The scores say it all about eight-man football – 54-8 over Mansfield, 54-28 over Lopez Island and 48-28 at Evergreen Lutheran.
Eight-man football is a high-scoring game.
Although there are three fewer men on each side of the ball, there aren’t that many differences in the Knights’ game from any other high school team that puts up the usual 11.
“It’s a lot more open and high scoring,” said Highland Christian coach Don Kurtzenacker.
The scores say it all about Highland Christian’s burgeoning football program, too. After putting up a 6-3 regular-season record in the team’s first-ever season, these guys get this sport.
With the departure of inaugural coach Joey Brown and the turbulence at the school in light of the recent principal firing, the football team hasn’t gone unscathed since that very successful first season. But despite a precipitous decline in turnout — about 23 players came out this year following the 2007 season which saw 36 kids on the roster — and a new coach, everyone involved expressed an interest in making sure the season went on as normally as possible.
An assistant last year, Kurtzenacker took over the program’s coaching duties. He is aided by fellow assistant coaches from last year’s team Pete Miller and Darren Chase, the later of whom helped lead the team in the interim.
Thankfully for the Knights, the team returns some experienced players from last year’s squad. Appropriately for an offense-oriented game, Kurtzenacker identifies the returning players by their offensive position, even though most of them will likely see playing time on both sides of the ball.
A junior, Kurtzenacker’s son Vince will lead the offense at quarterback where his weapons will include three seniors back for another season. Joining him in the backfield will be tailback Caleb Brown, who is adept at both running with the ball and catching it. Senior fullback Kody Mattson will join Brown as a running option while senior Jeff Kelly will lead the receiving arsenal.
Last year the Knights’ season ended four points short of a playoff game as they fell 38-34 to Lake Quinault in a pigtail playoff.
“For a first-year team, that’s not bad,” Kurtzenacker said. “It’s our goal to make it to an official playoff game this year.”
