Savage Horsemen hit the field
Jamie Doran/Valley Press Conor Ballantyne, a senior offensive lineman and linebacker jumps over practice pads Monday night. Ballantyne is one of seven returning starters that head coach Seth Pettit is really looking towards for leadership.
The Plains/Hot Springs Savage Horsemen football team started practice Monday evening and head coach Seth Pettit is excited for the season to start.
“We’re excited to start, it has been a long off-season,” he said. “We’re expecting to do well this year as long as the guys put in the effort and have the desire to do it.”
The Plains/Hot Springs Savage Horsemen is made up of players from both Plains High School and Hot Springs High School and Pettit is anticipating around 40 players on the team, however he said he really won’t know until after practice really gets underway.
Last season the Savage Horsemen went 5-3 and round up in third place, however they have some pretty high expectations for this year.
“We’re expecting to do at least what we did last year, if not better,” he said. “Everyone on the team is expecting to make the playoffs this year, we aren’t afraid to say that.”
By finishing in third place the Savage Horsemen just finished out of the playoffs and that is really a motivating factor for them this year, to make the playoffs.
“We think it is a very real possibility,” Pettit said.
Pettit said that they have a lot of good returning talent and some new guys that he believes can really contribute to the team.
As far as returners, Pettit said there were seven that he was really at to step up. Those seven are: senior running back and linebacker Mitch Thompson, senior offensive and defensive lineman Conor Vallantyne, senior offensive lineman and linebacker Ben Holland, junior quarterback and defensive back Reiley Winebrenner, junior wide receiver and defensive end Trent Thompson, junior running back and defensive back Dylan Fryxell, and senior offensive and defensive lineman Carter Farrier.
All of them are returning starters from last year and Pettit said he is really looking to them for leadership.
“We’re really expecting to see something special from those guys and have them step up this year,” he said.
The Savage Horsemen will be having practice from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. for the remainder of this week. They’ll pick up with after school practices once the school season starts.
Their first game is Friday Sept. 5, at home at 7 p.m.