Indees looking to be faster on the grid this season

In his second year leading the program, Todd Fischer is looking to build his Independence/Gilmanton football team around speed.

“I expect us to be a little quicker and a little smarter,” Fischer told the Times last Thursday.

Thursday evening’s practice came on a day in which the Indees installed new weight equipment that Fisher hopes will help get the program where he wants it to go after a 1-8 campaign. 

While Fischer inherited a large senior class, he was also implementing a new system. He admitted there were bumps in the road, but said he learned from the experience and the team should be better off.

“They’re going to be in a better system because I cut the playbook in half,” Fischer said. “I got rid of a lot of stuff that we’re not using. We’re going back to focusing just on material that is going to make it relatively easier for them to understand.”

Fischer said he has a “whole new cast of characters” this year after the team graduated nine seniors. He’s confident in the skill position players he has to replace those who graduated. 

Xavier Santillan took over as the starting quarterback during the season last year and completed more than half the passes he threw. Though, the offense is based mostly on the run, he also ran for 29 yards and a touchdown last season. 

There will be more experience in the backfield, too. Nathan Pyka was second on the team with 266 rushing yards, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. Fischer is also looking at Sam Marsolek to make a major contribution saying he looks “healthier, stronger and faster this year.” Both Pyka and Marsolek were sophomores last season. 

Fischer is more concerned about the offensive line, noting they graduated some good players up front. He has some young players ready to fill in, but they’ll need experience. 

While the Indees only managed one win last season, they were competitive nearly every week. They were close with playoff teams like Boyceville and Blair-Taylor for nearly a half, but ran out of gas. 

Depth could be an issue again for the team as Fischer plans on having about 28 players out this year, though some missed practice last week as they were participating in the Buffalo County Fair. Those players should be able to catch up thanks to some changes made by the coaching staff. 

“I think in year two, these guys knowing what I expect offensively and what we’re trying to do, it’s going to be better,” Fischer said. “We added a few wrinkles, but it’s going to look simpler for the offensive linemen.”

The Indees will again have a tough slate to start the season, opening at Boyceville on Aug. 18 before welcoming Cashton the following week — teams that went a combined 20-4 last year. Dairyland Conference play opens with another 2022 playoff team, Cochrane-Fountain City.