It is August 22nd, there was a very subtle crisp in the air around Fort Pierre early this morning after a rainstorm brought cooler air, almost signifying that football season is upon us. It is officially here, game day has arrived and bringing with it the prospect of a season filled with success for the Stanley County Buffaloes. A year ago in 2024, the Buffaloes were greeted by the injury bug much earlier than anyone had either hoped or anticipated, losing four starters in the first half of their first game of the year against Hill City. From that moment on the Buffaloes were fighting an uphill battle and would put together a 2-6 campaign. It was not what head coach Max Foth had in mind.
Fast forward to the week of the Buffaloes first game of the year, and Foth has a new set of expectations for what he wants to see out of his squad for the upcoming season. Foth has been thrilled to see the turnout of players who were constantly in the weight room over the summer, and were at nearly every practice on the schedule. Foth comes into the season with a different goal in mind, to develop a tough team. He was very candid when discussing what was missing from his team a year ago, they didn’t play with that chip on their shoulder that coaches yearn to see. However, he feels this team is ready to play with a different nastiness that was not present a year ago.
In week one last year, the Hill City Rangers came to Fort Pierre flaunting a no-huddle offense that made the Buffaloes head spin. The Rangers were running plays at break-neck speed and the Buffaloes were not ready for it. Stanley County would fall 48-6 taking the loss and dealing with a host of injuries to add salt to the wound, leaving a sour taste in the mouth of the Buffaloes. One major focus of this offseason was to establish themselves early in the year, and that starts with the Rangers tonight. The Buffaloes have brought back a core-group of leadership from last season with a highly-respected group of seniors, but has also seen a few underclassmen emerge in the leadership department as well. Foth promises a great effort from his team and also assures the Stanley County faithful that there will be no shortage of toughness out of his team this year either. The game will kick around 7:00 PM CT tonight and coverage will begin around 6:40 PM CT on KGFX, you can also watch tonight’s game live on DRGnews.com at the KGFX station page.
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