MANHATTAN, Kan. - Fresh off a 6-4 season in 2020, Manhattan High School enters 2021 with a sense of optimism, coupled with some inexperience, but Head Coach Joe Schartz says that doesn't worry him much.
"First games are rough, especially when you have a lot of young kids that don't have a lot of Friday night experience," said Schartz. "We're just going to keep it all in perspective. We've been progressing every day at practice and moving forward, and that's all we can hope for. There's going to be mistakes, and it's going to be sloppy at times, but hopefully the kids just keep battling and represent Manhattan High the way that it should be."
The Indians return quarterback Keenan Schartz, who was thrust into the starting lineup last year when injuries shuffled around Manhattan's backfield, but the experience proved valuable for the 5'10" junior.
Schartz won't be alone in the backfield either, with running back Vinny Smith returning after some injury issues hampered his production last season, but the tandem, while a tad undersized, presents a speed challenge most oppositions will find challenging to match up against.
Ahead of tomorrow's season opener, Coach Schartz gave an impromptu scouting report of a Buffaloes team that the Indians hosted, and defeated, twice last season, but Garden City lost just eight seniors from a season ago.
"Well, we know that they're very big on the offensive and defensive lines. They're very physical upfront," said Schartz. "They didn't lose a whole lot. Basically everybody is returning that we saw last year in those games and I'm sure they're very motivated, so overall it's their size up front that's going to provide a difficult task for us."
The Indians will make the nearly 4.5 hour bus trip to southwest Kansas on Friday, but according to Schartz, the trip will be broken up with stops in Great Bend for lunch and Hanston for a walk-through to make it easier on the team.
Kickoff is set for 7p.m. Friday from Buffalo Stadium in Garden City.
For the full interview with head coach Joe Schartz, click below: