CALDWELL — With the return of several starters from last year’s playoff squad, the Caldwell Blue Jays will be seeking a third straight postseason appearance in 2019.
CHS, under the direction of head coach Sean Blosser, is coming off a 6-3 campaign a year ago that included a loss to Central of Burden in the opening round of the Eight Man-Division I playoffs.
Blosser, who is entering his ninth year at Caldwell, has directed the Blue Jays to four playoff appearances in the past five seasons.
“We will return a lot of experience back from the previous year,” Blosser said. “We dealt with injuries in 2018 and gave a lot of these players varsity playing time.”
Caldwell return five two-way starters this season, including senior offensive and defensive linemen Kolbe Muns and Marshall Ward, junior running back and defensive back Dru Volavka, junior tight end and defensive end Trey Strnad, and junior offensive lineman and linebacker Jude Stow.
In addition to those players, others returning to the lineup are senior wide receiver and quarterback Caleb Noyes, as well as senior linebacker Colby Lee.
Two other returning lettermen that will make contributions this season are seniors Cooper Bristor and Isaiah Cole on the line.
The Blue Jays kick off the 2019 season on Sept. 6 at South Central Border League foe South Haven. That will be followed by back-to-back home games against Flinthills on Sept. 13 and Cedar Vale/Dexter on Sept. 20.
District 2 action gets underway on Sept. 27 with a trip to Argonia/Attica. One week later, CHS will hit the road to Oxford. Two of the final three district games will be at home, including South Central on Oct. 11 and the regular-season finale with Medicine Lodge on Oct. 25. The Blue Jays will also travel to Udall on Oct. 18.
A year ago, Caldwell advanced to the postseason for a second straight year after finishing third in the final District 2 standings. The top four teams from the district advance to the playoffs.
“We are excited about the opportunity, but the leadership and how we deal with adversity will be the determining factor to our success,” Blosser said. “We have the tools to put a competitive team on the field and hope we can reach our potential.”