Buffs hopes 11-man experIence pays off

Moving down from a tough 11-Man conference like the South Central to 8-Man would seem to give a team an advantage. But Miami-Yoder second year coach Don Mc-Gatlin isn't so sure heading into the school's first season in the East Conference's Black Forest Division.

"I've only seen two 8-Man football games in my life," the veteran coach said. "I feel pretty good about the players I have. I'm not worried about how they will perform, but I am concerned about how I'll do. I have no history in 8-Man to base it off of. I'll be watching a lot of tapes to get prepared."

The Buffaloes return eight starters with experience from going 4-5 in a tough conference, which included Limon and Byers.

Senior Zac Butts should fill in nicely at quarterback in a wide-open offensive league.

"He could surprise some people this year," McGatlin said. "He's got the strongest arm I've seen in a long while."

McGatlin isn't worried too much about Miami-Yoder adjusting to the conference's wide-open offense or the premium on speed with players like running back/ wide receiver Michael Carl, who was first team all-conference last season, back.

"We can compete in speed with guys like Michael Carl," McGatlin said. "It's the defensive part that worries me most. I'm not sure what kind of defense will work and be sound enough against our opponents."

6-Man

In contrast, Hilltop Baptist coach Allen Knight is confident he knows his league well and thinks his team could make the next step into the state playoffs out of the Southern Conference.

The team finished 4-4 last fall after going 1-7 in 2006. Much of that talent is back with 10 returning players, including senior tailback Johnny Pennington and younger brother and quarterback Jacob Pennington.

"We'll be really competitive this year and I'm expecting big things this season," Knight said. "This is the first season I really believe that we have a shot at the postseason."

The Centurions will most likely have to beat favorites Eads, the defending state champ, and Kit Carson for the top spot in the league. Edison returns four starters, including junior quarterback Josh Doak, which could make the scheduled game between Hilltop Baptist and its area rival Oct. 11 a good one.