Season is looking up for Raiders

''Last year, I learned that you can have a positive experience without having the wins up there. And we did,'' insisted second-year Reynolds High head coach Roger Shoaff.

The Ô97 Raiders posted the school's third two-win season in the last four, but Shoaff felt the gains made by his first Reynolds squad were not necessarily measured in terms of victories. And he is counting on those intangible triumphs translating into addtional notches in the win column when assessing this season's final bottom line.

''We were an average football team with a very, very, very tough schedule,'' Shoaff said regarding last year's dearth of wins. ''We played a schedule that a lot of average football teams would've done as poorly. I felt bad for the kids Ôcause I didn't feel like we were ready as a program to play the kind of schedule that we had. I felt like if we'd had a more normal schedule, we'd have been an average team fitting right in the middle there and might've felt good about ourselves.

''But a lot of people that know the game saw that we were going in the right direction, even though we were 2-8 ...''

Quickly adding, Shoaff continued, ''We met a lot of the goals that we set (including) to play as a more competitive football team. We did that not as competitively as we wanted to be, but we started heading in the right direction.''

Shoaff said the program's numbers had dwindled to approximately 25 by the end of the Ô96 campaign, but almost doubled to 48 a year ago. The Raiders commenced camp this year with 61 hopefuls.

''So we've made steps in the right direction, and I think that's the biggest plus out of last year,'' Shoaff said. ''We sent the message that this program is going the right way, and the kids have responded and the people in this community have responded. We're headed in the right direction, and last year's team definitely helped us make that first step.''

Shoaff, a Reynolds assistant for four seasons, continued. ''We talk about continual improvement as being our goal, reaching our full potential and being better this week than last week. So the first thing we had to evaluate is, ÔAre we better going into camp than we were last year?' Are we stronger? Are we bigger? Are we faster? And the answer to that is, ÔYeah.'

'' ... So when I compare where we are right now, this year, with where we were at this time last year, we have taken a step -- a step; we're not there yet -- but a step in the right direction.''

Returning lettermen expected to lead the Raiders' offense include quarterback Jake Davis, who won the position during last season's latter stages; fullback Josh Hilko, tight end Adam Nichols and lineman Jon Hollobaugh. They, too, will spearhead the defense, along with inside-linebacker Wes Schell. Underclassmen and newcomers expected to make an immediate impact include two-way performer Lucas Fisher, 260-pound interior anchor Dan Palyo, inside-linebackers Nate Kimmy and Willie Allison, and defensive backs Steve Peters and Gary Oliver.

Philosophically, Shoaff said, ''We're trying to establish that base of what this football team is going to be, not only this year, but in the future -- the type of personality, attitude and approach to the game that is gonna be the Reynolds Raiders -- and we're trying to get that established right now with the very basic skills that are gonna get that done.

''This football team loves to play football,'' Shoaff said. ''It's been a long time since I've been around a bunch of guys who enjoy playing the game as much as this group. They absolutely love it. They love and respect the game. So our goal this year is to play perfect football. Our goal this year is to play fundamentally perfect football and not worry about what our opponents are doing and not worry about those things that we can't control. But, take that game we love and do it as well as we can and reach our full potential in that game, because of our respect for the game and our love for it.

''I am very optimistic about going into this football season as a decent football team,'' Shoaff said, admitting, ''I have no idea, right now, about those intangibles or those things we can't control: We don't know what the weather's going to be like when we play; we don't know what the other teams have right now -- I'm not interested in what Sharon has or what Hickory has -- so it's impossible for me to make a prediction of wins and losses.

''But I absolutely feel confident in making a prediction that Reynolds will raise the level of its play this year. And, given the right things happening and the blessings that these kids deserve, we're gonna be a competitive football team.''

Assisting Shoaff will be Lonnie Emerick, Mike Kilgore, Jerry Pacifico, Dick Rickert, Frank and Tim Scarvel and John Tortorea.