POLSON - The Polson football team got geared up for their upcoming opening game against the defending state champions Frenchtown with a scrimmage last Saturday

"Offensively I was real pleased about how we were able to move the football," head coach Scott Wilson said. "Defensively, we got a ways to go."

Since the entire team is replacing 16 starters, Wilson said the reason the defense was lagging behind was probably youth and inexperience.

"Nine of those starters that we lost were on defense, including three all-state linebackers," Wilson said.

Wilson said they use their scrimmages to evaluate players on their team as coaches in order to get ready for the next game. This next game just so happens to be a very important one.

"It's going to be real key for us to get off to a positive start to the game," Wilson said. "If we can get out and get some success early then that will build confidence."

Wilson wants a good start to the season so that when the Pirates hit their conference schedule, they'll be at full sail.

"We want to get to a point where we hit our conference schedule and we're playing as good as we can," Wilson said. "The real thing happens when we get into conference play."

Namely an opportunity to play in the postseason. The team looks to have tremendous depth this year thanks to the 75 kids came out for football this fall, the most in recent memory.

"Most of the time we're in the low sixties," Wilson said.

The number of those that are upperclassman is 43, and a thick roster means that Wilson will have plenty of bodies to sub in and out during games, giving a chance for the young players to breathe.

The Pirates will open their season by traveling to play at 7 p.m. Friday in Frenchtown.