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Wayne Badgers

Laying down the program's foundation typically is a lengthy process. There are many mitigating factors that determine success on the gridiron: Philosophy, camaraderie, and trust in the plan to win, just to name a few. Wayne may be entering its first year as an officially-sanctioned UHSAA varsity program, but Badgers coach Richard McCartney compared the first-year approach to any program that finished below .500 in 2014.

"Same as everybody else who has a down year, we're just starting from a down year," McCartney said. "We're looking to build our program, get our kids involved and become more of a part of this community."

The Badgers, which played at the JV level last year, appear to have the backing of the community.

"We're in a unique situation. Our superintendent does not favor to have football, so we came to an agreement: Our football program is funded entirely outside of the school," McCartney said. "We've got a couple donors that are contributing to the program, a couple local businesses, and an individual who doesn't want to be named. They're supplying the funding for the program."

Wayne will operate in a standard 4-3 defensive front while alternating between spreading its personnel out on offense and running multiple two-back sets.

"Offense, we think, is the most difficult thing to have success at it," McCartney said. "There's a lot of good teams out there. We're focusing on our offense this year, and making it strong."

Assignment • 1A North

Last year • N/A; first season

Player to watch • Senior running back Jaxson Jensen. "He's 20 pounds heavier than last year, and spent a fair amount of the winter and spring in the weight room. He'll run the ball well," McCartney said.

Need to know • In the first year participating at the varsity level, Wayne can expect to experience hiccups in large quantities. With region games against Layton Christian and Altamont at home, though, the Badgers could be competitive.

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