Baker Middle School's football team often plays a jamboree format, facing off against two teams in the same night, playing each opponent for a half.
Here's Coach Steve Combest's take on this season.
Team strength: They all have good attitudes and they work hard and they try hard. They are Baker Gators.
Concerns: We are young. Only six eighth-graders playing this year also played last year.
Offense: Maybe we can create enough running room to get some first downs and keep the clock moving.
As far as the size, the speed and strength of this team are not what we’ve had in the past.
Offensive line: Zach Mason, our center last year, returns. Garrett Pourcillie has a little bit of experience and he will be one of our guards. Charlie Elliott, who's new, is looking good at offensive tackle. We have a seventh-grader, Eric McQueen, who will play tight end for us.
Receivers: We have one or two that can catch the ball if we can get somebody to throw it to them.
Offensive: John Mateleska, one of our tailbacks, is a fairly tough kid and he’s going to carry the ball some. Cameron Jones is playing fullback for us and will carry the ball some. Trey Kolmetz is a seventh-grader with good instincts, but he’s not real fast. Peyton Rockwell is our quarterback right now. Trey Kolmetz is going to be his backup and Sam Crowson will get some looks, but he’s never played before and he’s small.
We are young. We are not very big and not very fast. Throwing the football in middle school is not something you want to hang your hat on. But once we get in game situations, the cream always rises to the top.
Defense: Has to be our bright spot, but there's a lack of speed.
Defensive line: We play a gap control (filling the lanes) defense so if we can get all of them doing what they are supposed to do maybe we will be decent on defense.
The defensive ends are not bad. McQueen plays one end and Pourcillie plays the other one. He’s not real big, but he has good speed for a lineman.
Linebackers: Our linebacking corps is not bad. We are looking at playing Zach Mason in the middle and John Mateleska will be at one outside backer. We’ve got two or three kids we are working at the other outside linebackers.
Secondary: Kameron Jones and Trey Kolmetz will probably be our free safeties. Bryan Holley is there and we're working Tyvon Adams at a corner.
Randy’s take: Steve Combest and his staff will continue to teach football's fundamentals, which players can use when they join the high school team.
The formula must be working because the first group of middle school kids to play for Combest are now juniors and seniors on a Gator team expected to make another run at a district title.
Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Baker middle school team young, but good defense