The Iola High School football team is looking to shake things up and create more of a winning culture on the field this season.
Certain to help are some key senior leaders returning.
The Mustangs will kick off the season Friday at Osawatomie. Looking to lead the way are seniors Wyatt Westervelt, Jake Skahan, Carter Hutton and Kyler Mittelmeier.
Coming off of a disappointing 2021 season — the Mustangs were 2 and 7 — the returning seniors are hungry to get back in the swing of the regular season and make a name for the “Iola” on the front of their jerseys. Of late, the football team hasn’t lived up to the reputation that many of the players believe their team is capable of. They’re ready to silence the doubters.
“I’m excited to see what we’ve got to show for the people of Iola. We’re all very motivated to prove a point this year that we’re better than our reputation,” said Westervelt. “My sophomore year, the mentality of the team was real bad, to put it lightly. My junior year everyone got really tired of losing and have become hell-bent on making the culture and team better.”
Westervelt and his teammates hope to be in a position where they could make a run at a Pioneer League championship as well as a regional championship.
“Our ultimate goal is to turn the culture around so that maybe further down the line we can have a state championship team,” Westervelt said. “We’re all working together towards one ultimate goal.”
In order to achieve these goals the Mustangs will need to be disciplined and listen to what head coach David Daugharthy has to say. Football is a game in which every position on the field has equal importance, which is something the players have been emphasizing.
“A trait we’ve all been trying to work on is discipline. When it comes down to the fourth quarter, we used to be so gassed we would sit over and lay down and kind of give up almost. This year we’ve been really trying to discipline ourselves and really work on pushing through all obstacles,” Westervelt said.
Skahan also believes this year’s team is capable of changing the culture and the perception of Iola football. The Mustangs have been practicing since Aug. 15 and are anxious to put their best effort on display.
“Obviously, we just want to be the biggest and best out there. We want to change the culture but we also want to change the community. In years past we haven’t really been known for being the best football team and so we just want to make them proud that we’re the Iola Mustangs,” said Skahan.
THE BUY-IN and commitment on the varsity team is apparently greater than it has been in years past and Skahan believes this could help Iola be successful the whole season.
“Overall, how committed we are at this point, most of us have already bought into these goals. I feel like we can succeed if we put our minds to it and put our nose to the grindstone,” Skahan said.
The seniors on the football team may be one of the strongest in years past and their leadership style is being passed down to the younger players. Skahan believes the word “genesis” best encapsulates their goal.
“Genesis means a new beginning,” said Skahan. “We want to build a new program and a new culture.”
“Osawatomie is a very run-heavy team and so we’re really looking at stopping that run game. This week we’ve been focusing on getting into the backfield and stopping that run before it can even start,” Westervelt said.
