BUTCH HARMON
Sports Scene
The Carson City-Crystal football team enjoyed the move to 8-man football last season and the Eagles are primed to keep the momentum going this fall as they enter year two of 8-man football.
The Eagles are coming off a big season that saw the team open the season by reeling off eight straight wins before falling in the regular-season finale to Fulton-Middleton and then getting tripped up in the first round of the 8-man playoffs by Brown City.
Several key players graduated from last year’s squad. Along with having some new players this season, the Eagles also have a new head coach at Nate Lindloff takes over as head coach. Lindloff likes what he sees in this year’s team with the combination of some returning starters from last year and some promising newcomers.
“We will be young but we have some pretty good senior leadership,” Lindloff said. “That senior leadership will be the driving force for us. We lost a lot of players from last year but we are looking to get a lot of the younger guys on board. We also have some guys coming back that played several positions last year so we will be a talented team.”
A trio of veterans provide the Eagles with a solid core to build around. Hunter Doolittle is back at running back on offense and is a defensive mainstay at linebacker.
“I think we’re pretty solid,” Doolittle said. “We have a little bit smaller group than we had previously. We’re younger but I think we will do pretty good.”
Rylee Strawn provides a playmaking threat at wide receiver on offense and is a solid cornerback on defense. Strawn also likes the look of this year’s team despite its youth.
“We have a younger group this year,” Strawn said. “It’s looking good so far but we have still got to figure a couple of things out.”
Up front, Ethan Boden anchors the offensive line and is also a solid run stopper along the defensive line. Boden is also optimistic of how the Eagles look entering the new season.
“I think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Boden said. “I think we will do pretty good. It will be fun to get going. It’s going to be fun on defense. Our defensive backs look pretty good, so do our linebackers, we fill out each role on the field pretty well.”
Carson City-Crystal also won a conference title last year and the team is looking to recapture that winning feeling again this season.
“Last year was only the second time in school history that we won a conference title so we’re looking to do that again this year,” Lindloff said. “It’s something that we haven’t been use to so we’re kind of building that as something that is expected of our kids. To be at the top of the league every year is something we are trying to work on.”
Carson City-Crystal opens the season on the road when it travels to Byron in week one and then travel to St. Charles in week two.
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