INNISFAIL - Four-peat league champions the Innisfail Cyclones began their new season with a crushing victory over the Sundre Bison.
The local 9-man football team downed Sundre 78-0 in their season opener on the road on Sept. 8.
The team is one of five in the Mountain View 9-Man Football Conference (MVFC), joining Strathmore, Didsbury, Sundre and Carstairs.
The team has been practising since the end of August to prepare for what head coach Trevor Wooff is calling a rebuilding season.
“These boys understand that this is a big rebuild year but they’re chomping at the bit to play and we’ve got a few quality players that will hopefully get us a few wins,” said Wooff.
“We’ve got a pretty young team. We lost about 14 or 15 players from last year so we have a large number of Grade 10 (players) and a lot fewer Grade 12s than we usually do.”
For the past two weeks practices have been from the ground up.
“We’ve been working on the basics and getting the new guys to understand how the system works and how we work,” he said. “It’s coming together pretty good.”
Currently with a roster of 22, Wooff said coaching staff will size up players, their abilities and each player will have a part on the team.
“We’re just trying to pigeon-hole where their skills are and where they would best serve the team,” he said. “They all understand the philosophy of the team, that we’re going to put them where they do the best good for the team and help us out the most.”
Wooff said chemistry and team building is also a focus early on in the season.
“The chemistry is the big thing and everybody working towards the same goal no matter what position they play and where they play,” he said, noting the close-knit, supportive team the past two or three years.
“I think that’s one of the areas of success is that we play everybody and they all have fun doing it,” he added.
During recent practices players have worked to fine-tune their game, noted Wooff.
“Our practice begins with conditioning and skill sets. They’re working on their footwork, on their passing skills, their cover skills and the basics,” he said, noting they also focus on offence, defence and special teams.
Coaching staff helping Wooff this year include returnee Jim Brittain and newcomers Dallas Haldorson and Kerry Sawicki.
“We also have some former players that are helping coach and parents that are helping with taping and training,” he said.
Making the league championship a five-peat will be a challenge this season but is not their main focus.
“We’ve got a little bit of a monkey on our back,” said Wooff. “Our goal is maybe not to go undefeated and win everything, but like every season is to get to the playoffs, try to win that championship and have fun doing it.”
