Coach pleased with practice; Panthers open season in Utah

RANGELY — Twenty-eight Rangely High School football players have been practicing for more than two weeks and are ready to open the season this Friday in Utah.
“I’ve been pretty impressed with practice,” head coach Mark Jansen said. “The team looks sharp and our passing game looks good but we have some conditioning to do.”
The Panthers scrimmaged against the 3A Cedaredge Bruins last Saturday and will practice some more in preparation of Friday’s game against the Altamont Longhorns.
“They got the better of us by a little bit,” Jansen said in summation of the scrimmage with the Bruins. “We made some mental mistakes that ended drives, so we have some things to work on.
Six seniors; Kanden Brady, Hyrum Byers, Blake Mecham, Michael Morton, Nathan Pearce and Ron Urie, will lead the Panthers this season. Urie is new to the program this year.
“We have a great group of kids and our goal is to be competitive,” Jansen said. “If we can stay healthy, we should be in the games.”
Jeff Paben and Mike Cushman will assist Jansen with the coaching duties again this year.
The Panthers’ first home game will be against Coal Ridge Sept. 12.