RANGELY I “It’s way too early to tell, but everyone has bought in,” Rangely head football coach Paul Fortunato said during his first night of practice on Monday.
“Everyone attended our summer camp and workouts this summer,” he said.
Coach Fortunato said more than 20 players are currently on the roster and they will be led by seniors Kiki Ruiz, Jimmy Sherman, Jesse Powell, Kaulan Brady, Nakoma Bailey and Jesse Rogers.
“We graduated nine from last year’s team, but the kids we return have all played a lot,” Coach Fortunato said. “We are going to be young; we have a lot of freshman out (11), so we’ll have a bit of a learning curve.”
Former Panthers Travis Witherell, Ryan Torsell, Keenan LeBleu and Layne Mecham, along with Meeker graduate Nick Gianinetti, will assist Fortunato with the coaching duties this season.
“Layne was a great leader for us and he is going to school here at CNCC, so I’m excited he is going to help us out,” Coach Fortunato said.
The Panthers will open the season in Del Norte against the Tigers on Aug. 29, also known as “Zero Week.”
