’Cats low on numbers, experience

If you want to find this year’s Custer High School football team, head to the corner of young and inexperienced, past the town of low numbers to the outpost of brutal schedule.
That’s where you’ll find Dave Williams’ team.
Williams, entering his second year as head coach of the Wildcats, saw only 20 boys join this year’s squad, half of which are freshman.
“Our first string is going to be alright,” he said. “But our depth...we don’t have any.”
The Wildcats lost a bevy of talented players to graduation, and do return two all-conference players in seniors Dossen Elmore and Gage Tennyson, the latter of which has committed to play football at the University of South Dakota next fall.
After that, however, is a mix of three other seniors, two juniors, a sophomore and a whole lot of freshmen. It means many young players will be thrown into the deep end as they line up against boys three years older and more experienced than they are.
It also means one or two injuries could essentially end Custer’s season.
“Our biggest deal will be injuries,” Williams said. “Especially our quarterback and backfield on both sides of the ball. Injuries will really hurt.”
That quarterback is going to be senior Mikael Grace, who volunteered to be quarterback after last year’s starter, Sterling Sword, opted not to play this year.
He will be joined in the offensive backfield by a trio of seniors—Elmore and fullback and Tennyson and Chance Harsh at wingbacks. The Wildcats will employ a new double wing offense this year that will be run heavy. Williams said the offensive change was made in order to simplify Custer’s playbook.
“It’s just allowing kids to go instead of thinking so much,” he said. “We have simplified the blocking schemes so they don’t have to think so much. They can react and go.”
The backfield figures to be a strength of the team, but in order to utilize their speed, they will need to find a hole to run through. They will depend on an extremely young and inexperienced line to make those holes.
Three freshman and a sophomore will start on the line. Daniel Williams, a freshman, will line up at center for the ’Cats, while fellow freshman Lane Geisner and junior Bradley Immormino will man the guard positions. Tackles will be another freshman, Reid Saufley, joined by sophomore Zayne Severyn. The tight ends will be junior Quade Parker and another freshman, Kyle Virtue.
While offensive starters are somewhat set, defensive starters are a little more up in the air. What is known for sure is that Tennyson will play safety, while Elmore and Harsh play middle linebacker and Grace and Tony Plaisted play the corner positions. Outside linebackers could be a pair of freshmen, Tyrin Scott and Roland Sedlacek, while players such as Parker, Virtue, Severyn and Immormino line up on the defensive line.
Elmore will handle punting duties, while Virtue will be the team’s kicker. Tennyson and Plaisted will be the ’Cats’ primary kick returners.
Despite its youth, Williams said the offensive line for Custer will actually be bigger than it has been in the past, and will average around 200 pounds.
“I think our line is going to surprise,” Williams said. “They are pretty strong and decent-sized. In four years they’re going to be studs if we can keep them.”
Williams said other freshman will also see playing time, including Rhett Lowe, Carter Tennyson and Carter Boyster.
Unfortunately for the younger players, there will be no “easy” game in which to get their feet wet. Custer’s first game of the year is against the No. 3 ranked team in Class A, Madison. The second week of the season the team travels to Lennox, before hosting No. 1 ranked Canton at home for homecoming.
Williams just wants to get through the first three games healthy.
“We have the worst schedule in Class 11A. We have the toughest schedule,” he said. “We will find out really fast how good our team is and how well we can keep from getting injuries.”
Williams said he believes after the first three games the Wildcats should have a better shot of holding their own, and potentially even sneak into the playoffs.
“We have some young players but they are good athletes,” he said. “I will never tell my team they can’t win. That’s why we play the game. I hope it all comes together. We might shock a few teams. We’ll see.”