Sat, Nov 22 2008
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Published August 30, 2008 12:06 am - Bacone heads to South Dakota for opener By Kenton Brooks Phoenix Sports Writer Bacone College’s football team heads into a little bit of the unknown when they travel to Madison, S.D., for their 2008 season opener today.
The Warriors open at 1:30 p.m. against Dakota State, also a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics school in their first ever meeting and coach Joe Thrasher only has video of the Trojans’ last two games from the 2007 season for scouting purposes. “In looking at the films, they were last year’s players, so we prepared schematically for them,” Thrasher said. “After we see them on that first series, we’ll adjust from there. We’ve got a great opportunity to win. We know what we can do.” Thrasher’s confidence for the opener gets a boost as the Warriors start the season against another NAIA team instead a Division II school for the first time in his three years as head coach. “We’re ready to play,” he said. “The game can’t get here fast enough. We’re in the best shape we’ve been. We do have high expectations and we set them high on purpose.” The Trojans lost their last five games to end at 3-7 in 2007. Bacone, on the other hand, won its season finale and finished 4-7. Bacone had an open date and was thinking about having an 11th game when it posted the opening on two websites. Dakota State, located 52 miles northwest from Sioux Falls, responded and the game was set. Thrasher knows one thing about the Trojans and that is that Dalton Strand returns at quarterback. He was the team’s leader on offense with 383 yards rushing, 571 yards passing (105 of 118 passes) and six touchdowns through the air. “He’s a University of Minnesota transfer and played about five games before getting hurt last year,” Thrasher said. “They run from a multiple spread offense and depend more on run than the pass. That’s how we’ve been preparing for them.” The Trojans have to prepare for a Bacone offense led by quarterback Jose Del Rio, who completed 198 of 361 passes (54.8 percent) for 2,405 yards and 12 touchdowns. Kicker Brandon Hawley of Broken Arrow was the second-leading kicker in the Central States Football League last season with 49 points, including a 53-yard field goal in the 41-12 win over Texas College in the season finale. “I told our players after that game that 2008 begins right now,” Thrasher said. “We’re saying just one this season, one practice at a time, one game at a time and one victory at a time.” 
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