The West Fork football team will host rival North Butler for Military Appreciation Night to kickoff the season on Friday.
West Fork went 2-7 last season. The Warhawks return starting quarterback Zander Hansen and leading rusher Dax Suntken. Hansen had 596 passing yards and five touchdowns last season. Suntken rushed for 588 yards and had eight touchdowns. Jack Watters returns to patrol the defensive line after gathering 53.5 tackles. Head Coach Dan Westhoff on what the Bearcats will bring to the season opener and night to honor the military.
“You know what you’re going to get. You’re going to get a tough and disciplined team. You’re going to have to match physicality. You’re going to have to minimize mistakes and not have turnovers. You have to be ready for a four quarter grind because they’re not going to lack the confidence. It’s nice to get them at home and we are excited. Our guys are going to be raring to go. I do really think it’ll be a great competitive game to start the season. I’m really looking forward to it,” says Westhoff. “To be able do anything like that, to recognize people that serve our country is really cool. I’m really, really excited about that. Our administration’s working hard to make that what it should be, what it deserves to be.”
North Butler went 5-4 last season and were just outside the playoff field. The Bearcats also return their starting quarterback Brody Wangsness and leading rusher Jax Thorne. Wangsness after being sidelined to close out last season will look to return to top form where he produced, 832 passing yards and nine touchdowns last season. Thorne rushed for 461 yards and three touchdowns. Leading tackler Tucker Pecha also returns to pace the defense after recording 50 tackles. Head Coach Jordan Vanderloop says they are not overlooking the Warhawks.
“They’re returning a lot of players from last year. They keep getting better and better. They’re one of the teams where you have to really show up to play. Otherwise, they will come out and surprise you,” says Vanderloop. “We got to make sure that we’re focused and ready to go. We know what our responsibilities are on both sides of the ball and that everyone executes to the whistle. Then trying to limit them so they don’t have the big plays and the big runs. Then try to take advantage of any turnovers or anything else that we can get out of it.”
West Fork will look for their first win in the series since 2020, the Bearcats have won four straight.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Sheffield.
