OTTUMWA —
The Ottumwa football team voted for its team captains on the brink of its season opener Friday against defending Class 4A state champion West Des Moines Valley Friday at Schafer Stadium.
The players and coaches have spoken and they have decided Kyle Keck, wide receiver and quarterback; Tyler Johns, safety; Seth Griffiths, running back; Jonah Wright, defensive tackle; and Shawn Foster, safety; will be the chosen leaders for the new-look Bulldogs in their first year under the leadership of coach Zach Pfantz.
The captain’s skills were on full display at Friday’s intra-squad scrimmage at Schafer Stadium.
Griffith’s star shined brightly throughout — he ran for 121 yards on 13 carries and scored three touchdowns. His first two touchdowns capped off the first two drives of the Bulldogs’ first-team offense. Keck caught a pair of touchdown passes and Johns returned a punt 47 yards for a touchdown.
Pfantz will take advantage of his team’s substantial depth this season — there were 116 people at the team’s first practice — by not having anyone play on both sides of the ball.
Pfantz, his captains and the rest of the team will look to turn things around after the Bulldogs suffered their first losing season in 21 years in 2011. Pfantz, however, has already proven he has the capacity to turn programs around. In a far more dire situation than what has occurred in Ottumwa, he guided an Akron-Westfield football team that had previously lost 21 games to a 5-4 season in 2007.
The Bulldogs will face a stiff first challenge in Valley. They will need to be on top of their games to hang with the defending champs.
Sports
August 15, 2012
Bulldogs choose team captains
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