Soroco head coach Casey Hill compares the start of football season to the beginning of a horse race. 

The horses are all lined up and ready, just waiting for the gates to drop. The anticipation for the run is how the Soroco football team feels ahead of its season opener when the Rams host Belleview Christian at 7 p.m. Friday.

Hill said the energy is high for the eight-man football team, which currently has 12 players on its roster. With just three seniors and no juniors, the Rams are a young group made up mostly of sophomores but that does not mean the expectations are low. 

“The goal for this season is we are going to be 100% competitive,” Hill said. “We are going to be a team that goes 100%, 100% of the time. We are going to get better and we are going to be better. That looks different in a lot of areas.” 

The Rams had the first test of the season in a scrimmage in South Park last weekend. Hill was optimistic after what he saw from the team and believes the boys are ready for the season ahead. 

“Offensively, we simplified things, and we are not accepting negative plays,” Hill said. “We ran 80 plays, and we had a total of probably 65 positive plays for yards. Defensively, it is a new alignment, and we are getting familiar with having that live contact. We are about a week away from being there.”

The Rams finished last season with a 1-8 record and were 0-5 in league play. One of those non-conference losses came to the hands of Belleview Christian in a 28-8 loss in Week 1 on the road. 

This season, Soroco will host four home games in the eight-game season. The team will close out the year hosting Lake County and Plateau Valley on Oct. 25 and Nov. 1, respectively. The rivalry game against Hayden will take place at Hayden High School on Oct. 18. 

Hill describes the Rams as a “gritty team in South Routt” and expects a competitive battle between Soroco and the visiting Bruins on Friday night while they seek redemption from last year. 

“I know that our guys are hungry and really we’ve got nothing to lose this year,” Hill said. “We have an opportunity to surprise some people.”