Bashoor enjoys being part of two squads

This is a tale of two athletes.

One hits guys with all his might and muscle. He made the All-North Idaho team and was named Lineman of the Year in the Intermountain League.

The other is on the sidelines cheering for the basketball team, tossing cheerleaders in the air like pliant pizza dough.

Both of these athletes combine to make one standout senior from Timberlake High School: Dan Bashoor.

Bashoor the offensive strong guard and defensive tackle, had a stellar year, and didn’t even think twice about his accomplishments until he heard them with his own ears.

“I was rather surprised to tell you the truth – I didn’t think I was that good at football,” Bashoor said. “I thought I would make all-league, if anything.”

While the news stunned Bashoor, it was no surprise to Timberlake’s head football coach, Roy Albertson.

“He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes,” Albertson said. “We had a running back (Nick Puckett) that over the last three years has gained over 5,000 yards and each year Dan Bashoor has been a part of that offensive line.”

Even with his honors, Bashoor was ready to give credit where it was due.

“If it wasn’t for Nick I don’t think I would have gone nearly as far,” Bashoor said. “I make him look good and he makes me look good … it works both ways.”

Bashoor the cheerleader is also excelling – and enjoying a change of pace from his glory days on the football field.

“I was used to knocking somebody around,” he said. “I still get to use my muscles, but I’m throwing a little 100-pound girl in the air instead.”

While he lives in two very different worlds, Bashoor doesn’t take any flak for his choice of after-school activities, and the truth is no one gives him any flak.

“I don’t think anybody’s gonna say anything about me being a cheerleader ‘cause I’m a pretty nice guy,” said the 6-foot-1, 235-pound lineman, “and I’m pretty big compared to most people.”

But the idea of being a cheerleader wasn’t always appealing to Bashoor.

“I thought about it last year but I was a junior thinking, ‘That’s not cool,’ ” he said. “Now that I’m a senior I can do whatever I want.”

Aside from cheerleading and playing football what Bashoor wants is to keep his grades up. Although he has also participated in track and field as a thrower, Bashoor is thinking about sticking to the books this year.

“I need to keep my calculus grade up,” he said. “It’s one of my favorite classes, and it’s applicable because it ties into physics. It’s always fun finding derivatives and applying that to physics.”

Besides being able to block and make calls in football, Bashoor’s brains off the field also impressed Coach Albertson.

“He’s got a great sense of humor, which I like because I’m always telling jokes,” Albertson said, “and academically, he is very strong in the classroom – you never have to worry about him week to week.”

With his work ethic Bashoor shouldn’t have to worry about getting into one of his college choices: Montana State or the University of Idaho. Bashoor wants to be a dentist and while he spent his high school days nearly knocking teeth out, he wants to spend his college years learning how to fix them.

“Most kids were afraid to go to the dentist, but I’ve always liked going to the dentist,” Bashoor said. “It’s fascinating how the mouth works, how delicate everything is. It just always interested me.”

While he will always love football, grades and molars are the top priority for at least the next four years.

“I’d rather get better grades in college than let my life revolve around football,” he said.