AMES, Iowa — Last season, the Ames High School football team made the playoffs for the first time since 2014. This year, they're looking to raise that bar even higher.
Head coach Brian Sauser said that process started in the offseason.
"You know, had a really good year last year, just moving in the right direction," Sauser said. "We got a lot of kids back. We lost some really good kids. But we played a lot of young kids last year and they paid a hefty price this offseason, 140, 150 workouts in the bank. And that's all well and good. But now we're ready to get start with the season."
The Little Cyclones finished with a 6-3 regular season record and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the eventual Class 5A state champion Southeast Polk.
Junior linebacker Jackson Winkey said the goal isn't just to get back to the playoffs, but to make it further than they did last year.
"We're really hoping to do some damage this year, for sure make the playoffs and make it further than last year," said Winkey. "We put a lot of work in an offseason, the whole entire team and we're here for the long run this year."
Sauser said the team is adjusting to a new offensive approach this season. Last season, the Litte Cyclones had a pass heavy offense that was led by quarterback Dallas Sauser, who ranked 2nd in the state for passing yards and that state's top receiver Jalen Lueth. Both have since graduated, leaving some big shoes to fill.
"We knew last year, we threw the ball like crazy," said Sauser. "We had some kids that were very good at that. So, we knew this year would probably be very different. Our focus was on just, you know, some new schemes for the most part. We knew we had to get bigger and stronger because we need to probably be more a little more of a run heavy team this year. And I mean, what schedule we play and who we compete against, like, you gotta be able to run the football and stop the run. So, you know, the kids are kind of bought into that little different mindset."
Ames will kick off its season on the road against Waukee on Friday, Aug. 25 at 7 p.m.