Keeping it simple

With six lettermen returning to the Saratoga High School football team, the skills positions will be filled with experienced players, but the team will be keeping it simple as the season starts according to Head Coach Scott Bokelman.

"We're going to be inexperienced and kind of small," Bokelman said. This means fans can expect to see lots of dives, power plays, sweeps and quick pitches from the offense. Since the offensive line will be filled with relatively inexperienced players, Bokelman said he wants the team to focus on blocking correctly and meshing with the ball.

The defensive secondary will also lack experienced, varsity level players at the beginning of the season.

Seniors Thatcher Spiering, Rodrigo Escobedo and Cameron Lehr and Juniors Alex Ziegler and Morgan Rempel have been around the game for awhile and will provide leadership for the team.

Bokelman said he expects the games against Riverside, Wind River and Wyoming Indian to be good games. "Those are teams that I think we can play with," Bokelman said.

The Panthers showed promise at last week's scrimmage. The offensive back field looked strong with Escobedo at quarterback, Spiering and Cameron Lehr as running backs and Ziegler playing flanker.

Spiering also looked good on defense against the Hornets. Bokelman said Spiering can get off block quickly and has a good head on his shoulders. Bokelman's plan is to move Spiering around on the defense to keep opponents guessing. The defensive backs showed some speed during the scrimmage but Bokelman said they need to work on their tackling.

The physical condition of the team looks promising for this point in the season according to Bokelman, but he's hoping to add up to three more players to the active roster by the first home game. That will give the team a little depth in case someone gets hurt or needs a rest.

The Panther's first game will be against Lingle-Fort Laramie, Sept. 4 in Lingle. The first home game will be Sept. 11 against Cokeville.