Fall Sports Preview

Elkhart Elks

Head Coach: Sam Wells

2016 Record: 5-5

District: 9-3A DI

Returning starters: Johnathan Simmons, Joe Benton, Jordan Mims, Trent Huff, Jayden Kurtz, Nate Bell, Brannon Bedre, Ryan Lindsay

Offense: Multiple

Defense: Based on 4-3

Dates Circled on Schedule: “We look forward to playing everybody,” Wells said. “There are some teams that are really good and we like the challenge. In the preseason, we have a good schedule. We open up with Shelbyville. They’ve been pretty good lately, even though they dropped off some. In the preseason, our nemesis has been Leon. That’s a big game for us. We get them at home this year and the last three years, we haven’t played very well. Troup will be pretty good as well.”

Outlook: “We’re pretty excited. This is my sixth year here and we have more speed this year than we‘ve had in the past, by far. Our offensive and defensive linemen are bigger than they’ve been in the past. We’re just not very deep up front. We are excited about the pieces we have,” the coach said.

Keys to Success: “Offensively – being consistent. Sometimes we haven’t been real consistent and we need to stay balanced between running and throwing. Defensively – we just need to continue to get better and I feel like we can be pretty good.”

Concerns: Depth and inexperience