BRAVES HOST DEFENDING CHAMPS FRIDAY

    A season-opening gridiron showdown with defending Class 9AA champion Hamlin on Friday will be a good indicator as to where Britton-Hecla stands heading into the 2025 campaign.
    The Chargers are ranked number two in the 9AA South Dakota Media Preseason Poll coming off their state title.  Britton-Hecla dropped a 52-0 season-opening contest to Hamlin a year ago before going 6-1 the rest of the regular season.
    “I think that game from last year will be a motivator for us,” said B-H coach Jacob Skogstad, who is beginning his sixth year at the helm.  “They were so explosive and the game got out of hand quickly.  It was kind of a perfect storm that didn’t go in our favor.  I would have liked to play them again, and I know we would have competed a lot better than we did in Week One.  This year I think we will be a little more prepared and ready to roll for that first one.”
    Skogstad said that the Chargers lost some key players from that championship squad and will likely not be quite as explosive as a year ago, but he expects the traditional powerhouse to definitely be tough to handle both offensively and defensively.
    “Ball control is going to be huge,” said the Braves’ boss.  “We want to run the football right at them, and I think our strength is our offensive line.  We will rely on those guys and lean on them and hope it pays off for us.  But we also have to hit some explosive plays.  You’re not going to beat good teams by not making some of those big plays.”
    On the defensive side of the ball the Braves will seek to contain Hamlin’s explosiveness.
    “Hamlin wants to have big explosive plays,” said Skogstad.  “It’s kind of what they build their offense around, spreading the field and getting their playmakers out in space one-on-one.  We have to tackle really well and make sure everyone is doing their job and not trying to cover up for someone else.  Getting guys on the ground and limiting the big plays will be huge.  If we can do that I like our chances.” 
    The Braves had 37 players report for practice this fall with 20 of them returning letterwinners and 11 starters back from last year’s 6-3 ballclub, which lost a tight 28-24 decision to Viborg-Hurley in the first round of the playoffs last year.  And the Braves have some high goals.
    “Our goal every year is to make the playoffs and this year our kids really want to put themselves in position to host at least one and hopefully two playoff games,” noted Skogstad.  “To do that we’re probably going to have to win seven or eight games and hopefully can make a deep postseason run.”
    Starting lineups are not yet set in stone but Skogstad listed Mitch 
Burger, Ben Folkman, Will Richter, and Jade Tisher as players that will see a lot of time at the receiver spots, Jaxon Zuehlke and Peyton Pearson will be at tight end, Graham Fosness and Elijah Fox will hold down the guard spots with Canyon Brassfield and Colton Chapin also seeing time, Riley Hofland will be at center, Jace Rein at quarterback, and Bryce Hawkinson, Bryce Heitkamp, and Ben Suther sharing time at runningback.
    On the defensive side of the ball Fosness and Pearson will man the tackle positions, Zuehlke, Hawkinson, and Chapin at linebackers, Suther at end, and Richter, Tisher, and Rein in the defensive backfield.  Hofland,  Fox, Brassfield, and Carter Dawson will also see action in the line, Chaz Vietor at end, Nathan Folkman at linebacker, and Burger, Ben Folkman, and Heitkamp in the secondary.
    “With so many talented players it’s kind of like a puzzle we have to figure out,” said Skogstad.  “It could take a little bit but we have a good idea of where we want to put guys to be successful.
    “I think the thing I’ve been most pleased with in the preseason is the competition our boys have been able to create because of the depth we have,” concluded Skogstad.  “We have some guys that were not really on the radar when we started camp that we’re now trying to find ways to get them on the field.  And with our veteran leadership we’ve been able to expand our playbook both offensively and defensively because the kids understand what we’re doing.  That means a lot.”