Sting Football wants to make progress with young team | News, Sports, Jobs

Photo by Samantha Davis. The 2024 Yellow Medicine East football team consists of (in no particular order) Liam Anderson, Connor Bennett, Maxwell Bennett, Kolten Blankenhagen, Karter Canatsey, Brady Dahlager, Gunnar Fagen, Michael Guertin, Anthony Guzman, Joel Hidalgo, Dane Hildahl, Guadalupe Izaguirre, Easton Jaenisch, Eric Jimenez, Harley Johnson-Labat, Trae Jones, Aaden Kuehn, Hayden Kuehn, Seth Lecy, Caysen Lien, Breck Martin, Cooper McCosh, Calvin Mead, Jackson Mead, Jack Mensink, Drew Monson, Will Pederson, Jacob Peterson, Leonidas Robledo, Joseph Sillivent, Owen Slettedahl, Jahziel Tarin-Costilla, Beau Thull, Jacob Ullrich, Mathias Vonderharr and Lane Wohlman.

GRANITE FALLS — The Yellow Medicine East football team has lost six seniors, including three team leaders, so it will need its younger players to quickly step into their new roles so the team can regain its place on the winning track.

“Many of our younger players are coming to the fore. Many of the freshmen and sophomores are super hungry to play and earn spots,” said head coach Lucas Damm. “Many of our sophomores will be the ones to watch this season. Overall, it’s a young team and there’s a lack of experience in some key positions, so there’s going to be a lot to learn.”

Senior Jacob Peterson will be the Sting’s starting quarterback. The previous quarterback was Andrew Flaten, who has since graduated and led YME last season with 393 yards on 31 completed passes and 94 attempts, as well as six touchdown passes.

Peterson got a taste of the position last season, completing six passes for 114 yards and one touchdown in ten attempts.

“He is [Peterson] not new to the team, but new to the position”, Said Damm. “He knows the offense pretty well, but since he’s in a new place, [he’s] still has to learn. I just expect him to step up and be a leader. He doesn’t have to impress you, he just has to be a good teammate and get things done.”

The Sting also released Adam Stengel, the team’s best receiver. He had 110 yards on seven catches and scored a touchdown.

Another gap to fill is the loss of Owen Cherveny, who led YME defensively with 54 tackles, including 35 solo and 19 assists.

Damm will turn to senior Eric Jimenez, who has years of college experience, to step in as a lineman leader on both sides of the field. He had 17 tackles last season.

“As far as the defensive and offensive game is concerned, we rely on Eric Jimenez,” Said Damm. “This is his fourth year as a starter. He was also in the starting lineup as a freshman. He will play a big role this year, both on defense and offense, as he is a leader. He will be fun to watch.”

Junior Brady Dahlager, last year’s best runner, returns. He rushed for 772 yards on 148 carries and scored seven touchdowns.

“I just expect him to take on a leadership role in the backfield. He will clearly be one of our best rushers again,” Said Damm. “I have high hopes that he will do well, but he’s taking on a slightly different role, just with a different team lineup. But he’s still going to play a big role.”

Dahlager was also the second-best receiver behind Stengel with 106 yards on five catches.

“I hope he gets more yards than last year,” Said Damm. “This is obviously a goal we both have.”

YME finished last season with a 2-7 overall mark after going 5-4 in 2022. Damm said that with only four seniors and several roster changes, they focused heavily on their defense and good tackling throughout preseason training camp.

The Sting will begin their season at 7 p.m. Thursday at Sleepy Eye, who finished second in Section 3A in 2023. In the last opener between the two last year, YME lost 14-34.