Washington’s defending State Champion open the 2023 season hosting the young but talented Vian Wolverines.

Their top three offensive weapons are all sophomores but they are dandies.

“Their biggest playmaker is sophomore running back Masyn Wright,” head coach Brad Beller reports. “He’s 6-0 and 185 pounds and can fly. He’s one of the best athletes in Class 2A.”

Another sophomore is the Wolverine quarterback Riley Ellis.

“He has amazing power and can throw the ball well. He’s a big, strong physical quarterback,”Beller said.

“Vian’s other running back/wide receiver is Draigthon Fletcher. They are all about the same size six feet and 185 pounds,” Beller said. “They are all strong, fast and like to hit.”

Beller said Vian’s offensive line is big and physical.

“But where they make their money is on defense,” Beller confirmed. “They run a 3-4 but they are very multiple. They want to get penetration and then use their athletes to run to the football. They use their speed to get to the football.”

Beller said the key for the Warriors is to limit Vian’s big plays and take care of the football.

“Last year they had 200 yards on us in just four plays,” the coach recalled. “We’ve got to maintain our blocks and take care of the ball. That’s very crucial for us.”

Last Thursday’s scrimmage was eye-opening according to the head coach.

“It was one of the best scrimmages we’ve had at showing what we have and what we need to work on,” Beller said.

Washington faced a variety of different type of offenses and defenses.

“There were spread teams and power teams,” Beller said of the scrimmage. “Some were big up front and some were fast. It was a well-balanced scrimmage.”

The Warriors went up against Heritage Hall, Lawton Mac, Yukon, Southmoore and Tuttle.

“Defensively it was hard to tell who did well but I was proud of our offensive line more than any other group because they had so many different defensive fronts.

“I was pleased with how well they were able to adjust to all the fronts we saw,” he said.