Palmyra panthers

The tumultuous 2022 football season of the Palmyra Panthers came to an abrupt end after a winless season. The distractions overwhelmed the program which, combined with having to forfeit their only win, an overtime victory at Highland, as well as injuries and a young team, led to the 0-10 record. New Panther Head Coach Dalton Hill has arrived with a few new assistant coaches and a plan to right the ship, “We as a staff are looking to re-build Palmyra Football & bring it back to its winning roots. We are confident that with our new offensive & defensive systems & new faces in the program that we can do that.” He will have the help of the return of several experienced players with 5 returning starters on offense and 4 on defense. The best news is that four of the returning starters on offense are seniors and they are linemen. That is a great piece to build around as everyone knows the offensive line is the biggest key to success, especially in high school football. Senior Gage Barnett (6’0, 305) brings his size and strength to the right tackle spot. Fellow senior Jeremiah Edwards (6’2, 220) returns at right guard and is a road grader in the run game. Senior left guard Zeke Myers (5’11, 215) is back after having a year to build on last season and senior Tyler Zieger (6’0, 215) will be back at the all-important left tackle spot to protect the QB’s blindside. The Panthers also return the quarterback behind those O-linemen with senior Aaron Ritchey (5’9, 155). Palmyra will run and throw out of multiple sets and formations this season so look for Ritchey to be used both throwing and run-

Class: 2

Conference: Clarence Cannon

Head Coach: Dalton Hill Years at School: First

Returning Starters Offense: 5

Returning Starters Defense: 4

Last Year’s Record: 0-10

Palmyra Panthers Schedule

August

September ning the ball as well. There will be some receivers with various experience added to the mix this year, led by senior Drew Copenhaver (5’10, 160) at wideout. The backfield will feature the tandem of junior Landon Carroll (5’8, 160) and freshman Wyatt Augsburg (5’8, 160). The offense could never get any momentum going last season, getting shut out three times and only reaching over 20 points three times. The combination of having a veteran quarterback behind a good-sized veteran line and some good young skilled players to build around should mean a more productive offense. “Palmyra Football will be a dual threat offensively this season,” commented Coach Hill. “We are going to become good in the running game to open our passing game up. Expect Palmyra to be proficient at both attacks, on the ground & through the air. We currently have 3 quality RB’s that will see time for us on Friday Nights and a variety of receivers.” On the defensive side of the ball the Panthers return 4 starters from last year. Upfront, along the D-Line will be seniors Jeremiah Edwards at tackle and Tyler Zieger at nose. Senior Aaron Ritchey returns to his linebacker spot where impressed enough to earn MFCA 3rd Team All-State. Joining him again at the backer spot is senior Gideion Bouge (6’1, 185). These two are solid tacklers who are physical and play sideline to sideline. They will be joined by junior newcomer Landon Carroll and the youngster Wyatt Augsburg who is just a freshman, but will get a chance to be in the mix. The secondary is where the Panthers will need to most players to step up as they build around senior Drew Copenhaver in the defensive backfield. Because the offense could not get on track last season the defense suffered because they lost the field position and time of possession battles. This season, expect Palmyra to run a 3-4 alignment defensively. “I feel that Palmyra’s defense is going to be a staple in this program,” explained Coach Hill. “Defensively we are going to be gap sound, assignment sound, and fly around to the football. We are going to use speed to our advantage. Our LB’s will be downhill players looking to fill gaps at the line of scrimmage. We want to be efficient on every down, but especially on 3rd down to get our defense off of the field & get our offense on the field controlling the game.” Coach Hill and his staff of assistant coaches, Dalton Huffman, Nick Powell, Issac Williamson, Lionel Lilo and Jory Maddox have worked all off-season to

October

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Also located in: Kahoka, Memphis, Lancaster, Queen City, Shelbyville, and Wayland get this program back on track and drilling their program’s new culture, “My coaching philosophy is to have an equal amount of positive and negative reinforcement. I strongly believe in uplifting our players, but also criticizing them when mistakes are made. I believe that this style of coaching gets players to trust and respect you. Without you earning the players trust and respect, there is no program. I believe in being a fundamentally sound, physical, tough, disciplined, committed and accountable football program. I believe in establishing a strong culture within our football program and attacking everything to the best of our ability with our best ef- forts.” With another challenging schedule ahead and some spots to fill along with some new players and new systems there will be a learning curve this season, but Coach Hill and his players are going all in, working their way towards a winning season. “We are going to be an improved football team with a new coaching staff, new offense/defense, and new faces,” stated Coach Hill. “We are going to have to earn every win that we receive this season. We are excited to go to work against Hallsville High School on Friday, August 25th @ 7:00pm for our home opener.”