T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE - The East Marshall football team has 15 returning letterwinners in hopes of making waves in Class A this season. Pictured (from left) are front row: Jordan Meling, Jaxson Boswell, Eli Burns, Austin Crandon, Blake Neuroth, Cody Weaver and Kaden Grant; back row: Lucas Bowie, Carter Pohle, Shaston Gummert, Christian Little, Kaden Good, Drew Guthrie, Wyatt Stalzer and Dorian Alcarez.

LE GRAND — The East Marshall football team is coming off its best season in seven years, but that 4-5 campaign hasn’t quelled the Mustangs’ long-starved quest for the playoffs.

East Marshall brings back 15 letterwinners from last year’s roster that won three games in a row to start the fall but not again until the Week 9 finale.

“We had a small group of seniors last year, but they were five quality kids that had been out since seventh grade,” said East Marshall head coach Greg Lee. “They’re tough to replace, but we have nine seinors out this year, they all have returning varsity experience, and we follow that up with seven juniors who have seen the varsity field a lot too.”

East Marshall last finished above .500 in 2017, going 5-4, but the Mustangs’ playoff drought dates back to 1992. They’ll lean on their depth and a talented cast of athletes who have been between the lines on Friday night as they drop down from Class 1A to join District 4 in Class A.

East Marshall is the only one of the seven teams in its new district that played above Class A last fall, but that provides no bonus points when the whistle blows.

“We feel like with all the kids we have coming back that we’re a little bit ahead of where we’ve been the last couple of years, just because of the numbers that have played varsity,” Lee said. “But until you strap the helmet on and things count, you don’t really know. But I’m excited. I would be disappointed if we didn’t get off on the right foot this year.”

The Mustangs open the new year with non-district games at home against BCLUW and at Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, two of those three season-opening wins from a year ago. Lee hopes the potential for another fast start delivers more than last year’s 0-5 mark in a daunting district, but it’s a learning curve for all the teams since redistricting.

East Marshall won’t have to face three-time state champion Grundy Center or playoff qualifier South Hardin this year, but the team won’t overlook its new competition either. Maquoketa Valley is Lee’s early favorite for the title of “team to beat” in Class A District 4 after the Wildcats went 9-2 overall, finished one game short of the UNI-Dome, and return a lot of varsity starters.

Wapsie Valley (7-3) and North Linn (6-3) were playoff teams as well a year ago.

“That would be the three that I think anyway,” Lee said. “We’d like to see ourselves in the mix. I guess we’ll find out.”

The Mustangs will have to do it with a relatively new backfield, as quarterback Jake Farrington and running backs Drew Wheater and Xavier Slifer graduated. A bulk of East Marshall’s receiving corps is back, bringing back 80 percent of last year’s receiving yards with seniors Blake Neuroth and Cody Weaver and juniors Eli Burns, Austin Crandon and Jaxson Boswell.

Weaver and Boswell will share the reps at quarterback this season. Weaver completed his only pass attempt last fall for a 10-yard touchdown to Crandon, but the Mustangs expect to use a two-headed quarterback at least at the start of the year.

“I think it’s going to be more of a feel thing,” Lee said. “Coach (Scott) Wheater is in charge of the offense and I think we’re trying to be more open-minded about it and give them both a chance. We don’t really know how it’s going to play out.

“One’s a little faster than the other one, one’s got a little more experience in sports than the other one, but right now we’re just going to use them both and I think if we’re in a groove, we’ll just go with that person. But our intention is to rotate them some and see how it goes. They’re both real athletic kids and smart kids, so we feel like they’re kind of interchangeable.”

Senior Jordan Meling will return to the backfield with a bigger role this year, while senior Kaden Good and sophomores Kaden Grant and Gavin Gaschler will contribute to the skill positions as well.

In addition to a considerable number of receivers coming back, East Marshall will be experienced up front. Wyatt Stalzer, Dorian Alcaraz and Christian Little return to the offensive line, while juniors Drew Guthrie and Shaston Gummert both gained experience last year. Braxton Fisher and Landon Miller will both contribute to the Mustangs’ depth up front.

“Knock on wood, but I feel like our offensive line — we only lost one kid and we feel like we’re probably as good there as we’ve been in several years,” Lee said.

Stalzer also anchors the defensive line after leading the team in tackles (82.5), sacks (1) and tackles for loss (18.5) last fall.

The Mustangs have a lot of returning experience in the defensive backfield but will shuffle the lineup to suit their needs. Lucas Bowie is the top returning tackler at linebacker after making 39 stops a year ago.