HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Coleville begins 'post-Peters' era

The good news for the Coleville football team is that it will have one of its biggest teams in years - 26 players - as it attempts to return to the playoffs after an 11-1 state runner-up season.

The bad news is because of a severe lack of relative size, the Wolves won't be able to give their new quarterback any time to settle in to the passing game as the team looks to replace the state's all-time leading passer in every category, Jason Peters (playing at Grinnell College this season).

"26 kids is an amazing number for us," Coleville coach Will Sandy said. "It's the most we've had since the early '90s.

"But over half of the kids have never put on pads before. It's like a cross between a high school and a pop warner team. We have a very big group of freshmen coming in, so there is time to develop them. They're all pretty atheltic, just not very big."

Making matters more difficult, the player Coleville had been grooming to replace Peters decided not to play this season, meaning either junior Josiah Huhta, who played defensive end and tight end last season, or senior Mat Randall, will end up playing quarterback.

"We had to start over with our plans there a little bit," Sandy said. "It'll be an interesting battle. Josiah throws the ball pretty well, but he's never played QB in a game. Matt has seen a little time there in the past. We'll be developing on the fly a little bit.

"We're so small, we'll still have to rely on the passing game to spread things out," Sandy said. "Our days of averaging 75 points per game are probably over for a while, but the kids are working hard and I'm really enjoying getting to know them."

If the Wolves can manage to spread the field, that will open things up for standout returner Emmi Sandoval, who has proven to be a strong pass-catcher and ball carrier in the last few seasons. Tailback Buh Hamilton is another top returner for the team.

Defensively, Sandy said middle linebacker Tyler Summers will be a main player to watch, although the strength of the unit will be in numbers.

"We have to get it done as a group," Sandy said. "We're going to have to rely on quickness. If we win, it'll be in close games, so the defensive performance will be very important."