BUTTE — Butte Central couldn’t have had a much harder schedule to start the 2019 football season with games against Hamilton, Frenchtown and Dillon.
And while the Maroons take an 0-3 record into their game against Corvallis this Friday, there is no panic. Rather, the team has a sense of urgency to get back on the right track.
“I think we are very upbeat and positive, but the one thing we’ve talked a lot about is that we are 0-3. We can’t afford another loss or two, that’s for sure," said Maroons head coach Don Peoples Jr. "So we got to be ready to play, we got to find the formula to win. We’ve got a great group of kids. We feel like we’re good football team, we just have to find that winning formula.”
The Maroons have shown that they can play with the best in the state. First-year offensive coordinator Danny Peoples believes that once it all comes together, the Maroons will soar back into the playoff picture.
“We’ve shown glimmers of light in our offense here and there, we’ve had some really positive things happen," said Danny Peoples. "But it’s about stringing two good drives together, three good drives together and not flattening out after one drive.”
There’s also a bright side to starting their season out with a gauntlet of challenging games. The Maroons now return home knowing exactly what needs to be fixed. They’ve played against some of the best in the state, and Don Peoples believes that experience will be invaluable as the season goes on.
“When you play great football teams I think what it’s really done is identified things that we didn’t do very well," Don Peoples added. "And so it really identifies your weaknesses when you play against good teams.”
As happy as they are to be back home this Friday for their game against the Blue Devils, their preparation won’t be any different.
“Corvallis is a good team and we know it’s going to be a challenge for us," said Danny Peoples. "Our guys have been working really hard this week and they know they have a lot to do in the games going forward, so they’re working really hard.”
Kickoff between Butte Central and Corvallis is at 7 p.m. Friday at Bob Green Field.
