(Avoca) AHSTW opens up the 2020 football season Friday night at home against Shenandoah.
AHSTW coach GG Harris says his team has gotten better with each practice. One of the areas they hope to improve on from last year is in the offensive and defensive line where they have a deeper group than they did last year. “Brayden Lund and Kyle Jorgensen are holding down the offensive tackles for us. Jacob Madsen is another sophomore playing center and nose tackle. Two guys that have really stepped up are Gavin Weber and Joey Brenneis at our guard spots. We have a plethora of guys that are really competing.”
Coach Harris says Week 1 opponent Shenandoah reminds him of his own team. “They are big. I think they are going to be really athletic. They have good numbers. Coach (Ty) Ratliff is going into his second year so they’ll have some consistency back. They are going to pose a lot of challenges.”
The main thing he’s looking to learn about his team in Week 1 is their mental makeup. “How do we respond? One play at a time. We talk about E+R=O. There’s always an event and then what’s the response and there’s always an outcome. You can’t always control the event, but you can control the response.”
AHSTW brings back starting quarterback Blake Holst who threw for over 1,000 yards last season. Denver Pauley split time with Jackson Woltmann at running back and will be the featured back this season. All-Stater Raydden Grobe is the leading returning receiver after posting 224 yards as a sophomore. Six of his 12 catches went for touchdowns.
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