By Landon Duester
The Silver Lake Mustangs look to follow up on last year’s 7-3 season with a playoff win. Head coach Connor Brown will lead the Mustangs for his third year, retaining his staff from last year, with assistant coaches Jordan Scott, Chris Watt, and Terry Bauer. With a new senior class, he is very excited for this year. Brown, when asked “What is one thing that you are excited for this year?” said, “I’m excited to see how much we can grow as a team. We’ve got a strong senior group and younger players stepping up, so I’m looking forward to watching us come together and compete each week.” The senior class this year is highlighted by last year’s starters, Landon Duester and Jaxon tenBensel, who both played major roles on last year’s team and will have to play an even bigger role this year. Last season, tenBensel led the Mustangs in receiving yards per game, rushing yards per game, and touchdowns for the season with 17. He also contributed defensively, leading the team in interceptions. Other major seniors who will have to step up are Lanham Skrdlant and Beau Bonifas. These two both played some last year, but will have a major increase in production this year and will be asked to do a lot more. Some juniors who will play big roles are Brody Knehans and Logan Duester. They both have not had a lot of varsity time, but they are prepared to keep up with the seniors. This team is eager to prove that they are just as good, if not even better than last year’s team that earned a playoff win, which is something that Silver Lake football has not had in many years. Brown says, “You can expect a team that plays hard from start to finish, stays disciplined, and never gives up. We’re going to be physical, well-conditioned, and ready to compete every single game.” Silver Lake will open up the first two weeks of the season against Shelton on the road and Ansley Litchfield at home for parents’ night.