Bluejays energized as season starts this week

The Three Lakes-Phelps varsity football team looked to be running on all cylinders last Friday as they scrimmaged Athens and Newman Catholic in Wausau. The offense looked particularly sharp as the combination of quarterback Sam Koshuta and wide receiver Owen Liebscher teamed up for several long passes and multiple touchdown opportunities for the team.

While WIAA rules specifically prohibit keeping a formal score or statistics in scrimmage games, the Koshuta-Liebscher combination accounted for several touchdowns, including the last play of the afternoon when Liebscher caught a 40-yard pass to end the event with excitement for the large contingent of local fans who made the trip to support the Bluejays.

Scrimmage games are different than regular games, with each team getting a set number of offensive snaps, with coaches allowed on the playing field to allow for a close-up evaluation of player assignments, and both offensive and defensive schemes. In the case of the Bluejays, Head Coach Pat George, along with assistant coaches Rich Martin and Scott LeBuis, introduced several new plays and nearly every player seemed to have an offensive opportunity.

While Liebscher and Koshuta accounted for most of the scoring on this day, teammates Jack Westfall, Zach Weavers, Peter Cruckson and Garrett Mandli played major roles, with Mandli also scoring a touchdown. Defensively, the Jays allowed some opponent scoring, but the scrimmage gives the coaching staff areas to focus on during practice this week as the season is set to start this Friday.

With a new head coach, refreshed field conditions at Three Lakes High School, and a large squad of returning letter winners, the new season outlook at this point is bright for the Bluejays. The schedule kicks off this Friday, August 21, at 7:00 p.m. in Three Lakes against the Bobcats of Florence High School. With the recent change in conference assignments, Florence is now a non-conference opponent with a long history between the teams. The Jays beat the Bobcats 23-6 last season in their only matchup.