Pigskin fever is infecting Noxon

 

September 3, 2020



Football fever in Noxon during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020?

You got that right, coach Bart Haflich and his hungry Red Devils are reaching a fever pitch in practice sessions so far.

“We are optimistic and excited,” Haflich said. “We are looking forward to the game with Gardiner and seeing how we match up.”

Haflich and his Red Devils, who have qualified for the last three straight State 6-Man playoffs, open season play Friday hosting Gardiner. The Devils currently have only four Western Conference games on their schedule as all non-conference games have been canceled.

“That could be a blessing in disguise,” Haflich said. “It will be a short season but maybe we won’t be as beat up as we usually are that late in the season either.”

Haflich is hanging his high hopes on some returning talent – Josh Baldwin was All-Conference and All-State and Jared Webley proved his pigskin chops with plenty of big plays last fall – and those two are now senior team leaders.

A couple of returnees to Noxon football – senior Jeriko Smith and junior Cade VanVleet – are also bolstering Red Devil futures. Smith is back in Noxon after a few years elsewhere, while VanVleet is making his return from an injury suffered early in the 2019 campaign in faraway Reed Point.

Smith had the look of a promising quarterback for Noxon a few falls back before leaving the area. His return gives Noxon some new options on both sides of the ball.

Haflich says VanVleet, a bruising running back and outstanding defensive player, has come a long ways since that fateful day in Reed Point. “Cade is back into the mix and looking strong,” he said. “It’s great having him back, he has worked his tail off to get to this point.”

Looking ahead to this week’s game with Gardiner, Haflich is not sure what to expect.

“They have a new coach and they lost their best player to graduation,” he said. “We don’t quite know what they will bring but will find out Friday.”

Like his counterpart, coach Jim Lawson in Hot Springs, Haflich expects a competitive three-team race in the Western 6-Man ranks between Noxon, Hot Springs and White Sulphur Springs.

“Both of those teams have a lot back and are traditionally tough programs,” he said. “It will be interesting to see how we all end up matching up, we are looking forward to it.”

 

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