PLYMOUTH, Ind. (WNDU) – The Rockies displayed this level of strength last year.
“In week 7 and week 8, we were in the talk of conference title stuff and we didn’t finish the way we wanted to finish in the regular season, but it was good to have that attitude that we were in the mix for the conference title,” says head coach Adam Handley. “This year we have the same attitude. We are going to keep doing what we are doing and take care of each week at a time and see what happens.”
Finishing fourth in the Northern Lakes Conference was a win in itself despite how the season ended. Now, with six starters returning on both sides of the ball, Plymouth is hoping for a different outcome this year.
“We have a lot of guys that just want to be here and want to put in that work, and it’s just the mindset that we have brought to this team and all these guys,” says senior wide receiver Grady Metsker. “I’m really proud of how we have all worked and how far we have come.”
Handley enters his fourth season with the Rockies. He’s taken time to reflect on how far he’s come.
“I had to figure out the culture and things that I came into and kind of develop what we wanted to do here as a team and as a coaching staff,” he says. “I think we finally got to that point where our kids believe in what we are trying to do and we got four core values that we talk about all the time, and I think it’s just something that they are repeating on their own and buying into what we are trying to teach.”
Now it’s game time. This group is ready to kick off the season on Friday at home against Tippecanoe Valley.
“We know they are going to play fast. They are a smaller school, so they are going to be aggressive,” says senior middle linebacker Ethan Hall. “So, trying to replicate their speed out here, but we just got to be more aggressive than them and come off the ball faster.”
Kickoff for Friday night’s tilt against the Vikings is set for 7 p.m.
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