Mexico football had many key contributors graduate last season.

The Bulldogs are eager to see how their roster of 99 percent sophomores and juniors step up this season as players garner more snaps. The roster is smaller with around 40 players instead of about 50 players, but Mexico has several large linemen it hopes can lead the charge to improve on a 4-6 record from a year ago.

“We will have the youngest and biggest OL/DL we have had since my first year in 2014,” head coach Steve Haag said. “We also add some depth to those positions which helps as the season goes on. We will need to lean on the boys upfront as we have to replace our entire backfield.

“This gives us a great opportunity to give more players an opportunity to play and rarely do you get to work with the same team two years in a row and get to develop healthy competition within your own team.”                                                                                                                

Haag continued by saying there might be some growing pains as many kids will find themselves on the field more frequently, starting with the Aug. 25 opener at Centralia. He said it hasn’t been tough to find capable players to fill in the roles left vacant by the departures of contributors like Anthony Shivers, Morgan Grubb, Andrew Runge, Ty Sims and Kendyr Taylor but is concerned some about depth with this smaller roster.

Several of those capable players are projected to be good options as receivers or offensive weapons like sophomores Drew DeMint, Kaden Benne and Korbyn Dorsey, juniors Hunter Cuno and Peyton Hoover, and seniors Shantez Dorsey and Jacob Johnson that will go with returning junior tight end Greydon Sewell. Some will help fill out the line along with junior returners Daunte Cline and Wyatt Troesser – who each started all 10 games last year – as sophomores Leighton Hilderman and Ethan Freyer block for a flex-bone Mexico offense that will want to run the ball but with a bigger passing dimension.

“I’m happy with the kids we have in there and am happy with the backups as we’re slowly working through some things we need to improve on,” Haag said. “We’re trying to get a little bit better at passing. We need to pass a little bit more this year as we have guys that can catch it and some quarterbacks that can get to them.”

Haag said it will be quarterbacks instead of one that takes snaps all the time, at least starting out the season, following last year when Mexico averaged 277 rushing yards per game and only 62 passing yards. He likes the two options he has in junior Tyson Carr and sophomore Charlie Fisher as he sees both getting some time as of right now.

“They’re young and haven’t taken that many snaps so that plays into it too, just the confidence part of it,” Haag said. “We just need to see how they perform. Both of them are smart, both are good athletes and you just have to give both of them an opportunity to win the job. It might be there’s not one clear winner and we just use both of them.”

On defense, Cline and his 25 tackles and two sacks from last year will slot with kids like Hilderman and Freyer on the line while Sewell, Hoover and Cuno fill out a linebacker corps that is returning with 141 combined tackles. DeMint expects to be an outside linebacker and kids like Fisher, Benne and Korbyn Dorsey will be new faces in the secondary on a defense that allowed 27.4 points per game with 200 rushing and 148 passing averages allowed.

Haag believes the defense will resemble the usual Bulldogs’ 3-3 stack formation and aggressive style as new defensive coordinator Travis Simmons has been with the program with six or seven years. Simmons is bound to inject his own identity but creating pressure will be still be expected this group.

“We will need to lean on our defensive line and inside linebackers,” Haag said. “They will need to hold strong as we develop our youth on the outside. We will simplify some things so they can play fast. But we will need some sophomores to step up and play physical. If we can limit mistakes, grow and play physical, we should develop into a good defense.”

Haag said a big concern he typically has and even more so this year is for the Bulldogs to stay healthy. He said there were a couple who went down already with injuries so he wants everybody to get the chance to win their specific roles.

“We have to get tapes and reps in real games so they can see game speed and things that are hard to replicate in practice,” Haag said. “You say to yourself, ‘We think this guy’s going to work it out and be the one’ and sometimes it doesn’t work out on that on Friday nights. It’s like working a puzzle.

“We will be tested this year, and we will struggle at times, but I believe that will only benefit us towards the end of the season and in the future.”