Warriors stress discipline
Staff writer
Peabody-Burns will compete in just football and volleyball this fall.
Football
The Warriors have played postseason football for the last six years. They ended their season in the sectional round the last two seasons.
Head coach Eric Dutton, now in his fourth season at Peabody-Burns, hasn’t changed much in his approach after going 19-9 at the helm.
When asked about his practice strategy this season, Dutton mentioned he’d be running his same high intensity, fast-paced practices.
“We like to add some days where we push the boys with hard mental days, building the mental strength with the physical,” Dutton said.
The biggest change this year, he said, will come on the sidelines during games.
“It will definitely be different this year with a new assistant coach but looking forward to the change at the same time,” Dutton said.
He uses a combination of different defensive packages, and tries to keep a balanced run-pass offense. With who is returning this year on the offensive side of the ball, he said, this could open up more run-heavy attacks.
“That’s a big change from the last three years,” Dutton said. “As for defense, we are looking to be a high-speed explosive, hard-hitting defense.”
Twelve players are listed for the Warriors six-player team, 10 of which are returning from last season. Six will be seniors.
Ashton Talkington, Dalton Philpott, Colin Groff, Jameson Miles, Aiden Hurst, and Gage Wilson are this year’s senior class.
“Having a senior-dominant team, I am excited to see what this season brings with most of the returning starters being multi-year starters,” Dutton said.
Other players to watch for are junior Cale Goessen, and sophomores Kash Willson and Delvin Kealy.
The Warriors kick off their football season at 7 p.m. Friday against Elyria Christian at home.
Peabody-Burns is scheduled to play cross-county for Centre for the first time Oct. 16.
“With the changes and new teams in six-player, we are looking forward to the schedule changes and competitors,” Dutton said.
Volleyball
Roster numbers are small for Peabody-Burns’ volleyball team this year. Eight athletes make up the entire team.
Despite this, head coach Clarissa Dutton is excited about what they can accomplish.
“We will be challenged to be versatile, disciplined, and willing to do whatever is best for the team,” she said.
Of the eight players, two are seniors returning from last year’s team: Adyson Winter and Brooklynn Whiteside. Dutton credits a lot of the team’s success to those two.
“Adyson’s leadership and knowledge of the game will be especially beneficial to this young team,” she said. “I am looking forward to watching her fully bloom as a leader and player this season.”
Whiteside has been coached to move from position to position over previous seasons because of the teams’ size and numbers. Dutton thinks that will continue this season as well.
“No matter what job she is given, though, she takes it on and excels at it,” Dutton said.
Other returners to look out for this season are junior Ashlee Salazar-Fritz and sophomores Journey Needham, Amee Salazar-Fritz, and Toni Kitchen.
To round off the eight player team are two new girls: sophomore Makinaa Kangas and freshman Ava Hurst.
“With a smaller roster, we will spend a lot of time working through new rotations and challenging our athletes to play different positions,” Dutton said. “While it may not always be comfortable, learning to adapt and putting the needs of the team first will be important lessons for this group.”
The Warriors biggest challenge this season undoubtedly is the number of athletes on the team, leaving little room for rotation and rest during games.
“I am looking forward to watching these girls push through that adversity, become more disciplined, and grow together throughout the season,” Dutton said.
Peabody-Burns volleyball kicked off the season with a preseason tournament at home Aug. 29. It continued its season with away games yesterday against Rural Vista and St. Xavier.
The Warriors’ first home game this season will be Sept. 21 against both St. Xavier and Newton Home School.
“This group may be small, but they have an opportunity to prove that heart, effort, and discipline can make up for a lot of numbers,” Dutton said.