(Guthrie Center) ACGC very narrowly missed the playoffs last season and are ready to take things to another level this year.
The Chargers have made big strides over the last couple of seasons and their motto this year is “Leave a legacy.” Coach Cody Matthewson says, “What are you going to be remembered for? What are people going to say about you once you leave this program? It’s an interesting year, but our task at hand doesn’t change. We’re gonna focus on one game at a time. We’re going to face some different opponents this year, but we are looking forward to just having the opportunity to compete and play. We are going to continue doing things the Charger way.”
Coach Cody Matthewson admits the team will have a different look to it after graduating the likes of Quentin Younker, Sam Madsen, and Kolby Jacobe. “We have a lot of experience and depth coming back. We just lose a couple of guys with good size, but we are going to make up for it with athleticism this year. I truly believe that.”
The team has a three way battle for the starting quarterback position with Seth Danker, Brock Littler, and Charlie Crawford. Matthewson says the best part about it is how well all three work together. “They are constantly encouraging each other. They truly understand the team aspect of things. That was really cool to see and really speaks to what type of a program we are trying to build here.”
Coach Matthewson believes defense will help his team make the next step in their development this season. He looks for the secondary to be more physical and smarter with all of them being returning starters. “We put a very heavy emphasis on our defense and being more disciplined. A lot of the games we lost we gave up big plays and made mental errors that became critical errors which resulted in touchdowns or big plays. We have a few coaching staff changes and are trying to coach things up with a little bit different philosophies. I’m very confident our secondary is going to be better than last year.”
