The saying goes that a society grows when old men plant trees in whose shade they will never sit.
The same can be true for football programs, where classes look to set the foundation of winning success years before championships are made.
The Central Cobblers now begin that journey of laying the foundation behind first year Head Coach Brandon Colpitts.
“I’ve loved every second so far, I’m excited to see our seniors take ownership for this team,” said Colpitts.
“Truly great teams are led by players and we have a good group of them. They set the tone for this program going forward. The way the kids are interacting this summer has us really excited.”
Those senior leaders have bought into a new philosophy that has led to an exciting fall camp.
“Our philosophy is to win the day. It’s a lifestyle, it’s a motto, it’s all about the process.
“We have a wristband with it and t-shirts and it’s all about attacking. Win your diet, win your sleep. That’s the day to day of coming in and winning each and every moment. The kids have really bought in.”
Colpitts also noted a new change to the program, one where the depth chart is wiped clean.
“Everything is going to be different with new coaches. I don’t care if you’re the starter, or the best player in the past, all I care about is the direction you are going. And some needed a fresh start.”
The Cobblers will look to bring a brand of hard nosed football to the field this season, lead by senior duo Ty Black Elk-Volkman and captain Zack Soderlin.
“Ty is a lineman that is really physical. One of those guys that you can trust on the line.
“Zack, he’s a tough nose kid that rides bulls. He’s going to be a dude.”
Colpitts also noted transfer linebacker Gideon Waldrop, as a player who can make a big impact on the program in his first season.
“He can thump and he has a 33 inch vertical. He’s very underrated in recruiting and he’s one of the best leaders that I’ve seen at the high school level and he is an extension of the culture we are trying to build.”
Now, the Cobblers will square off against Sturgis in their opening matchup of the new era and set the tone with tough play every week.
“We’re going to be competitive. Rapid [City] and West River have a lot of tough kids. It’s very much the cowboy mentally of ‘get your work done’ and we have a lot of kids doing hard work and we are going to bring four quarters of toughness.”
You can check out the Cobblers complete schedule below.
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