Horsemen prove to be resilient

PLAINS – Coaches yelled encouragement and pads thudded together as the Plains Horsemen went through a number of drills last week in preparation for the upcoming football season.

Members of the football team have kept busy over the last weeks of their summer vacation with a number of the two-a-day practices to get them ready for the regular season.

Plains Head Coach Juan Lulack was on hand running players through a number of drills, which blended preseason conditioning with a mix of skills and technique to get his players back in the swing of competitive football.

“If an offensive player sees you light on your knuckles on a run play you are getting blasted,” Lulack said speaking to his defensive front during practice.

The Horsemen have a smaller team than they have been accustomed to over the past few seasons.

Currently the Plains football team is fielding only 18 football players.

“We do have a very small team this year,” Lulack said.

The small size will be a challenge when Plains faces off against the football programs of other Class B schools.

The head coach noted the lack of depth on the team will make for a challenging season.

“We have a tough road ahead of us,” Lulack said.

Nonetheless, the players and the members of the coaching staff are committed to competing and improving throughout the fall season.

Their hard work could be seen throughout the evening portion of the team’s two-a-day practices on Thursday, Aug. 21, as the players briskly ran their drills bringing commendable hustle to the practice environment.

“We are going to give it our best shot this season,” Lulack said.

Lulack believes the team does have a few things going for it as the season draws ever closer.

According to Lulack, several members of this year’s squad are familiar with the team’s play book and comfortable with some of the offensive schemes the Horsemen plan on using during the season, leaving the team well prepared for the start of regular season games.

On top of their intangible skills the Horsemen’s returning starters bring a great attitude to the field.

“These guys have a great attitude. The young men here really have a positive attitude,” Lulack said.

Lulack emphasized the player’s positive attitudes makes the job of coaching them measurably easier.

Additionally, it is a valuable boost for a team starting a season a little shorthanded.    

“Their hearts are in it,” Lulack said. “What more can you ask?”

The upcoming season will feature some new faces for the Horsemen as four freshmen join the squad for this year’s campaign.

Additionally, the team’s starting quarterback, senior Ethan Stafford will be playing for Plains for the first time.

However, this is not Stafford’s first time leading the offense and the young play caller has experience quarterbacking for teams in Idaho, where he moved from.  

Some of the returning starters for the Horsemen include Chayton Lulack, Cole Benson, Tyler Subatch and Trent Brouillette.

The Horsemen will open their season on the road against the Shelby Coyotes on Sept. 5 in an evening game starting at 7 p.m.

The team’s first game of the season was scheduled to be against Thompson Falls on Aug. 30, but the game was canceled.