Ogden football hosts Woodward Academy in season opener

When the Bulldog football team went 1-8 last year, Coach Jacob Burger described it as a ‘humbling experience.’ Burger, entering his fourth season at Ogden says he had never been through a season like that.

This year though, he feels they have a chance to win a lot more football games. Just what difference is he seeing in the team?

Confidence mainly. “They are seeing more confidence in themselves,” says Burger. “Last year we didn’t have a go-to player to count on. Now we have a couple of players filling that role.” 

He’s seen an increase in weight room attendance during the off season. The seniors he says did a nice job of pushing each other. “This is a group of natural leaders who are able to get younger players to follow.” Burger has been stressing team unity and cohesiveness. Good teams, he tells them, bond together when things get tough - learn to come together as a unit when under pressure. 

Burger talks about wide receiver being the deepest position this year, a position where he thinks they could go eight deep. “We have a good group of senior receivers in Cole Gunderson, Noah Snedden, Jonah Tews, Grant Palmer and Taylon Engleen.” That leaves a lot of targets for Sam Christensen, who was thrown into the quarterback mix last year as a freshman, and is this season’s projected starter behind center.  The coach feels good about his running backs as well: Aaron McCutcheon, Chad Mohr, Charlie Lake and Jacob Kathman. Dane Christner is expected to give some speed at corner.

Read more in the Aug. 23 issue of The Ogden Reporter

PHOTO ID: 2017 OGDEN BULLDOG FOOTBALL: Front row, left to right: Cole Gunderson, Jonah Tews, Parker Stoneburner, Aaron McCutcheon, Scott Simpson, Chad Mohr, Jayden Fisher-Gould, Jack Clayton, Hunter Swanson-Arthur. Second row: Dane Christner, Charlie Lake, Wesley Clausen, Noah Snedden, Grant Palmer, Sam Christensen, Lucas Elsner, Carter Church. Third row: Griffin Diggs, Wyatt Schellenberg, Dylan Millang, Noah Kallem, Dawson Swanson-Arthur, Ethan Haberer, Blake Haub, Carston Mayse. Fourth row: Dominic Degeneffe, Denver Hoskins, Sam Arnold, Ethan Snedden, Jacob Kathman, Kolbe Sundell, Simon Lewiston, Manager Mason Will. Fifth row: Bryant Dutcher, Keaton Anderson, Tyler Tolan, Justus Rude, Austin Patten, Hayden Cook, Xander Soder.  Not pictured: Taylon Engleen, Niko Aradilla, Cody Erwin-Miller, Louis Higgins, Cooper Carson, Kolby Moorman, Chris Kassisse, Hayden Cook.       -Photo by T.R. Photography