Despite no playoffs this year, nearly 20 gridiron players motivated to play hard
2019 Panther Football Team. Front Row, from left, Tate Stinson, Max Dahl, Memphis Smith, Logan Seahorn, Teegan Love, Gavin Bartlett, Colin Greenberg and Logan Wright. Middle Row, from left, Kellen Reeder, Geoffrey Hedley, Deke Herring, Frank Crimmins, Slayd Daley and Jakob Hampton. Back row, from left, Zowie Irby, Heston Fisher Chris Foley and Jordan Travis.
Saratoga High School head football coach Logan Wright said he was happy to see 18 players try out for the team.
The Panthers are still playing six-man even with the large roster.
Wright said, in the beginning of the summer, he had not expected so many to want to play, so he kept the team as six-man.
"I had eight to 10 over the summer in for weight lifting so these kids are buying in and I hope success follows," said Wright.
Wright said every player who was on the team last year came back.
"We will be nine-man in the year to follow," Wright said. "There was no indication we would have 18, so I didn't feel comfortable doing 11-man."
Because Rock River dropped out of six-man, the Panthers have picked up their schedule.
"We will play every team that Hanna does ... our out of conference game is Little Snake River, so we have just all sorts of competition," Wright said. "We have a full eight games, and we are going to try and win every one."
Wright said he tried to get the Wyoming High School Activities Association to consider letting the team go to playoffs.
"I went in person before the committee and we were the next school in six-man and Rock River dropped out, but they made it black and white," Wright said. "We had signed up for 11-man in a two year cycle, so I understand."
Wright said he has no regrets that the team is not 11-man.
"We are building for next year now, and we're going to try and have fun and success this year," Wright said. "The kids that are coming back, they are so much ahead than they were last year."
The players coming willingly onto a team that will not have any chance to play in post-season says a lot about the kids desire to play Wright observed.
Wright has praise for the team of last year that he believes help create the team this year.
"I thank last year's group, because they laid the foundation for my message to stick it out and they ended up talking positively about the program that we have almost tripled in size," Wright said. "I am grateful for the kids that returned and the kids that are new and hope for a great season."
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