Getting back at Eielson, and getting back to the playoffs are the two biggest goals for the team, said Head Coach Kelly Blake.
“Everyone came in ready to go,” he said. “They have a goal in mind and they’re already striving to get there. They want to get back to the playoffs.”
The Mariners lost a handful of starting seniors — such as wide receiver Justin Smith and quarterback Canyon McKinstry — from last year’s team. And while they combined for a large chunk of the offense last year, coaches are more impressed with who is returning.
“We have 16 returning seniors,” said Assistant Coach Camron Wyatt. “These kids have played together for seven or eight years.”
This senior class is also the first big group of players that began their careers in Pop Warner Junior League Football.
“It’s shaping up to be a pretty spectacular program,” Wyatt said.
The entire starting offensive line returns and the smallest of the bunch — center Steve Kohout — is 5 foot 11 and 190 pounds. Mike Fielding, Erik Rasmussen, Jake Jimenez and Andrew Campbell round out the group that averages nearly 290 pounds.
Peering over that massive line this season will be quarterback Taylor Layland, a 6-foot 3-inche, 180-pounder with an arm.
“The Mariners never had a QB over six foot,” Wyatt said.
Layland is a step slower than the speedy McKinstry of a year ago, but he can see over the linemen better which could open up the passing game, Wyatt said.
On running plays, Layland will hand off to 6-foot 2-inch, 225-pound Noah McWilliams at fullback, and Ethan Parker, a smart runner who uses his blocks well, Wyatt said.
The Mariner receiving core lost some speed with the graduation of Smith, but Colen Hagen and David So both have good hands and the ability to catch the ball in the middle of the field.
This year, the receivers will probably get more chances to shine as well.
On defense, the Mariners plan on shifting to a defense with five down linemen and two linebackers this year. The idea is to stop the run and get the most out of its bulk up front, Wyatt said.
“The idea is to bend, but not break,” he said.
All of the Mariners games this year are against small-school opponents, but to do this the team will have to travel more than usual.
The team will travel to Fairbanks, Ketchikan, Seward and Kodiak this season with home games against Nikiski, Soldotna, Kenai and Skyview.
Ben Stuart can be reached at ben.stuart @homernews.com.
Practice began July 31 and the first varsity game is Aug. 12 against Eielson in Fairbanks — a rematch of last season’s one-point loss in the state playoffs.
“We’ll still try to establish the run first, but we’ll also try to pass the ball more, try to light up the scoreboard.” Wyatt said. “This is probably our best team with balance.”
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