Manitou Springs High School varsity football team kicked off the season with a team camp and scrimmage versus Peyton High School and Bennett High School, and although the games weren’t scored the team was happy with the outcome. Last year was a hard season for the Mustangs with a record of 3-6, losing to all the teams in the league. This year the team had a strong start with a victory over Valley High School.
According to team captain and quarterback, Nate Gentzel (12), the team is focusing on smaller weekly goals and building a good team morale which is something that hasn’t been focused on in the past. “I would say we’re taking it more week by week but we’re definitely working to just be there for our teammates more than what we have been in the past,” Gentzel said.
Head Coach, Stuart Jeck, was proud of the team’s efforts in the past game against Valley and wants the team to focus on refining their skills for future games. “I was really proud of the way our kids played. They put in great effort, energy, and showed they are a team that was willing to stay together the longest,” Jeck said.”I think we can continue to improve on the details of the game by cleaning up our technique, focus on better execution, and improving our communication.”
On Aug. 28 the team reviewed film for the Valley game, the coaches wanted the team to observe how they played and what they could improve on in the upcoming games. “Yesterday we were in film and the coaches were very nitpicky on what we’re doing because they think we can be better in every aspect rather than just a few mistakes,” Gentzel said. “We can be almost perfect.”
Fellow captain Logan Moore (11) has many of the same thoughts as Gentzel with how the rest of the season will go. “So far, this season is going great. We are currently 1-0 and have a lot of momentum going into our game against Rye,” Moore said. “I can feel the energy in the team and I believe we have a chance to be really good.”
According to offensive lineman, Jarrin Hall (11), another large focus in practices this season has been on improving the offensive line. In previous seasons the line could not support the quarterback causing minimal scoring opportunities throughout the games. “The line has more varsity experience this year because four out of the five people started on the line last year,” Hall said. “This year the line has to use our athleticism to our advantage because we are smaller than other teams we play.”
The Mustangs next game is at home versus Rocky Ford Junior/Senior High School on Sept. 15. Coaches encourage staff and students to come out and support. “I just would like to encourage our student body and staff to come out and support our team as often as possible,” Jeck said. “They are putting in a lot of work and I know great attendance at our games goes a long way for our players.”
