Written by Zack Kellogg
2019 saw Emmett finish in the bottom half of the conference with a 3-6 record, but the Huskies will look to orchestrate another run to a championship.
Emmett’s lone state title came in 2015, along with an undefeated season, but the Huskies have yet to replicate the same results in the following seasons.
Rich Hargitt is coming into his third season at the helm of the Huskies and looks to establish a tough ground attack to find offensive success.
Senior running back Westyn Smith appears to be the centerpiece for the offense, with the game plan starting with a physical run game.
“To do be successful on offense we have to be able to run the football. Our success begins and ends with our ability to play physical and keep the game under control,” Hargitt said.
In order to get Smith going with the run game, there must be a strong offensive line, an asset the Huskies definitely have heading into the fall.
With five returners manning the line, experience and chemistry should be at its peak, giving open lanes for ground and pound football and methodical drives where the Huskies will control the clock.
But they will not just rely on Smith to be the only factor for the Huskies’ offensive success. Quarterback Caden Young returns under center for another season and is said to have made great strides this offseason.
“We have a returner at quarterback this fall that gives us more confidence that we can execute the whole depth of the offense,” Hargitt said. “Caden Young has grown a great deal in the weight room and now can hold the quarterback spot with confidence.”
With a slight run favoring the offense, it will still be necessary for Young to have the ability to sling the ball to keep defenses uneasy and provide opportunities for Smith to regain his legs.
For the defense, the same mindset is in place for 2020: physical play, starting at the line of scrimmage.
Senior outside linebacker Axel Sanchez, fresh of an all-conference team selection for the second consecutive year, was labeled as the leader of the defense and looks to be tasked as the quarterback of the defense, relaying calls and adjustments to the front seven.
Sanchez is joined by Lane Feasel-Dalton, a senior middle linebacker who also lines up on the line at nose guard. Fease-Dalton is no stranger to combat, recently winning a state title in wrestling for the Huskies.
No scheme was specified for the defense, as Hargitt said the team has multiple coverages and fronts Emmett wants to rotate, keeping a diverse defense playbook. The objective is still the same however regardless of the look: physicality.
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