2018 was a rather… interesting year for Demon football.  Weird weather throughout, plenty of adversity, and a new head coach were all factors in making 2018 what it was.  When all was said and done, though, James Harris’s first season as head coach was a successful one.

A 6-3 record and just barely missing out on the playoffs?  Not too bad for a first-year coach.  Solely based on numbers, the offensive focus was shifted a bit this season.  Luke Turner threw the football 82 more times than he did a season ago, and racked up 233 more passing yards as a result.  Turner was also the workhorse of the running game, carrying it 43 more times than the team’s second-leading rusher, Tristin Westphal-Edwards.

The defense also held up to form from its past couple of years under Harris as defensive coordinator.  In their six wins, the Demon D allowed just upwards of 17 points per game and took the ball away nine times, eight times via the interception.  They also scored two touchdowns as a unit, both coming on pick-sixes in the same game.

Ultimately, the Demons will lose a lot of talented players on either side of the ball.  Two-way players like Cade Hennigan, Tristin Westphal-Edwards and Ben Baughman will be gone.  Sam Hall, a three-way player (offensive and defensive lineman, punter) will graduate this year.  But they bring back plenty of talent as well.

Luke Turner will be back for his third year starting at quarterback.  Ethan Hunt will look to continue his success at both receiver and defensive back.  Jarrett Bender, a dynamic two-way lineman, will be back.  Treshaun Willis will return to wreak even more havoc on opposing offenses.  The list goes on.

A 6-3 record is a good start, but the sky’s the limit for Coach Harris and his guys.  According to Harris, there’s only room to improve.

“One thing about coaching is that you learn to hate losing more than you like winning,” Harris said.  “Those three losses, I can look back on all kinds of things I wish we would have done better.  But the game comes down to inches.  It’s about cleaning those things up, assessing our weaknesses right now, figuring out what we need to do to move forward and be a better team.”