Brad Palmers teams have trended in the right direction since he took over as head coach in 2014, and hes confident the progress will continue in his fourth year at Waterloo.

After having to play so many underclassmen in 2014 and 2015, the 2016 seasons team finally had enough experience to compete in the region. The result was winning as many games in 2016 as in the previous four seasons combined.

The biggest thing is that were finally able to mature more, said Palmer. Its just hard for ninth-graders and tenth-graders to play against eleventh- and twelfth-graders. And we still only had five seniors last year, so we have the majority of our players coming back.

The Cougars will have seven seniors on this years roster, which is about the average for Class 1A Region 8.

With experience across the board on several key contributors returning, dont be surprised if Waterloo makes it to the postseason this fall for the first time since 1992.

We feel good about what we have coming back and what we can do, said Palmer. Theres a little more excitement around.

Last year the Cougars averaged 28 points per game, which was a 17.4-point per game increase from the prior season. The spread offense will be in good hands once again as two-year starter Bryce Palmer returns at the quarterback position.

He can throw the ball well and also run it, too, Brad Palmer said. Hes a multi-dimensional player that makes it easier for us to game plan.

When Bryce Palmer isnt making plays with his arms and legs, he can hand the ball off to senior running back Trevor Darby.

(Darby) is a tough runner with decent speed, Brad Palmer said. Hes not afraid of contact and will drag two or three people down with him.

Bryce Palmer will also have plenty of throwing options when he drops back to pass with Coleman Caddell, Christian Irons, Andrew Hinton and Hayden Hester lining up at wide receiver.

We have a good veteran group coming back, said Caddell.

The Cougars will return four of the five starting offensive linemen from last season, with several freshmen getting an opportunity to push for playing time.

Last season Waterloo gave up 31 points per game, which doesnt sound flattering, but it was a 13-point improvement from the previous year.

The Cougars hope to cut another two touchdowns off the opponents scoreboard again this season.

Our team speed on that side of the ball is a lot better than what it was two years ago, Brad Palmer said. I think we have the players to improve on last years defense. We just need to pay attention to the details.

Waterloo will roll out several players on the four-man front, including Darby, Hester, Cole Payne, Brayden Montgomery and John England.

The Cougars run a 4-2-5 formation on defense, with two safeties playing closer to the line of scrimmage like outside linebackers, which allows the defense to adapt to different schemes.

Brad Palmer admits that some of the starting positions at linebacker are still up in the air but to expect Cole Payne, Mason Cole and Hester to contribute.

Ball-hawking safety Bryce Palmer will lead the secondary once again this season. The other defensive backs will include several of the offensive skill guys such as Irons and Hinton.

We have some smart kids that dont mind the contact, Brad Palmer said.

The special teams will have a different look this year as Waterloo wont have German exchange student Luca Lentwojts leg to rely on.

Hinton is expected to takeover kicking duties as well as be the teams punter.

Our (field goal) range is definitely going to be shorter, Brad Palmer said. It will change our philosophy on offense, but luckily we have an offense that should be able to move the ball. Kickoffs will change, too, because we wont be able to kick it to the five or goal line.

View original post here:

Waterloo looks to continue recent progress - Times Daily