The football season officially kicked off Monday as athletes put on their pads for camp and coaches got the first look at the prospective team.
“I think our kids are fired up and excited—ready and focused,” coach Tom Beauchamp said. “In high school football, it’s about how much you improve, but also about how much your opponents improve.”
The coach believes his team can and will improve enough to make a run at the conference championship.
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The Flyers—who went 6-4 last year—lost two powerhouse players in Grant Krueger and Blake Beauchamp, the coach’s son. The two scored nine and seven touchdowns respectively last season, and both signed to play football at Drake University in the fall.
The coach will be looking at Grant’s brother, Garrett, a junior, to be active in the offense. Garrett Krueger had six touchdowns last year and has started on the team since his freshman year.
The Flyers also return with tight end Brad MacKeen, running back Kevin Rogers and offensive lineman Nick Korte.
On defense, Beauchamp will have Justin Muehlhausler, a 6-foot-6, 280-pound junior on the line. Rogers and Korte also saw time last year as linebackers.
“We’ve got about five out of 22 returning starters, but that being said, we have a lot of kids who had playing time last year,” Beauchamp said. “It’s about getting kids in the game and playing a lot of kids so they’re ready for the next year.”
The team also lost quarterback Peter Simpson to graduation and have yet to decide who will take his place. Simpson passed for 1,760 yards, resulting in 20 touchdowns.
Logan Offner started at the position when football camp kicked off on Monday. The sophomore was the team’s starting kicker last season and Beauchamp expects him to help lead the offense.
Senior Jordan Harmon also saw some time at the position for a game last year.
The Flyers open their season Aug. 24 against Parkway South.
“In my book, we want to beat them all; we have to beat them all,” Beauchamp said.
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