Van Buren looking to take another step forward

Van Buren football hasn?t experienced much in the way of recent success, but no one is a bigger believer in the Warriors than their head coach.

Rich Wiegand begins his second year at the helm, and after leading the Warriors to one win in 2011, isn?t holding back on his hope for the future.

?I think the biggest thing is taking the next step. We came back from no varsity in 2010 to one win last season, and now our goal is on making the playoffs,? the second-year coach said. ?But we have to take it one game at a time.?

Last season, the Warriors returned to varsity football following a one-year hiatus in 2010. They topped Winfield-Mount Union with an 18-14 win in Week 2, but then they lost the final seven games in the season.

They?ll have a much different look this time around, but not even Wiegand can describe what that look is yet. With only three seniors out and 22 sophomores and juniors loading the team, Wiegand and his coaching staff are trying players out all over the field in the hopes of striking gold.

?We?re moving kids around and trying to figure things out,? said Wiegand. ?We have kids who can contribute. It?s just a matter of finding the right combination.?

District-qualifying wrestler Jacob Heisel, a junior, has flashed his athleticism already and should find time at nose guard or running back. Junior Aaron Clemens, Van Buren?s secondary rusher last season, appears to be first in line for quarterbacking duties and could also see time at tailback. Garrett Saunders and Brandon Plecker will be the young playmakers at wideout as they come into their own as sophomores.

Twins Noah Stovall and Jonah Stovall as well as Dillon Showman and Justin Carr will be the big bodies playing on both sides of the football. Senior Curtis Thomas and junior Mitch Garrels return to fill in two of the linebacker spots; the two upperclassmen came up with 45 and 41 stops, respectively, in 2011.

Attendance has dipped a bit, down to 28 players after having 39 in preseason practices last season, but Wiegand likes what he sees from the players who have signed up.

?We have 28 kids one now, but we have 28 kids who are working hard,? said Wiegand. ?With a school our size we need every athletic kid out we have. It?s been unfortunate we haven?t got them all out, but at the same time we have a good group.?

The Warriors have gone from the difficult Class 1A District 6 to the more manageable Class A District 5, but fans shouldn?t expect many pushovers. District opponent Lisbon went 14-0 en route to winning the Class A title in 2011, and Lone Tree and WACO made the playoffs at 10-2 and 7-3, respectively.

Before the Warriors get into the district games, however, they open the season Friday at home against non-district rival Cardinal. Last season, the Comets narrowly edged Van Buren 20-18 in the final game of the season.