By Jeremy Jacob, Sports Editor

The Van Far football program hasn’t been this optimistic in a long time.

The Indians posted their first winning season in 19 years with a 6-5 record, including winning their first district game since 2014. Most of the team is back for this season.

Head coach Lucas Gibson said Van-Far has been steady in the 20s all summer and expects to be in that range when the season begins. He said the roster has grown in recent years thanks to returning kids, including a large portion of them third-year players.

“The large sophomore class we had last year is completely out again this year,” Gibson said. “We’re going to have a lot of third-years. We have about 10 of them, so our team is almost half third-years.”

Gibson said those juniors, as well as some returning players from other classes, are also talented players, especially those who will be used on the offensive and defensive lines. Jackson Fischer, Evan Utterback and Easton Sharp – at center – all won awards a year ago, as did receiver Gaven Gaston.

Dalton Dameron, Pacey Reading, Dalton Hays and Brandon Kurz will return as starters on Van-Far’s offense and will look to mesh well with Carson Huff and Gibson Condie, who each played their first season of football last year. Reece Culwell and Kasen Christian will serve as quarterbacks on the committee following the graduation of award-winning dual-threat quarterback Nikos Connaway.

“Our strength this year will be our offensive and defensive line,” Gibson said. “This will be their third year in the starting lineup. We will be stronger in all areas.”

Award-winning transfers Malik and Tyson Douglas will be freshmen. Gibson is excited to see what they do personally. They will be valuable players in the backfield – following the graduation of All-State athlete Gage Gibson – and in the linebacker corps, and their little brother Cayden Douglas has done well at cornerback.

“These guys will jump right in and assume their roles,” Gibson said. “I’ve never seen them play in a game except on film. I’m excited to see it.”

Gibson said Van-Far’s program has grown since low numbers led to an early end to the season two years ago. The Indians have depth at every position on both sides of the ball and the guys who fill those roles are dedicated.

The key for Van-Far to recover from its low point a few years ago is mainly the return of the younger players, says Gibson. The only concern is integrating the new additions into the system.

“We have some options,” Gibson said. “We’re not limited to one person playing the position the whole game or the whole season. I feel a lot better about it than I have the last two years.”

Gibson believes a better record is possible this season, underscored by the district championship the Indians were one game away from last season. Van-Far’s offensive and defensive averages were both 22 points per game last year and could be even better.

“Our defense is getting better and our offense is getting better,” Gibson said.