Highschool football is back this week for the Atlantic Trojan’s who are coming off a (3-6) campaign in 2023. The Trojans lost some offensive firepower from last year’s squad in leading receiver Colton Rasmussen and leading rusher Dante Hedrington both graduating over the summer. Rasmussen had 26 receptions and 6 touchdowns last season. Hedrington averaged five yards per touch and scored 7 times on the ground a year ago. Even with the absence of those two, Atlantic head coach Joe Brummer is excited about the upcoming season from the growth he’s seen from over the summer.

The Trojans do return a lot of strength up front and will look to have more of a rush first emphasis on offense.

Part of that rushing attack for Atlantic will be the strength from junior Gavin McLaren who averaged over six yards per carry last season and 490 yards rushing. Senior Tyson O’Brien will also be looked to in the run game with his 27 carries from last year.

Brummer is not the only one who saw progress with Atlantic over the summer. Senior defensive back Kinnick Juhl noted that his teammates have been building chemistry with each other.

Juhl led the team in interceptions last year with 4 and collected 32.5 tackles. Juhl says the expectations for the Trojans this year is a playoff appearance.

To achieve a postseason matchup, senior tight end Xavier Darrow says Atlantic will have an aggressive mentality against each opponent.

Atlantic’s first game of the year will be on Friday in Atlantic against the Council Bluffs Jefferson Yellow Jackets. Kickoff is set for 7:00pm and KJAN will bring you pregame coverage starting at 6:30 p.m.