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The Warriors will divide into two squads for the annual spring football game at 4 p.m. today at Maxwell Field at Alltel Stadium.
Nothing like a family affair to stoke position battles and the proverbial pecking order.
“One of our main goals this spring was to become more competitive in each drill,” WSU coach Tom Sawyer said, “and we’ve definitely seen a rise in competition.
“I’m really looking to see who’s going to play well and who’s going to step up.”
The culmination of a 14-practice, 29-day cram session, the spring game will be the last chance for players to make an impression and coaches to make live evaluations before practices resume next fall.
“There is merit to it,” Sawyer said. “We want to see how kids compete. Not only how they play, but also their leadership. How passionate are they about getting that job?”
WSU will divide into two teams, purple and white, and take the field for four 12-minute quarters. Each team will combine starters and non-starters alike, with the intention of seeing how some handle leadership roles and others pick up the slack.
The Warriors signed 27 high school players to national letters of intent and accepted five transfers for the 2008 season. The high school signees will be introduced at halftime. The transfers will display their spring progress between the sidelines.
“It’s kind of a new era for Warrior football and the whole athletic department,” Sawyer said. “With four new teams (the NSIC will expand from 10 to 14 teams next season) that raises the bar for everybody.”
WSU finished 10-2 last season and won its 18th Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference title, rolling through the conference season 9-0, before falling to North Dakota 44-2 in the opening round of the Division II playoffs.
In 12 seasons as head coach at WSU, Sawyer has guided the Warriors to six outright NSIC titles and two shares of the conference crown.
The Warriors open the season Aug. 30 at Michigan Tech. WSU will host Northern State the following weekend in its home opener Sept. 6.
