By TYLER HENRY
JC Post contributor
The Wakefield Bombers and Herington Railers will meet for the very first time in their respective 8-man eras this Friday, each looking to make a splash and start their rebuilding year off right.
Despite both Wakefield (1-6) and Herington (0-7) struggling last season, each team will enter the 2022 campaign full of hope and ready to prove themselves under the Friday night lights.
“The two big things we’re preaching this week are attitude and aggression,” Herington head coach Boyd Peterson said. “We want to stay positive and we want our kids to keep the mindset that ‘I’m going to dominate this game and there’s nothing you can do about it’. We’ve got some big kids and they need to realize that they’ve put in the work and they have the ability in them to bring that aggression on every play.”
Wakefield will carry a similar mentality into this week one matchup, with an expanded roster lifting the spirits of the Bomber faithful.
“We want to change the expectation to not just be that we think we’ll compete well, but that when we take the field we expect to win,” Wakefield head coach Chris Freeman said.
For either of these schools to take this crucial first step, one must go through the other, and while each program respects those lining up opposite them, no one will want to give an inch come Friday night.
“Everybody wants to go 1-0 to get that taste of victory in your mouth,” Freeman said. “We have experienced sophomores and juniors and we think things will go well, we just need to get them the confidence.”
While Wakefield will likely remain on the run-heavy side in 2022, the Bombers may look to open up the passing game more than in the past, something Herington will need to be prepared for come kickoff.
“We’re always going to focus on ourselves but their coach has been around for a long time and we don’t expect them to mix things up too much,” Peterson said. “We’ll be prepared but it’s a new year so you have to stay ready to adjust on the fly.”
On the other side of that coin, Herington will look to lean even further into the run this season with an O-Line that has the potential to completely neutralize opposing fronts this season.
“They have some good size and some good athletes there,” Freeman said. “If we don’t play with good leverage they’re going to move us around and we know they’re going to be a very physical team. They’re going to run some power at you and keep it on the ground then hit you over the top once they lull you to sleep.”
While Wakefield moved the ball effectively last season, the Bombers will need to be more effective in the red zone, something the offense struggled to do throughout the 1-6 campaign.
“We have to tackle well in space because there are a lot of one on ones,” Freeman said. “We need to finish out blocks, finish off drives and hammer out two-point conversions because at times those will win or lose games for us.”
Kickoff between the Bombers and Railers is set for 7 pm at Wakefield High School. For continuing coverage of both teams all season long stay tuned to the JC Post.