When the Fayette Falcons take the field for their first game of the season on August 25, they will have a new head coach and first-time starters at nearly every key position. Former Rock Bridge Offensive Coordinator Kole Hinton was announced in April as Fayette’s new head coach. He takes over the reins from Mike Thompson, who left Fayette after posting a record of 29-16 over the previous four years.

Fayette lost the majority of its starters from last year’s 6-5 team. The Falcons graduated nine seniors, including three-year starting quarterback Ben Wells, All-State wide receiver Chase Allen-Jackman, and most of the offensive and defensive lines.

The 2023 Falcons will be a young team, with just three seniors and six juniors suiting up in the Black and Gold. But despite their youth and inexperience, Coach Hinton said he doesn’t expect there to a drop-off from last year’s senior-laden team. “We’re going to win ball games. And if we lose, let it be because of inexperience, not because we weren’t going in and bashing heads.”

Hinton said his team is already ahead of other teams going into fall practices because more than two dozen of his 34 players put in the work over summer workouts and camps.

“We consistently had two-thirds of our team out, which is good,” Hinton said.

Last year Hinton served as the offensive coordinator for 9-3 Rock Bridge in Columbia. That team ran a spread “wing raid” style offense he will adapt for the Falcons this year.

Hinton expects Kaleb Friebe to anchor the offense at quarterback. The junior saw a few varsity snaps last year under center.

“It’s still sort of an open competition,” Hinton said. “Kaleb Friebe is the guy who’s been taking the majority of the reps.”

Freshman Ledgyr Conrow is also fighting for playing time. “He’s not far behind (Friebe) talent-wise, but he’s young. He’ll get some snaps.”

Sophomore Carter Vroman will be one of two starting running backs for the Falcons. Last season, he rushed for 600 yards as a freshman. 

Junior Micah Estes will also start in the offensive backfield.

“Those are our one-two combo as far as our run game,” Hinton said. “We have Carter and he’s such a phenomenal athlete that he deserves to touch the ball all of the time. But you’re not going to win by giving one guy the ball the entire time. So, having Micah is really good for a change of pace so you can’t key in one or the other. And we have them on different sides of the field. It helps out with our scheme.”

Sophomore Payton Oeth will likely take over a starting role as wide receiver. He sat out last year’s season to concentrate on baseball, but his height and athleticism will certainly benefit the Falcons’ passing game this fall.

“He’s kind of come in to his own. He’s super raw,” Hinton said.

Elsewhere, junior Thomas Elliott, and sophomore Caleb Craig will be downfield passing targets. 

Hinton said that the team’s offensive line is coming along. “We’ve got some really talented dudes. For us, it’s now trying to figure out who are the best five and where are they the best. We have all of the puzzle pieces; we just don’t know what the picture is going to look like.”

Colton Nation, Carson Dodson, Jacob Wood, Noah Tecumseh, Ben Dale, Corbin Tucker, Austin Kunze, Aven Bange, and Bryce Callahan are all vying for starting spots on the offensive line.

While those linemen aren’t the biggest to front a Falcon offense in recent years, Hinton says they make up for that size with scrappiness and tenacity. “We have a lot of scrappy dudes. For our offense, we need guards who can get out and pull. We don’t need a whole lot of size, but we need a lot of tenacity.”

With fall practices just starting on August 7, there are still several questions that will be answered before heading into Friday night’s preseason jamboree. Still unknown is who will be snapping the ball. Hinton said that the starting role is up for grabs between Karson Dodson and Jacob Wood.

Defensively, Hinton said his team has a plethora of talent. His coaching staff is still figuring out who will man those starting positions. “I think we have a pretty decent front eight,” he said.

As with most small schools, starters often play both ways. Vroman, Friebe, and Oeth will be major factors on defense. D’Andre Kioh, Elliott, Allen Schnieders, and Conrow are expected to contribute in the backfield as well.

Hinton said that because players will be on both sides of the ball, he expects to struggle with longevity and depth. “Your best 11 on offense are usually your best 11 on defense. There’s not a lot of swapping.”

Hinton and his coaches will get the first look at their team on Friday. Fayette will take on conference rivals Harrisburg and Salisbury, along with North Callaway, in the preseason jamboree hosted by Central Methodist University. From there, the Falcons will have a week to tune up before the official start of the season at home against Carrollton on August 25. 

Fayette has won the last four matchups against the Trojans, winning last year’s opener 14-6 on the road. But since then, both teams have hired new head coaches. So just how either team looks in that opening game is anyone’s guess.

Coach Hinton has high expectations for his first campaign as a head coach. “We have the ability to at best be a 7-2 team. We very much are capable and talented enough for doing that. To us it’s about how quickly their going to buy in and trust the process.”

Friday’s Jamboree kicks off at 7 p.m. at CMU’s Davis Field.