Wildcats work to rebuild as 8-man football practice starts

CENTRAL CITY - The Central City football program has a lot of work to do, and they got right down to business.

The Wildcats strapped on their helmets for the official start of practice Wednesday for 8-man teams, preparing for Week Zero games Aug. 19. Central City opens the season at Janesville with many new faces, a lot of them young, in the starting lineup.

"We only have two returning starters from last year. We have a lot to do on both sides of the ball," Wildcats Coach Matt Weis said. "I'd hate to ever say we're in a rebuilding year versus a reloading year, but this is probably a rebuilding year for us. We're probably another year away from being where we were a couple years ago."

In 2008, Central City posted an 8-1 mark reaching the first round of the playoffs in its first year playing the 8-man game. They just missed the state quarterfinals, dropping a tough 34-32 overtime contest to Janesville. They have been 4-5 the last two seasons, and just missed the playoffs last year.

The players are focused and ready to contribute their best effort.

"I think it's going to be fun," sophomore quarterback David Mosher said. "We'll do our best. We'll play hard. We'll get what we can out of it."

Mosher is expected to lead an offense that lost most of its production from a year ago, including Justin Kerscher (1,433 rush yards and 14 TDs) and Jacob Etten (more than 834 yards and 16 TDs), who graduated. Senior Nick Strait, a strong track athlete, should get the nod at tailback, despite not playing since his freshman year. Mosher received a late start last season, so now he knows what to expect.

"It gave me experience to step in this year and start as a varsity quarterback," said Mosher, who tallied 77 yards on 9-of-13 passing last year.

The players stepping in at the skill positions have the luxury of running behind the team's strength. Weis said his line will be better than the past, but his team will be trading the big play for an efficient offense that dominates possession.

"We'll be a different type of team offensively," said Weis, noting improved defense is an emphasis this year. "We've been a pretty dynamic scoring team. There were times when we wanted to score and were able to. We're going to have to grind it out with some teams this year." 

Numbers are also a positive for the Wildcats, which hovered around 17 to 19 players in recent years. A large group of freshman, who were undefeated in junior high last year, will help the roster grow to 25 to 30 players, according to Weis. The team has four seniors, including captains Clayton Visek and Alden Betzer - the only ones to play football all four years. Wies is realistic about the Wildcats, who might endure some growing pains while working toward a stronger future.

"Honestly, I feel if we can finish at .500 I think we did what we were prepared to do this year," Weis said. "Anything more than that is icing on the cake, and if we finish below that then we left a little bit on the table, too."