CATAWISSA, Pa. — After winning a 7th straight state title, the Tigers are back to business.
Southern Columbia Head Coach Jim Roth says they have an uphill battle this season, with a tough schedule and replacing the starters they lost on offense and defense. However, the Tigers are not to be counted out when its the next man up mentality in a winning program.
"We feel we have a lot of good young players, but it's just going to be critical in terms of how well we work here in the preseason and just how well these guys are able to adapt to starting roles," said Roth.
"The depth looks good, especially on defense and our O line. We have a lot of good ball carriers and they have been getting varsity snaps their whole career," said Joey Yancoskie.
Year after year, Southern Columbia is expected to come out somewhere on top and are going for their eighth straight state title this year. The Tigers are feeling the pressure.
"It's a lot of pressure because you just don't want to be that team to lose it," Yancoskie said.
"We're used to it because we grew up like that. All the older kids we're used to seeing them win a state title. So we are brought up to win a state title," said Jude Bremigen.
8 isn't the only magic number for the Tigers this season. They're also chasing win number 500 for Coach Roth and hope to check that box early.
"We definitely want to get it bad. I think his 500th win is a big part of the season, but we also want to get that state championship," said Dominic Fetterolf.
"It doesn't mean a whole lot to me, but it means a lot to me that that milestone is being reached because it just means that our program has done so well over the years," Roth said.
Chasing major milestones this season... Super 16 Team #10.. the Southern Columbia Tigers.