Warriors prepare for season under a new coach

The Arlee High School Warriors’ coaching staff has stated they are in “no hurry” to decide on their quarterback situation as they prepare for their season-opening home game against Victor Friday night at Arlee High School.

Warriors’ coach Chuck Forgey has stated his team is still trying to decide between Will Mesteth and Lane Schall. Last season, Schall took snaps behind senior signal caller Tyler Tanner.

“We have not made a decision at quarterback yet,” Forgey said. “It is a really close battle and both Lane and Will are just great competitors.”

The quarterback position isn’t the only position that players will be competing against each other. Forgey said almost every position will be contested as they head into the 2017 season.

“Everything is on the table right now and I keep evaluating who is the best for each position,” Forgey said. “We are trying to get the best sense of what we are doing and how it will be going.”

The Warriors will look to improve on last year’s record of 5-3 as they barely missed the Class C, 8-man playoffs. Arlee will have another major change as Forgey will assume the head coaching duties and former Warriors’ head coach Todd Yocum will step down from the head coach’s role to focus on being an assistant coach.

Forgey said the team’s philosophical approach will have similar philosophies under his watch. In 2015, Yocum led his team to the 2015 Class C, 8-man football championship.

“I think we aren’t changing a whole lot,” Forgey said. “We have a good grasp and I am pleased with where we are at (headed into the start of the season).”

The Warriors will have Rylan Crawford, who was named to the all-conference team in 2016, and he will be one of the feature backs for Arlee this season. The other running backs that will be featured in their backfield will be Mesteth and Earshon Bolin.

“These players are all going to get a lot of touches and they are real capable backs that are doing well in camp so far,” Forgey said.

The number of carries the backs get will depend on the “flow of the game” Forgey said.

“If something is working, there may be less of a chance of switching things up,” Forgey said. “(All of these players) are going to be important parts of our offense. Getting touches to them and getting them the ball will be a good thing.”

The Warriors’ offensive line will require a lot of mixing and matching as they are still in search of the right combination for its starting five, Forgey said.

“We are coming together with our four or five kids,” Forgey said. “We are working through this and trying to find the right combination on the line. We are having a couple of seniors and both started a little bit. Three of them are starting. Finding that perfect combination is what we’ve been working on.”

Other wide receivers that are in the Warriors’ stable include Chase Gardiner, Greg Whitesell and George Shick.“We have a pretty good stable of guys and the 8-man offense attached and the tight end will have a blocking assignment and multi-faceted type of kids,” Forgey said.

Forgey said he really likes having basketball players for wide receivers.

“Basketball players are great athletes, it’s a team sport and they work with each other, and they learn physicality and the ability to get the ball,” Forgey said. “They have the agility and ability to get the football in the air on the other side.”

The three receivers will also work out of the tight end position, as well.

“(Whoever) is playing tight end will also split out and play wide out,” Forgey said.

The Warriors will have solid numbers for their 8-man squad. Arlee will have a total of 29 to 32 players on their active roster.

“I think we could end up with 28 or 29 kids,’ Forgery said. “We’ve started opening with 31 kids and now we are sitting at about 28 or 29 kids. Those are the numbers we are going to end up with.”

Arlee will have several skill players playing at the linebacker position. They will have Shick at linebacker and they will have several of their skilled players playing in the defensive backfield.

Mesteth, Crawford, Gardiner, and Whitesell will also make up the defensive secondary.

“When we play the first game there will be a lot of question marks and you just have to do your best, play your best stuff and coach them,” Forgey said. “We will make a lot of adjustments on the fly but it is the start of a new year. I am not sure how people are going to be doing. We just have to be prepared, coach them up and everything will be just fine.”

Last year, the Warriors finished with a record of 5-3 and narrowly missed the playoffs in 2016. In 2015, the Warriors finished second in the Class C, 8-man football. Arlee, just like every other school in Class C, B, A, and AA will be effected by the realingment and that has changed the competitive dynamics of the conference has changed. Last year, the Charlo VIkings were one of the dominant teams in their conference and this year there were several teams that were added to their conference.

One of the wildcard team in the Warriors confernece initally looked to be a big threat was the Hot Springs Savage Heat football team. Last season, the Savage Heat captured the Montana Class C, 6-man championship and in the 8-man division they looked to be a formidable opponent. However, because of logistical reasons, the Savage Heat dropped out at the last-minute sightning lack of players as the reason.

Hot Springs, who was initially one of the wildcard that looked to changed the competitive landscape of the conference is now out of contention this year. Currently, they are still voting on how they will make up the difference in regards to playoff and conference seedings now that their conference is currently a team shy. The other team the Warriors will have to contend with is a team they co-op with: the Mission Bulldogs.

Like Arlee, Mission boasts of a large number of participants. The Bulldogs, who are transitioning from Class B, 11-man to Class C, 8-man will enter their first season. The Warriors and Bulldogs look to hava rival since they co-op in softball together. This should create an intense rivarly in football between valley teams Charlo, Mission and the Warriors.