
Coach Justin Barnes
Q. How would you characterize this year’s team?
A. Experienced offensively but younger on defense. They are a hardworking group that has bought into what they’re doing.
Q. What will be the keys to your success?
A. Our experienced offense will need to lead the way until our defense comes into their own.
Q. Who will be your key leaders on the team?
A. Preston Begley (OL/DL), Mason Chambers (OL/DL), Jonathan Rathman (OL/DL), Hayden Maynor (RB/LB), KeSean Eubanks (WR/DB), and Izek Hoppe (FB/LB).
Q. What are your biggest reasons for optimism?
A. The returning players are very experienced. These guys will be asked to play a bigger role and for now not just focus on one side of the ball.
Q. What will keep you up at night?
A. Depth. We have a solid core but need younger guys to step up.
Q. What can you build on from last year?
A. Winning the region for the first time in 22 years gives our guys a lot of confidence and shows we’re on the right path.
Q. Any lessons learned from last year?
A. We learned we have to come to play every week, and we cannot expect victory without effort.
Q. Will we see anything different this year?
A. Offensive: spread. Defensive: 3-5.
Q. How would you characterize your team’s speed?
A. We match up well with our opponents in regard to speed.
Coach’s View
We have the opportunity to be very successful this year. With our returning offensive players, we can hopefully give our team an opportunity to grow defensively early on. Due to our depth, we have to be smart on how we practice and prepare our guys. We need to learn to be physical, but we can’t be beating them up every day in practice and expect them to get to the game.
Photos by Gary Fain Photography

Hayden Maynor

Izek Hoppe & Landon Lewis

Preston Begley

Landen Reece

Isaac Barnes

Jonathan Rathman

Kesean Eubanks