The Cascade Champions kicked off their preseason scrimmage schedule against reigning Class DII-A State Champions, the MTCS Cougars, at The Stable on Monday night with an impressive showing.

MTCS lost the majority of their production from a year ago, but so did Cascade. Both teams showed flashes of talent at certain positions – most notably at WR and RB – but a freshman quarterback for Cascade has impressed first-year head coach, Jared Carkuff, throughout the offseason.

“He’s [Peyton Wireman] just getting better every week, and that’s all we can ask for,” said Carkuff postgame. “Timing is the biggest thing, and he’s on time with everything. He understands the game, and he is a very confident kid, but he doesn’t want to come off like that. Whenever we can get him to believe that he is the best player on the field, he is going to take off because he is already really talented.”

With Carkuff implementing a completely different offensive system than what previous coach Jake Tyre oversaw, the emphasis on high-level and intelligent quarterback play is much higher. Quick decisions are imperative, and Wireman is already looking the part standing behind his offensive line.

Of course, the quarterback is not the only position with a new starter taking its place. After going 5-6 in Tyre’s final season last year, Cascade graduated the vast majority of their production on both offense and defense. Sawyer Lovvorn, Damien Byford, Hayden Dowell, Isaac Chapa, Lantz Peoples, and others are no longer in the program, so playmaking responsibilities will fall on some younger shoulders. 

Against MTCS, Cascade came out a bit flat to start the game with the Cougars marching right down the field on their first offensive drive. However, the Champs’ defense seemed to wake up afterwards, playing with an extremely feisty edge for the remainder of the scrimmage. In general, Carkuff seemed pleased with the showing his team put forth on Monday.

“Biggest takeaway from tonight is that we got better,” he explained. “We came out flat, and that’s been an issue, I’ve been told, that has always been a problem where they come out flat and it takes something big happening for them. I challenged them before the game, we need to start fast, and then I challenged them again which you probably heard, and it worked. The biggest takeaway is to come out with energy.”

“We are actually a good football team when we come out and believe it.”

Comparing how this team looked in the spring against Wayne County, it’s a night and day difference. The offense looked like they had a grasp on what they were trying to do, and the defense looked more confident which allowed them to fly around and make plays instinctually. 

“Defensively, we are trying to be physical, fly around, and be aggressive,” Carkuff said, which checks out with the eye test at least against MTCS. There were some assignment mistakes as there always will be in the preseason, but they are progressively getting much better. 

This upcoming season, the longest road trips on the regular season schedule is to Watertown in a non-region matchup, and then a trip down to Huntland for the same reason. Compared to last year where Cascade had to make treks out to both Monterey and Marion County, this is a huge plus. Both of those teams come to The Stable this season, so Cascade will not have to drive more than two hours to any game until potentially the postseason. 

The season kicks off on August 23, at Moore County in a long-time rivalry matchup between the two schools. The Raiders also lost quite a bit of production from a season ago, most notably the TSSAA Class 1A Mr. Football winner, Dawson White. With White gone, the Raiders have a massive hole to fill, and it will be tough to have that covered up by Week One.

Carkuff does have one final message after Monday’s scrimmage to the rest of his team as they prepare to kick off the regular season in less than 20 days.

“Confidence is everything. If you know you can do it, it makes everything different.”

Cascade holds their Black and Orange game early on Friday afternoon before going to the Webb School the following Friday, August 16, in their final preseason scrimmage before the season opener at Moore County on August 23.