Jason Ingram is playing the numbers game.
It’s not by design.
The Class 3A Hoisington High School Cardinals were decimated by graduation last spring, leaving them inexperienced as they prepare to make the short trip to Great Bend and Memorial Stadium on Friday night for their football season opener. Kickoff is set for 7.
“We graduated over half of our team from last year with 15 seniors and this year, we only have four seniors,” said Ingram, Hoisington’s head coach. “Competing against a Class 5A school that is always able to reproduce several seniors and even some sophomores, it just doesn’t bode well for us in the first game.”
Last season, the senior-laden Cardinals, behind the play of running quarterback Hagan Hanzlick, took the Panthers down to the wire before Great Bend won 14-6 at Elton Brown Field.
“We were disappointed last year,” Panthers head coach Bo Black said. “Walking away from the game, I think we were a little bit embarrassed. Quite honestly, I thought we were out-played, out-hustled, out-hit and out-classed in a lot of different ways.
“I think we had 135 yards in penalties, and it was undisciplined on our kids’ part. All in all, it was a disappointing win and they don’t come around very often, a disappointing win.”