Football team brings experience to starting line

The Wolves football team is ready for the new season, and heading in with a group of experienced players.

"Currently, every starter on both sides of the ball is a senior," Head Coach Kevin Cuthbertson explained. "In 22 years of coaching, I don't think I've ever been fortunate enough to have every starter be a senior. So that's pretty incredible for us."

Cuthbertson said he's excited for the season, especially with so many players returning.

"We were very young last year, which meant a lot of underclassmen were starting," he said. "They're coming back as seniors this year, so we're bringing a lot of experience back this year and we're hoping that pays off for us."

Even with their experience, the team members are still looking for ways to improve and adjusting to changes to be better.

"Right now we put in a new defense, so we're trying to get that mastered, make sure that they have all the responsibilities, alignment and assignments taken care of," Cuthbertson explained. "And then after that it's just executing."

Another factor that should help the team is the opportunity to start the season mostly at home, with four of the first five games in Green River.

"Being in the friendly confines of Wolf Stadium, that's going to be nice," Cuthbertson said. "It's going to be nice for our fans, it's going to be nice for our kids."

Playing at home allows the students to maintain a more normal schedule and not have to deal with the difficulties of traveling, according to Cuthbertson.

The second half of the season will be flipped, with only one game at home and three away. But Cuthbertson expects the team to have continued improving by the time they head out for games on the road.

"Every game you play is going to make you a little bit better and get you more used to the speed of what's going on and what's happening on the field, so every game we play is going to make us better," he said.

The first game of the season is this Friday, when the Wolves will take on the Uintah High School team from Vernal, Utah. Uintah is the largest 4A school in Utah with over 1,200 students, but they play at a 3A level because of the lack of other 4A schools around them, according to Cuthbertson.

"So we're expecting a big team to come at us," he said. "We're expecting a team that is high energy. I know their coach is definitely a high energy coach and we expect the same out of their team. And it's going to be a physical game that we've got to make sure we're prepared for."

Despite a tough first opponent, Cuthbertson is excited to see what the team can do in competition this season.

"Once games get going, we're just hoping that the kids go out and have fun and let their experience show," he said.

Football home games

Varsity

Friday, August 26 vs Uintah at 7 pm

Friday, September 2 vs Lander Valley at 7 pm

Friday, September 9 vs Rawlins at 7 pm

Friday, September 23 vs Powell at 6 pm -

(Homecoming Game)

Friday, October 7 vs Jackson at 6 pm

Junior Varsity

Friday, October 7 vs Jackson at 2 pm

Thursday, October 13 vs Star Valley at 4 pm

Tuesday, October 18 vs Evanston at 4 pm

Freshman

Tuesday, September 6 vs Rock Springs at 4 pm

Thursday, October 20 vs Evanston at 4 pm