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2009 Football Preview
4 Thursday, September 3, 2009 The Hutchinson News
Bulldogs look to erase ‘disappointment’ of 7-2 year
■ Pretty Prairie missed
playoffs despite winning
seven games in 2008.
BY BRAD HALLIER
The Hutchinson News
bhallier@hutchnews.com
Few high school football
teams are disappointed
with seven wins.
But when those seven
wins can’t even get you into
the postseason, it can be
classified as a disappointment.
That’s how Pretty Prairie
viewed its 2008 season. The
Bulldogs spent most of the
year ranked in the top 10 in
Eight-Man I, but were the
odd team out in a brutal district.
Goessel won the district
by having a perfect regular
season. Claflin also
went 7-2 but beat Pretty
Prairie on the last play of
the game and earned the
district’s second playoff
spot.
Both Claflin and Goessel
made it to the quarterfinals.
“It was rough,” Pretty
Prairie coach C.T. Young
said. “You look at the play-
Hutch
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yards and the most total
yards (6,011). Hutchinson
also set the record for yards
in a regular season in both
categories. Hutchinson will
have a few newcomers in
the backfield as senior
Cooper Bell (5-8, 140) takes
over the quarterback duties
and junior running back
Hunter Stucky (5-8, 173) will
off picture, and there were
teams that didn’t finish
with a winning record, but
that’s the way it’s set up. We
had the same chance as anyone
else.”
This year won’t be any
easier for Pretty Prairie or
the rest of the teams in District
4.
Claflin and Goessel are
expected to be just as
strong if not better. Little
River returns almost everyone,
Canton-Galva will be
in its second year of eightman,
and Fairfield and
Stafford are expected to be
better.
But, with the way last
season ended, returning
quarterback Hunter
Pittman said he noticed a
drive in the returning players.
“It made us work harder
in the weight room,” the
junior said. “Everything
has been harder, especially
the practices.”
Pretty Prairie has 22
players and just two seniors.
But the Bulldogs
have four offensive and
two defensive starters returning.
see time.
The Salthawks’ 4-4 defense
is nothing to scoff at,
either, as it returns seven
starters after allowing 210.2
yards and 12.8 points per
game.
Although Hutchinson
graduated defensive lineman
Forrest Stucky and
linebacker Nate Dreiling -
The News’ co-defensive
players of the year - the
Salthawks return senior defensive
ends Justin Goetz
and Geneo Grissom. Both
Jake Kidd/The Hutchinson News
Pretty Prairie football coach C.T. Young is expected to have another solid football team this season.
The Bulldogs will be looking to advance to to the postseason after just missing the playoffs last year.
“We have a lot of juniors
who got experience as
sophomores,” Young said.
were first team AVCLT I selections
a year ago and
Grissom (6-4, 225) is a University
of Kansas commitment,
while Goetz (6-1, 208)
recorded 80 tackles a year
ago, the most of any returner.
Fee (5-11, 200) is back after
missing the last half of the
season due to an ankle injury,
while junior Matt Galliart
(5-11, 176), who filled in
for Fee, and Nate Thomas
(5-10, 180), who also inherits
the kicking duties, also re-
“It’s a talented class, and
they’re getting some competition,
which is making
turn. Defensive back Joel
Schneider (6-1, 170), who set
the single-game pass
breakup record against
McPherson in the 5A semifinals,
and junior strong
safety Ben Heeney (6-0, 190),
are also back.
“We have a lot of great
leaders back on defense,”
Fee said. “It’s up to us because
you need a great defense
to win a state
championship. The best
thing is the coaching staff
on the defense side. Coach
practices interesting.
These guys know they
have a chance to compete
(Scott) Yantes does a great
job. It’s good to have all
those guys back. If we can
stay healthy, we should be
good.”
Hutchinson comes into
the season looking to
avenge a pair of losses that
ended two long winning
streaks. The Salthawks lost
a hard-fought 28-21 decision
to Kansas City (Mo.) Rockhurst
in the 2008 season
opener to end their 36-game
winning streak.
The Sept. 25 game at Der-
for a spot.”
Pittman is a two-way
starter, also playing defensive
back. He threw for 876
yards and ran for 471 while
accounting for 23 touchdowns.
Junior Danny Krehbiel
also returns at running
back and linebacker. He ran
for 373 yards and 10 TDs last
year.
Junior Seth Hastings (6-1,
194) and senior Cole Kirkbride
(5-10, 210) return on
the line.
“Our offense is looking
good,” Pittman said. “We
haven’t been playing that
long together, but we
should be ready by the first
game.”
That would be against
South Barber, another traditionally-strongeightman
team. The next week,
the Bulldogs take on Norwich
before district play
starts.
The Bulldogs are expected
to contend for the
Heart of the Plains
League championship as
well after sharing the title
with Cunningham last
season.
by is another big one. The
Panthers stunned Hutchinson,
30-27, at Gowans Stadium
last year. The loss ended
the Salthawks’ 38-game winning
streak against Kansas
teams.
The quest for a sixth
championship starts Friday
with the much-anticipated
game against
Rockhurst.
“We can’t wait,” Grissom
said. “We’re all excited for
the season and ready to
play.”