Warriors open on the road

By Dan Bechtold

Editor

It’s Winner. It’s football season.

These two combinations will provide a lot of excitement on Friday night lights.

The Winner Warriors are the two time defending 11B state champions and have a record of 23-0.

When you talk about high school football it is a tradition that is engrained in this community.

The Warriors will open the 2022 season this Friday night when they travel to Tri Valley.

Winner has played Tri Valley three times in the Dome and several times in the playoffs and they have never beaten Winner.

“They have a proud program and if there is any game they want to win it is against the Warriors,” explained head coach Trent Olson.

The coach says the Warriors will know right away were they are after playing Tri Valley.

The returning lettermen are: Jude Sargent, Broden Duffy, Sam Schulz, Karson Keiser, Konner Osborn, Gus Bartels, Stratton Morehart, Austin Blare, Evan Bartels, Cole Rank, Tayden Mathis Aiden Barfuss, Jack Peters, Dalton Petersen, Hunter Osborn, Noah Best, Kellen Brozik, Aiden Schroeder, Briar Cook, Andrew Henderson, Matt Brozik, Hunter Shippy, Blake Volmer, Ethan Bartels, Jack Kruger, Shawn Hammerbeck, Spencer Calhoon, Riley Orel, Cody Wheadon.

The Warriors lost 16 seniors.

“We had more seniors last year than we have combined juniors and seniors this year,” said coach Trent Olson. “We will be a much younger team but a lot of those guys have experience from last year. We have confidence the players will step up and fill leadership roles. You will see a lot more younger kids out this year,” he said.

This year there are nine seniors—Peters, Mathis, Orel, Petersen, Wheadon, Osborn, Volmer, Kruger and Bartels.

Leading the offense will be quarterback Blake Volmer. Volmer will replace Joey Cole who was starting QB a year ago.

A lot of veterans are in the running back spot. They include Jack Peters, Riley Orel and Aiden Barfuss. “We return more at the skill positions than we do at the line. The line is where we are going to have the most inexperience.”

The only returning starter on the line is Jack Kruger. “We have lots of guys competing for those spots,” said Olson.

Tight end rolls will be filled by Ethan Bartels and Shawn Hammerbeck.

On defense, Winner returns all three line backers, Jack Peters, Jack Kruger and Aiden Barfuss. They started every game last season.

The defensive line graduated all four starters and all four were all state.

On special teams, the Warriors return starting kicker Ethan Bartels but lost a dynamic weapon in the return game of Kaden Keiser. “Kaden has been our return man for three years and we have to replace that position,” said Olson.

Olson says the schedule is very strange. He said of the six conference games Winner was supposed to have the state only game the Warriors two which basically dissolved the SESD Conference.

“It will be challenging schedule for us this year,” the coach said.

For Olson this is an exciting time of year. “We have big aspirations. It is Winner football and the goals are high every year. The bar is high and we hope to continue that tradition,” said Olson.

The school winning streak is up for grabs. Winner is one game behind that streak. The record is 24 wins and the Warriors now have 23.

The coach added this senior class has a chance to be the most successful senior class in the history of Winner. “That means something to them. They want to go out there and accomplish some big things,” said Olson.

Assistant coaches are Kevin Keiser, Ben Connot, Austin Calhoon. A new volunteer coach is Chris Aid who is a member of the Winner Police Department.

The football schedule includes:

Aug. 19—at Tri Valley

Aug. 26—Wagner, home

Sept. 2—at Webster Area

Sept. 9—Beresford, home

Sept. 17—Lead-Deadwood, home

Sept. 30—at Bridgewater/Emery-Ethan

Oct. 7—West Central, Winner homecoming

Oct. 14-at Mount Vernon/Plankinton