The 2020 Burlington Grayhounds football team, is looking to put last years 1-8 record to bed and have a fresh start in a new district this year.

“We’ve got a lot of things that we’re doing is new, we’ve got some good things we’ve been doing in the past we’ve kept, and we’re just trying to fit the new peaces into that, we’ve got some good returning kids.”

the Grayhounds will compete in District 3A this season, but will still see some familiar faces.

“Now we’re down a class in to 3A, where I’m hoping that most of our opponents will be simular to us. We do have a couple of 4A schools we’re still playing Ottumwa and Davenport North”

Even tho the Grayhounds are use to playing bigger schools, they can’t overlook anyone in Class 3A.

“We’ve got to make sure our guys aren’t changing the way we think about the football games, 4A football, we’ve got to play them just as hard as we played 4A football, and those 3A guys will play us just has hard as they can so we’ve got to do the same thing.”

“We feel as if we can really really compete and get after it with the best of guys in 3A program.”

The Grayhounds know if their going to have the kind of success they want this season, then they’re going to have to rely on the big guys up front, who avg 280 pounds across the board to get the job done so the guys in the backfield can score points.

“The games are won and lost in the trenches, that’s where we’ve got to be even tougher than everyone else on that team, we’ve just got to be able to put our heads down and go.”

“I mean we’re pinning our ears back and just play old school football and get after people.”

When the season starts the Grayhounds will be ready to make a push for a deep playoff run, but with everything going on with covid-19 none of the players or coaches will take a game for granted.

“Each down is a gift I like to think, you never know if it could get taken away, today, tomorrow. Nobody’s really sure on what the future holds, we just got it, everydays a gift for us right now.”

Burlington will take on Ottumwa for the first game of the season.