Nearly a year — 364 days, to be exact — after their title-game victory a year ago, West Side is back in the same place.

And despite all their accomplishments since — an undefeated regular season, another district title, a 20-game winning streak — the Pirates know it’ll all be for nothing unless they win Saturday.

“This is a new year and a new situation and a new championship game,” West Side coach Tyson Moser said. “Whatever we’ve done, however many games we’ve won in a row, it doesn’t matter if you lose Saturday. If you win, you can look at 21 games and back-to-back (titles) and all that, but if you lose, no one’s going to remember that.”

The Pirates (10-0) will play Firth (8-3) at Madison High School in Rexburg on Saturday at 3 p.m., looking to match last year’s squad in the record books.

“We try to remind them that last year’s championship belongs to the seniors of 2019,” Moser said. “They haven’t been content with looking back at last year’s championship, they want to win their own.”

Going into the title game, West Side has perfectly lived up to expectations as 2A’s top team — almost a surprise in a year this unpredictable.

Coming off a 14-13 win over McCall-Donnelly in last year’s title game, the Pirates were installed as the unanimous No. 1 team in the preseason media poll and stayed that way throughout the season.

That’s due in large part to a big group of players who contributed to last year’s championship squad — the same ones, Moser noted, that are now trying to put their names on the same level as those of last year’s seniors.

Linebacker Taze Stegelmeier and wide receiver/defensive back Bryler Shurtliff were both first-team All-Area selections a year ago, and top running backs Cage Brokens and Josh Reeder also played big roles.

To get their title, those players will have to go back to the very beginning of their season.

West Side beat Firth 33-6 in both teams’ season opener on Aug. 28 — although it might be dangerous to take any conclusions from that final score.

“It looked like a blowout, but it really wasn’t,” Moser said. “It was only 14-6 at halftime. We just got some short fields off turnovers. They moved the ball on us better than just about anybody has this year.”

Now, the Cougars come in on a three-game winning streak, including a 7-6 victory over North Fremont — the team widely assumed to be West Side’s most likely opponent in the state title game — in last week’s semifinals.

“They’re the hot hand right now, they’re playing very well,” Moser said. “Sometimes a team like that, that’s got the hot hand, is the scary team. I’m sure they’re flying high on emotion.”

Firth quarterback Gage Vasquez, just a sophomore, is a state champion wrestler and one of the best athletes in 2A. He’s small — he won his wrestling title at 113 pounds — but fast, shifty and very strong for his size.

He’s primarily a runner, but has thrown for 13 touchdowns as well, against just four interceptions — while picking off six passes himself as a defensive back.

That might not even the most jaw-dropping individual stat for the Cougars.

Defensive end Athan Blonquist has been credited with 32 sacks.

“He’s just a quarterback wrecker,” Moser said. “All their down linemen are really good-sized kids, really big. We’re going to have to block the defensive ends really well, especially when we do try and pass.”

Tight end Taedyn Jacobsen is Vazquez’s top target and a star linebacker on defense.

Unlike the games last week, which were played in a blizzard — leading to both 2A semifinals being won by teams that scored exactly seven points — it should be cold and windy but dry at Madison on Saturday.

Despite Idaho recently moving back to Stage 2 COVID restrictions, both teams will be allowed to have 400 socially-distanced fans, which should enhance the championship atmosphere.

Between the lines — particularly with the weight of everything they’re playing for — the Pirates will have no problems.

“I told them, ‘You’ve overcame everything in 2020, it’s just one more week,’” Moser said. “You’re not going to have a big assembly to send you off, not as many fans, probably no welcome-home party, but that’s not why you play the game anyway. We play for the trophy and all that other stuff doesn’t matter.”