High School FB Preview: Rocori Spartans [VIDEO]

A youthful Rocori Spartan football team finished 2018 with a 2-8 record. However, the Spartans did pick up a playoff victory at Fergus Falls on October 23^rd before falling 14-0 at rival Detroit Lakes in a tightly contested game.

Among the eight losses in 2018 were a three-point loss at Apollo in week-two, a five point loss at home to Becker in week three and an eight-point setback against Big Lake in week six.

“Last year, we just didn’t finish games,” senior linebacker Brock Humbert said. “We got off to a rough start to the year, and I think this year we gotta finish games and keep going through the fourth quarter.”

Not only did the Spartans have a first-year head coach in James Herberg, they also had a youthful roster that was taking its lumps. Coach Herberg thinks the experience Rocori will bring to the field in 2019 will be a key to their turnaround.

“It was a growing year, we played a lot of young guys,” Herberg said. “With that being said, these guys are now juniors and seniors and from that perspective we are bringing back a lot of experience.”

“We have a lot of guys coming back from last year,” senior wide receiver Andrew Anderson said. “We have a strong bond (with coach Herberg).”

Senior quarterback Jack Steil says the upperclassmen will have to step up as leaders this season.

“I’ve been through the process from 9^th through 12^th (grade),” Steil said. “This year I gotta show the younger kids what it means to play hard and physical football like Rocori does.”