pursue the sport at the next level.
His prep football career included two all-state nods, three All-Great Northern League marks and 23 tackles for loss in just his last two seasons.
Last Saturday against Portland State, with his family donning hearty smiles in the Kibbie Dome stands, a new chapter began in Beeler’s broad athletic career — the redshirt sophomore for the Idaho Vandals got his first NCAA action on the defensive line, and boy did it feel good.
And the Vandals will need him to contribute again when they face a run-loving Idaho State team on Saturday at 2:35 p.m. PDT in Pocatello.
“It was big time; I’ve been waiting so long,” said Beeler, who was offered a scholarship by UI coach Paul Petrino after a “showcase” camp before his 2015 senior season. “I got hurt before this season even started, so I was just coming back. That felt great.”
Beeler redshirted his first season, then watched from the sidelines in 2017. Earlier this year, he suffered a broken foot, and didn’t return until after fall camp. So those snaps against PSU were a long time coming.
“(Beeler) is one of those kids with great work ethic. He’s a quick learner who wants to be great,” said defensive line coach Luther Elliss, who commented during the preseason that he anticipated Beeler to make an impact in 2018. “It’s easy to coach a guy with those kinds of attributes. ... I’m excited for his future.”
Beeler, a biology student at UI, had early aims to enroll with the Naval Academy, but that wouldn’t jive with his doctoral plans. Also, if it weren’t for a change of heart midway through his prep career, Beeler might have journeyed down a different athletic avenue.
“(Wrestling) was for sure the biggest sport for me until high school, when I started really getting into football,” Beeler said.
He won three straight Class 2A Washington state wrestling titles from his sophomore to senior years — his first two in the 220-pound weight class, his final at 195.
And even though that drop in weight forced Beeler to bulk up — he said he’s gained 60 pounds since 2016, and it’s hard to imagine he was ever 195 — it’s also noticeably abetted his self-tabbed “quick” nature in the trenches.
“He’s quick and strong and does a lot of great things from that wrestling aspect,” Elliss said. “He’s got good hips, he flips his hips well and turns his shoulders. That helps him play faster, and he knows how to use his abilities.”
Playing faster was the initial objective when Beeler first encountered the hulking bodies of a D-I team at fall camp in 2016. When asked if he’d been tested by anybody with similar talent in postseason battles while at Clarkston, he responded readily in the negative.
“It’s different. So different,” Beeler said. “Everything’s faster, it’s crazy. When you’re in high school, you’re looking up, thinking, ‘Man, I could get there.’ But thinking back, you look at high school and it’s like, that’s nothing — not even close.”
In spite of the peaks and valleys he’s encountered — “it’s hard coming from the Valley, particularly a smaller Washington school like Clarkston,” he said — Beeler exhibits an attitude about as modest as they come.
Elliss called him a “blue-collar guy,” who grinds for reps but remains reserved, excluding cases when his defensive compadres make a big play, at which time he erupts.
Elliss also commended Beeler’s keenness in the academic and athletic classrooms — he’s a “great student who cares about his academics,” and he, like everyone around him, has had to adjust to lining up at all three D-line spots.
Awareness of his enemies has been a change, too.
“We (studied opponents) a little in high school,” Beeler said, “but by far the biggest difference is: you know the opponent, you know every position. ... In high school I was used to playing one position, so I didn’t have to think about it much then.”
But he wasn’t intimidated, nor was he overwhelmed when going toe-to-toe with the Vikings’ offensive line.
It might have been his first action, but he’s not so green. Like the wrestling-to-football decision, jumping from 195 pounds to 260 and responding to a broken foot — it was just another step.
“I was a little nervous, but then I got out there, and it’s just like practice,” Beeler said. “Except I thought our practice squad is better than theirs — no offense to them. Then my nerves went away, and I was just having fun.”
Colton Clark may be reached at cclark@lmtribune.com, on Twitter @coltonclark95 or by phone at (208) 848-2260.
