One glance inside new Skyline football head coach Mat Taylor’s math class September 2, 2008 gives the perfect mentality going into the season’s first game against Sheldon, OR – football. With plays written on the white board for all to see, Taylor’s room reeked of two things: confidence, and strategy.

Senior wide out and cornerback Jake Knecht is ready as ever to play the opening game of the 2008 Skyline football campaign, and his eagerness shows in his official team photo.

The team is going to need both of those if it plans to bus back from PNC Park in Portland, Oregon, with a win, it is going to need both of those attributes embroidered onto the team’s new jerseys.

The biggest problem that lies ahead of the team for week one is not their fifth-ranked Oregonian opponent, but the way they are going to control star Sheldon quarterback Jordan Johnson, who obliterated the team’s week one opponent running for 111 yards on 14 carries, scoring four touchdowns in the process. Not only did he run the ball well, but he passed for 76.4 completion percentage en route to a 90-yard day.

Not only does the team have a fantastic passer, but it also boasts the sixth most sought-after senior recruit in the state in Charles Siddoway, an offensive tackle ranked in the top 20 nation-wide at the position. Siddoway is hurt by his lack of finesse and speed, but could become a great guard with his 6’5” 287 pound size. Regardless, he is currently considering Pac-10 powerhouses UCLA and Oregon, among others, and has even attended camp and received an offer from the University of Alabama.

But Skyline, too, has some of its own 2009 prospects to brag about. Standout WR Gino Simone recently committed to play collegiate football at Washington State University, where he hopes to put a good enough effort forth to avoid a first-year redshirt. Defensive End and Guard Rob Tramonte is also considered a top prospect, ranked number 187 nationwide at his position according to ESPN.

And with their talent, especially at quarterback and wide receiver, Skyline hopes not to give Sheldon a chance come Saturday evening, and they are scheming away to prevent such ground dominance as Churchill experienced against Skyline’s competitor last week. Skyline, though wary of Johnson’s talent, knows that they have schemed well enough to shut down the dual-threat quarterback.

“There’s no doubt Johnson is a great quarterback,” says Jake Knecht, senior cornerback and wide receiver for this year’s team, “but we have a game plan that should stop him, and a fast enough front to contain him in the pocket while the secondary locks into each and every man.”

Such a talented defense, though, is a question in the minds of Skyline football fans going into the year. Though the players have great ability, only five of this year’s eleven starters started on the state championship-winning team last season. The majority of the ring-holding pack was seniors who started as juniors the year before.

The fore-mentioned Knecht, one of the newly-starting defensive seniors, feels confident that the group will be able to bypass the game experience factor and does see some, “gel action,” with the rather young defense. When referring to the young defense, Knecht believes the breakout player of the year will either be safety Kasen Williams – who is more known for his catches at wide receiver – or junior linebacker Anthony Dematteo who was an underappreciated starter last year.

The team is going to need everything they have to hang on against such a talented group in Sheldon, especially because the game will be played 300 miles away from home. Though lodging and accommodations haven’t been worked out yet, Knecht is looking forward to missing the third day of school on Friday as the team begins its anticipated bus travel to Portland, Oregon, saying, “after a couple weeks of really hard practices, we need one day’s rest.”

The team, though undoubtedly tired after opening its season so far away, is looking forward to its opportunity to have some fun and win a football game south of the state border, and hopes that some of the rowdiest fans in the area, too, can experience the same good time.