With just 17 players on the roster, the Hayden football team might lack depth, but the Tigers have a strong core of dedicated players hungry for another playoff berth. 

Getting their first test of the 2024 season, Hayden traveled southwest to play Norwood on the road Friday night and fell 12-8 in a defensive battle. 

Coach Matt Linsacum said the Tigers played hard-nosed football, but the team struggled with ball security and holding calls, something he believes is fixable down the stretch. 

“For us, we had too many mental mistakes,” Linsacum said. “We expected errors in the beginning of the game — those came at inopportune times for us. The kids were having good drives, and then we’d have a snap go over our head or a dropped ball or something simple. It just seemed to happen at bad times.” 

With a healthy mix of players from the four starting seniors to a rotation of juniors and sophomores and a handful of freshmen who play on the special teams unit, Linsacum is excited for the season ahead and the future of the program. 

He said the expectations for this team are clear. 

“Our goal is always to make the playoffs,” Linsacum said. “It is going to be tough to make it out of our league, but that is always our goal and our focus. Mainly, right now it is one game at a time. We focus on what is in front of us and go from there.”

The Tigers play in a division that includes Vail Christian, West Grand, Rangely and their South Routt rivals, Soroco. This year, the division is also adding Lake County, which Linsacum described as a wild card because he has no idea what to expect from them. 

Now 0-1 on the season, Hayden will look to get to a .500 record with its week two matchup against Sargent on Friday night in Monte Vista.

Tigers fans will have to be patient for the first home game of the year, which won’t come until week three when Hayden hosts Dayspring Christian Academy on Sept. 14.