Salt Fork feeling confident with returning varsity experience

CATLIN (WCIA) — In our Friday Football Fever Spotlight Game of the Week, Salt Fork looks to start this season fast against Westville with a handful of starters back on both sides of the ball.

The team feels extra confident after gaining valuable experience a season ago.

“Those first couple drives were really rough because it’s 90% of our team’s first time playing a varsity drive,” Senior Carter Chambliss said.

Salt Fork’s returning varsity experience gives them confidence heading into week one after many players got their first varsity reps last season.

“We have to be mentally connected as a group to all do our jobs together and get the main job done because you have to come together,” Senior Kyson Keller said.

And the team hopes that returning talent at skill positions will aid a young offensive line’s development.

“If they can establish the first initial hit, I think that’s what’s going to lead to success on offense,” Chambliss said.

The Storm look to keep a playoff streak going, driving the team through offseason workouts.

“We have seven seniors, six who were in our 1,000 club weight lifting wise, so they hit the weights hard, they bough into the offseason stuff,” Head Coach Joe Hageman said.

They’ve been good leaders out here they’ve been working hard and I think any time you get that out of your seniors, you’ve got a chance.”

And this year’s senior class is following in the example set by last year’s seniors in their preparation for 2024.

“You don’t really get to where you want to be in the season without doing what you need to do in the offseason,” Keller said.

“If you’re not really putting work into yourself in the offseason, you aren’t going to get to where you need to be.”

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