Two weeks before the start of the prep football season, hope permeates the air around the Dolores High School football field. A brand-new locker room, complete with professional-style lockers sits nearby the stadium, and each locker contains state-of-the-art helmets and shoulder pads.
On the field, players run through drills with laserlike focus as fifth-year head coach Chris Trusler shouts instructions. Muscles abound, thanks to a well-attended offseason lifting program, and senior quarterback Justin Purkat walks with a swagger.
While success is far from guaranteed, and confidence means nothing until it is backed by results, a new era appears to be dawning for football in Dolores.
“This year, we have a lot more leadership on the team,” explained Trusler. “We’re expecting to be fighting for a league championship.”
Purkat leads talented offenseWhile scoring points was sometimes a problem for the Bears last season, this season’s offense appears poised for big things.
Leading the Bears from under center will be senior signal caller Justin Purkat, who rushed for 515 yards and seven touchdowns last season and led the Southern Peaks League in passing with 1,208 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Joining Purkat in the backfield will be senior running back Austin Hackney and junior running back Forrest Peja, who have limited experience, but big-time athletic potential. Lining up at receiver will be senior Josh Corbitt, who missed half of last season with an injury, but appears ready to lead.
“I haven’t been much of a leader my first three years, but coach is really helping me become more vocal,” Corbitt said. “I just try to help everyone by picking their confidence up. I’m just trying to be what the team needs me to be.”
Although coaches and players were coy when asked about the type of offensive scheme that the team plans to run this year, Trusler said that he expects players to focus on the little things and play with an edge.
“Offense-wise, we are getting back to the fundamentals and we’ll be trying some new things out for this year,” Trusler said. “I think we’re going to be more competitive.”
Peja set to anchor defenseOn the defensive side of the ball, Dolores will be anchored by junior linebacker Forest Peja, who led the state with 165 tackles last season.
The latest in a long line of dominant middle linebackers that has included Ethen Upton and Kellen Gatzke, Peja emphasized that his team’s approach when playing defense will be a physical one.
“For our defense, it’s really fill and kill,” Peja said. “We have some really good starters, and we’ve just got to put in work.”
Shedding even more light on his team’s defense, Trusler explained that teaching proper technique has been stressed by the Bears coaching staff in hopes of avoiding the type of head injuries that have dominated national headlines as of late.
“Last year, we changed our tackling scheme to more of a rugby style system – the head out of the tackle,” the coach said. “The change significantly reduced concussions.”
Home games highlight scheduleScheduled to play nine games this season, Dolores will open on against Hotchkiss on Sept. 1 and look to avenge last season’s 40-8 loss to the Bulldogs.
The Bears will then play their home opener against Shiprock on Sept. 9, followed by a home contest against Dolores Huerta Prep on Sept. 15.
Asked about playing on his home field, Purkat emphasized that large crowds are a must before saying that the feeling that comes from playing in front of home fans is incomparable.
“There’s no feeling like it,” the senior quarterback said.
“It’s a sense of pride, and we want to keep that in this school. We put in a lot more work than people think, and we want to show it off.”