Pictured from left to right are Trojan senior captains Josey Farmwald, Jayden Mosier and Cole Creighbaum. (Photos by Nick Goralczyk)

BOURBON – The Few. The Proud. The Trojans.

If you have been itching for some football, then Triton High School may have the fix you need. There you will find the start of a new chapter in Trojan football. A new era with new life for players and for the program as a whole. Writing this chapter is new head coach John Johns, a fiery and motivational leader that is hoping to put Triton back on the map for good.

The task will not be easy of course. The Trojans are coming off of a 1-9 2012 campaign and have not posted a winning record since 2008. That long of a down slide will hurt any program’s numbers and Trojan football is no exception. The silver lining on having a small roster is knowing that the players that do come out are more than willing to work hard and fully committed to the team. While any coach wants to have a large team, Johns seems fine with quality over quantity this season.

“The one thing I have noticed here is that we have good athletes. We have good skill position people, we are a little light up front but every player has the same thing in common, they work hard. That’s all I can really ask for from a football perspective,” stated Johns.

John Johns enters his first year as the head coach at Triton.

“When you sit back and look at your team, I think the one thing that you always want is kids who show up and practice hard, and so far we’ve been doing that,” Johns added.

A few of those players that have undoubtedly been showing up and putting in the time are team captains Cole Creighbaum, Josey Farmwald and Jayden Mosier. After interviewing them as a group, it was clear to see that the three seniors had a great chemistry between them, which is an important trait to have in the senior class. Personable, respectable and funny, there is nothing to not like about this group of Triton leaders. Though they may take themselves to be comedians in an interview, make no mistake that they are all business on the gridiron.

“Our team is pretty good, we are going to be a lot stronger and faster this season. We have improved a lot,” stated Farmwald.

The Trojans are not just increasing their physical fortitude but their mental fortitude as well according to Mosier, “One thing I really think we will improve on is being mentally tougher. The coaches have done a good job keeping us focused and it has helped.

The mental preparedness can go a long way on the field of play, but just how far can the Trojans go in 2013?

“Our team goal is to win sectionals,” stated Creighbaum, who was quickly echoed by both Mosier and Farmwald.

Junior Justin Heffner (middle) will help to anchor the line on both sides of the ball for the Trojans.

“There have only been two sectional championships in school history and we want to add to them as well as have a winning season,” Creighbaum added. The lone sectional titles for Triton were claimed by Rodney Younis’ 2007 and 2008 squads.

One key to improving this season and ultimately reaching any goals will be faith, according to Johns.

“The mentality the coaches and I have attacked this team with is faith. It’s not necessarily faith in God, though I am a faithful man myself, but a faith in your own ability. Its a faith in your friends and teammates and in your coaches and what they are trying to teach you,” Johns said.

“The first thing you have to do with a young team is to make them believe. Once you believe, you are able to go out and work a little harder. If you don’t have faith in something or have a trust of belief in it, then you are not going to work very hard. You have to have a foundation of guys believing and right now I think these guys are buying in,” Johns would later add.

Faithful Trojan fans can get an early look at this year’s team this Friday when Triton travels to North Manchester for a scrimmage against Manchester High School starting at 6 p.m.

The 50th season of Triton football officially kicks off Friday, August 23, when the Trojans host Caston for a 7 p.m. season opener in Bourbon.