COLONY — With just 11 days until the first day of practice, the Crest Lancers continue building up to opening night in the weight room.
Crest High School is not the only part of the campus experiencing a renovation. The Lancers look to fill gaps by the graduation of five seniors from their 2024 roster.
Crest senior Jensen Barker believes they have the men to do that.
“We have a good chance of taking the league this year,” Barker said. “I feel good. We have three seniors, so we don’t have a big senior class. But we haven’t had a big senior class in three years.”
The Lancers return from a respectable 5-4, 2024 campaign including wins against Yates Center and St. Paul. They hope to improve upon their third-place finish in the Three Rivers Conference. Finding replacements in key roles is critical. Freshman Bentley Hammond believes his participation in the high school’s summer strength and conditioning program makes him a strong contender on the gridiron.
“I’m trying to get stronger every day and trying to get better,” Hammond said.
Barker said the summer workouts make him “ready to play. The way you prepare yourself is showing up every day, working and getting better.”
Dagon Denny a CHS freshman, clears a front squat Monday.
Another factor in Crest seeking an immediate turn around from 2024 is how wide open the Three Rivers League seems. After Marmaton Valley graduated a significant number of contributors to last season’s championship squad, area rivals are hoping their chances have improved to break the Wildcats’ two-year run atop the TRL standings.
Although looking for wins now, Crest seems to have a long-term approach on how it utilizes its summer weights program. With middle school students lifting alongside their high school counterparts, upperclassmen are realizing they are an example not only in showing up on time every day but also in demonstrating proper technique.
“You have to show up every day you can,” Barker said. “You have to show them how to work for themselves.”
Dakota Sporing, a Crest teacher volunteering his time for the strength and conditioning program, said he personally witnessed the participants’ progress and hopes to see it translate on the field this fall.
“It’s always good to see progress and see them get bigger, faster and stronger,” Sporing said. “Hopefully, they can fill in the gaps left by previous years.”
