Van-Far football is hoping new blood will begin its turnaround this season.

The program that is coming off its first winless season since 2011 and wants to achieve its first non-losing one since 2004 will have some obstacles this year with its roster of 20 players.

First-year head coach – the Indians’ third in as many seasons – Lucas Gibson said it will be a challenge not having as many kids appear at practice as he would have liked but one he and his staff are ready to take on.

“The ones that are there, they are working their tails off,” Gibson said. “I’m all about hard work. You can work yourself out of any situation. I know they can do it. It’s hard to get out of that mentality when you’ve had so many losing seasons.”

Among the most experienced Indians on the field this season will be at the skill positions and look to top the all-Eastern Missouri Conference seasons a year ago.

Senior fullback Brandon Eoff just missed an 1,000-yard season on the ground by rushing for 947 yards on 180 carries (5.3 average) and added 226 yards on 22 catches. He was named a first team offensive player and also a second team defensive player for his 44 tackles – the most returning for Van-Far – and two fumble recoveries as a linebacker.

Junior Nikos Connaway will have big roles on either side of the ball as well, taking snaps as the quarterback and patrolling the secondary. Connaway threw for 1,008 yards and 10 touchdowns but also had nine interceptions. He almost nullified his offensive mistakes by securing eight interceptions as an EMO second team defensive back.

Junior Gage Gibson was a second team all-conference receiver, leading Van-Far with 351 yards on 31 catches. Gibson also made 38 tackles on defense and is expected to be used out of the backfield, according to Lucas Gibson.

Gibson said the team wants to run the football at least 70-80 percent of the time and has operated in the power-I formation, which the kids have “picked up fast,” to work toward the main strategy of controlling the game.

“We’re going to try to run the football,” Gibson said. “We like to possess the ball as much as we can because of our low numbers. That’s the game plan.”

Gibson said he does like all the freshmen on the team this year and thinks each has the capability to do well. The “really strong” Ty Evans and Jackson Fischer will appear on the offensive and defensive lines, Evan Utterback will play defensive end and Gaven Gaston will bring his athleticism to cornerback.

Much of the roster will have to play both sides of the ball due to the small roster, Gibson said.

“We’re trying to get them in the best possible shape we can,” Gibson said. “We’ve got a big group of freshmen. They work hard, and they’re a good group of kids.”

Gibson, a former Indians’ linebacker and defensive coordinator, said Van-Far is trying several defensive formations, becoming accustomed to 4-4 and 5-3 schemes. The Indians have to be prepared for whoever they face and also in the best position to be aggressive and quick to the ball to gang tackle.

The Indians defenders need to know their assignments, which will be tough at times when they do have to move around the field.

“That’s one thing about being a small team: You’re one injury away from three people being out of position,” Gibson said. “We can get them in good shape and help them stay healthy.”

Regarding to how far the 2022 Indians can go this year, Gibson thinks a 5-5 record is “doable” because of the prior experience he has with the roster as an assistant coach at the high school last year and at the junior high for three years. At the very least, he wants the Indians to be more competitive than the team that allowed 50.6 points per game last season.

“We’ve had success against these teams when they were younger,” Gibson said. “I just feel like we’ll be able to compete.”