Chaffee establishes a running identity with a crew of carriers

Chaffee went 7-4 in 2017. Since then, the Red Devils have won a total of seven games.

Head coach Jack Altermatt took over a program that one only one game in three straight years in 2022 and went through the ringer to double that win total.

"My wife always says, 'Keep your expectations low and your gratitude high,'" Altermatt said. "But in this situation, my expectations are pretty high because we've worked so hard."

Through the first week of practice, marred by intense heat and humidity, Altermatt emphasized the meaning of football; a sport that teaches participants how to handle adversity and get through tough times.

The Red Devils are looking to spread their own brand of adversity towards the other team this season by running the ball with an assortment of rushers.

"I think our biggest thing last year was trying to figure out an identity," Altermatt said. "We're gonna run the ball. We're gonna try to generate offense that way."

Leading the way is senior Carson Spies, who rushed for 1,018 yards and 12 touchdowns last year, both lined up at tailback and under center at quarterback. He was also an all-state defensive back who helped the Red Devils' defense improve from giving up 49.3 points per game in 2021 to 35.5 last year.

“Spies does not come off the field,” Altermatt said.

Another rushing option is senior Levi McKinnie, who comes back from injury and has usually been the guy getting the handoff in practice when Spies is under center. He's also a key component of the Red Devils' special teams as their punter and kicker.

A running quarterback and featured running back are usually enough for most teams to operate a good ground game. But the Red Devils have three more rushers to work into the gameplan; Shelton Simmons, Logan Horton, and Carter Cossou, who added 346 yards and a touchdown as a fullback last year.

"Shelton's did a really good job in the offseason," Altermatt said. "He just has such a hard runner. Horton is pound for pound our strongest guy. I mean, if you go into our weight room, he's got one of those records on that board."

The series between Chaffee and Crystal City has been an odd one in recent years. Through the Red Devils' run of three one-win seasons, their only victory would come from Crystal City in the first week of the season.

Last year switched everything up when the Hornets broke their six-game losing streak on their way to an 8-3 season.

"I think last year was a wake-up call for us," Altermatt said.

Regardless of the result, the first game of the season is just a glimpse of what a Chaffee team with 16 seniors can potentially do this season.