Spartans ready to kick-off new era

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

The Strathmore Spartans high school football team is entering their first season solely as a high school program, feeling confident in the return of last year’s players while new players will have an opportunity to develop and put out a competitive football club.
Head coach Travis Gorski wants to expand off the senior team from last year, which was comprised of community and high school kids, to implement those expectations into the high school program.
“Our expectation are similar from last year,” said head coach Travis Gorski.
“We want to start strong and make a push for playoffs. We want to take it a little bit further this year and qualify for the Tier 3 Zones so we can play in the ASAA provincials.”
With the core group returning, Gorski expects a lot from his team and is hopeful that it will translate into success.
“We’re expecting big things,” said Gorski.
“We got our MVP back from last year. We return a very strong o-line, defense will be a work in progress but as things go on we expect to gel.”
“(We) do have quite a few new players. Then we also have some very experienced players that have played multiple years of football and they’ll be able to balance it out and bring the young guys along.”
He added that the team is fairly inexperienced and, with some familiar foes in their league in three Medicine Hat teams, Brooks and Drumheller, that he still expects his team to be competitive, game-in and game out.
Starting quarterback Kobe Holloway is confident in his offense and if the players stand tall in front of him it will allow him to make more plays down the field.
“Last year we only had a couple of key players,” said Holloway.
“It’s going to be a pretty explosive offense. I don’t have to have the ball all the time, he’ll make a play and give to another guy, and he’ll make a play. Everybodys a play maker.”
Holloway expects a lot of himself as he put the extra work in the off-season so he will not go down as easy.
Kristian Freund, who moved here from Trochu to play football for the first semester, thinks the defensive line looks good, and hopes they can do well in keeping the other team in check.
“I’m just hoping we do good and defend our players,” said Freund.
He played for the bantam Innisfail Cyclones last year but knows he will have to be more aware and stronger on his feet to help the team out.
“I have to push myself a bit more, I’m a bit bigger than the bantams,” he said.
“This year I’m going to have to put more effort forward and I can’t wait.”
Freund describes himself as motivator and would like to keep his team pumped up during games.
The Spartans will play an exhibition game on Aug. 28 against Chestermere before kicking off the season against Brooks at Strathmore High School on Sept. 3 at 3 p.m.