This is not the West High football team that we're used to seeing.

We've grown accustomed to the Panthers being one of the cellar dwellers of the state. We're used to West winning precious few games, losing by large margins and being out of playoff contention by the middle of September.

We aren't used to this. Not used to these Panthers, who have won two of three to start the season and who look poised to challenge for the postseason berth that comes with winning. Fan support used to be sporadic at best with this program. Now, on the day that West played East, its rival, red and black was the dominant color in the school hallways during daytime hours.

Has West really arrived? If so, when did this happen? And how did the Panthers sneak up on us so fast?

"We've had a lot of success with the kids," Panthers coach Justin Spencer said. "They trust us as a coaching staff and we believe in them as players."

Spencer and his staff are in just their second year with West and the results have been promising. On the field, the Panthers are an exciting bunch, a team that can score and a team with an eye-opening talent in the form of Anetipa Vaisagano.

The Panthers became the first instate team to beat Juan Diego in over a year with their 34-28 overtime win over the Soaring Eagle on opening night. They followed that up with a win over a talented Tooele team. The loss on Friday to East came by two touchdowns. And in defeat, Spencer says, his team learns. Learns about discipline, learns about paying attention to detail.

"We almost had a perfect week," Spencer said. "We had three kids who weren't where they were supposed to be when they were supposed to be there. And in the loss to East, there were four to five plays that made the difference in the entire game. It all adds up. What we do off the field affects us on the field. Our kids face decisions every day. We want them to make the right decisions."

When asked when was the last time West started a season 2-0, Spencer said he had no idea. Pressed further, Spencer laughed and said, "it's been awhile. That's what I was told. I think there was a pretty good team a decade ago. At least that's what people told me."

That the Panthers are shaping up to be competitive this season surprises everyone — everyone but Spencer and the players in his program. The gauntlet was laid down during summer workouts. No excuses. No moral victories. Everyone is to be held accountable.

The talent and the potential on the team will be maximized on every possession, every snap.

"We know that we have a good, talented team," Spencer said. "We're not a deep team, but we have a lot of talent. We weren't surprised to win the first two games and there weren't any good feelings with losing to East. We want to win every game and we as a coaching staff have to put our kids in position to win games."

tjones@sltrib.com