Last season’s West Central Valley varsity football team had several juniors make noticeable impacts during the Wildcats’ 3-6 campaign. Fourth-year head football coach Eric Addy expects a handful of third-year high school students to crack the starting lineup in 2018. Addy joined the Guthrie County PM Sports Page on Monday night as the Raccoon Valley Radio Network continued our preseason coverage of high school football. He identified Rush Rowan and Mason Hagen as a pair of incoming juniors who make impacts for the Wildcats up front. “Now, if it’s on the offensive or defensive lines that’s yet to be determined,” Addy said, “Rush (Rowan) has done a great job in the offseason getting after it in the weight room. He won our commitment award last year. Besides Carson Wadle and Cole Sackett has the best attendance in the weight room ever since he’s come into our program.”

Addy describes Rowans as a big, strong, silent type of person who he hopes will develop more vocal leadership skills throughout the fall. He also has filmed several practice sessions already this month and has been impressed with Hagen’s overall execution of the gameplan. The Wildcats officially kick off the 2018 season next Friday, August 24, in Urbandale against the Des Moines Christian Lions.