SHINER ST. PAUL

Cardinals eye depth development

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It goes without saying that the goal is always to win. Sports aren’t complicated. Winner is the one with more points. But when it comes to non-district games, the final points on the scoreboard aren’t as important as the progression of the athletes on the field.

Last year, Shiner St. Paul lost all of their non-district games, but then went on to win the state championship. Though not ideal, the Cardinals look at this game as the first step toward getting back into playoff contention.

“You want to win games, but I think a lot of the early part of the season you want to win while trying to develop the team, not just your starters but try to find some depth, grow your team,” St. Paul head coach Jake Wachsmuth said. “That happens week by week. If you’re fortunate enough to win and do that at the same time, that’s what you like. If you’re winning and not developing your whole team, that’ll catch up on you. But if you lose and working on depth, like you saw last year, it can actually work out in the end. We’d like to do both.”

That first test of development comes against a Yorktown team that likes their big plays on offense and stacks the box on defense.

Offensively, Wachsmuth noted that the Wildcats run a spread, and the Cardinals will need to limit their big-play ability.

Kickoff on Friday is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

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