MATTAWA - Wahluke High School football coach Brycen Bye says all that his Warriors need to win in the South Central A Conference East this fall is an understanding of the hill they have to climb, and he believes they do.

"Our team has a chance to be successful this season because this group of young men has embraced the underdog role and understands that we will need to play hard every play and every game to be successful," Bye said.

Bye, who started last year with few experienced players, is excited about the number of veterans expected to be in fall camp when it opens tomorrow.

The Warriors return eight starters on offense and nine on defense. The team will able to count on 12 experienced seniors. Many of those seniors started last season and have good varsity experience.

That bodes well for this year, as does the schedule. Wahluke will play six of its nine games at home. It could also land a season-ending SCAC cross-over game.

The Warriors will have two non-league games to warm up, and the first five games will be at home. The beefy part of the schedule will come in the second half.