(Peru, Neb.) – It has taken a little longer than normal, but keep your fingers crossed and there should be some Peru State football this coming weekend.
 
After having their first two games postponed due to isolations and quarantines due to the Covid-19, the Bobcats should be able to face Baker in Baldwin City, Kan., on Saturday, Sept. 26.
 
And here's a little bit about what to expect to see this season with the Peru State program.
 
There will be some new wrinkles in the Peru State football program for 2020.
 
Perhaps the biggest changes will be the coaching staff as well as a new offensive scheme.
 
Casey Creehan became the 25th head coach in the storied Bobcat football history. Creehan began work at Peru State just before the coronavirus pandemic hit early in the spring.
 
The 24 coaches prior to Creehan have a combined record of 536-472-48 in 118 years of play for a .517 winning percentage.
 
The Bobcats will look to replace 14 letter winners from the 2019 team, but do return 13 starters which includes nine on the offense and four on the defense. In addition, there are several players who saw regular playing time in 2019.

Here is a look at the 2020 Bobcat team:
 
Offense
 
The Bobcats return a good nucleus of offensive linemen and running backs to build the offense around.
 
There is a lot of competition at quarterback as several individuals are vying for the starting spot at this point. Those primarily in contention to fill the spot include Sohail Mohsini (6-0, 185, graduate student from Brentwood, Calif.), Joey Dominguez (6-3, 215, senior from Von Ormy, Texas) and Harry Kanu (6-0, 173, sophomore from Brandon, Fla.).
 
The position with the perhaps the most depth offensively for Peru State will be in the backfield. Leading the group of running backs will be Ki'Jana Owens (5-9, 186, senior from North Platte), Tajh Eaddy (5-10, 180, senior from Spencerport, N.Y.), Kyle Owens (5-10, 210, sophomore from Imogene, Iowa), and J'Lon Horton (5-10, 205, sophomore from Valrico, Fla.). Look for newcomer Marlon Warren (6-0, 220, senior from Vancleave, Miss.) to add depth to this position.
 
Last year, one of the largest group of individuals contending for playing time was at the wide receiver position. This is a position which has some returners, but did lose some potential returners. Those returning include Garry Fleming, Jr. (6-4, 208, junior from St. Petersburg, Fla.), Tim Jones (6-4, 179, junior from Brandon, Fla.), Garrison Dodge (5-10, 155, freshman from Oakland), and Omri Oliver (5-11, 160, sophomore from Refugio, Texas). Newcomers Orreon Finley (5-10, 150, sophomore Memphis, Tenn.) and Jeremy Kucera (5-6, 170, sophomore from Overland Park, Kan.) will push for time. Kucera could also see time in the backfield.
 
The top tight end at the present time is Isaiah Cornell (6-3, 230, junior from Mount Vernon, Mo.). Look for newcomers Ka'von Lofton (6-2, 245, sophomore from Lincoln) and Gage Stephens (6-1, 210, freshman from Council Bluffs, Iowa) to add athleticism to the position.
 
The offensive line boasts the most returning starters and back-ups on the offensive side of the ball. Returners vying for time include Mark Zepeda (6-1, 279, senior from Grand Island), Jackson Gilbert (5-11, 292, junior from Bellevue) – a Heart all-conference honoree, Dylan Dittman (6-1, 262, junior from Omaha), Mario Locke (5-11, 302, junior from Chickasaw, Ala.), and Joe Cervantes (6-2, 285, senior from Wilmington, Calif.). Newcomers Tristan Stroup (6-5, 240, from Lincoln) and Jake Hughes (6-1, 255, junior from Peculiar, Mo.), along with redshirt Wyatt Gray (6-1, 215, from Tarkio, Mo.), and returner Henry Farnan (6-1, 298, senior from Omaha), will look to get into the rotation.
 
Defense
 
The Peru State defense returns several starters, but will have to replace several multi-year players who earned Heart all-conference recognition. The defense is talented, but inexperience and depth are areas that are being addressed in the pre-season. Replacing key players who graduated at defensive end and corner back are of the utmost importance.
 
The defensive end spot has several players who returning with experience from 2019. They include Mike Lombardi (6-3, 205, sophomore from Peru), Parker Gutschow (6-3, 230, sophomore from Elkhorn), and Beau Peschel (6-0, 210, sophomore from Missouri Valley, Iowa). Newcomer Ethan Skarmas (6-0, 285, from Palm Desert, Calif./Lyon College) will bolster the DE position group.
 
A couple of Bobcats return for the interior of the defensive which includes Ben Sode (6-2, 244, junior from Clermont, Fla.) and Mike Mitchell (5-9, 258, junior from Brooklyn, N.Y.). Newcomers Nick Andrews (6-4, 320, from Ruston, La.) and Marcus Garza (5-11, 270, from Montgomery, Texas) will help bolster the interior and will be seeing plenty of playing time.
 
The line-backing corps will be headed by a bevy of returners which includes Heart all-conference honoree Travis Reed (6-2, 210, senior from Hickman). Others returning include Tristan Unruh (5-11, 171, senior from Auburn), Bradly Rose (5-8, 170, senior from Falls City), Bryan Rose (5-8, 180, senior from Falls City), and Nick Novak (6-0, 190, senior from Dawson). Look for transfers Clayton Thrasher (5-11, 210, junior from Mandeville, La.) and Theo Stamps (5-9, 190, grad student from Westwego, La.) to compete for a starting role.
 
The defensive back field is one that was hit the hardest due to graduation, but has a couple of returners who had playing time. They include Deiontay Dozier (5-9, 180, sophomore from Mesa, Ariz.), Luke Dalley (6-0, 200, sophomore from Shenandoah, Iowa), and Jalen Tate (6-1, 179, senior from Omaha). Newcomer Carlos Thomas (5-9, 175, junior from Gulfport, Miss.) will be fighting for a starting role.
 
Special Teams
 
The kicking game should be solid.
 
John Brady (5-8, 149, senior from Hickman) returns as the team's starting kicker for the past three seasons. Looking to push Brady is Gustavo Brochetto (6-0, 180, freshman from San Marcos) and Mack Boekhout (5-10, 185, freshman from Elkhorn).
 
The kickoff and punt returners' spots are up for grabs with several looking to be one of those filling at least one of the positions
 
Roster
 
The complete roster will be available at https://pscbobcats.com/sports/football/roster
 
Coaching Staff
 
Casey Creehan is entering his third year as a head coach at the collegiate level, but brings a wealth of coaching experience from all levels, including many years in the Canadian Football League. He went 11-10 in his two years at Lyon College (Ark.).

  Peru State Athletics

In addition to Creehan, Tanner McCormick will serve as the offensive coordinator while Will Fields is the defensive coordinator. Coaching assistants include long-time Bobcat coach Lou Varley and Eric Yates.

 
The coaching staff also includes four graduate assistants – Colton Audsley, Justin Barnes, Jacob Coughlin, and Jacob Wilson. Audsley, Barnes, and Coughlin were all multi-year starters and all-conference honorees during their Bobcat playing days.  Coach Wilson is a graduate of Lyon Colleg.
 
Heart 2020
 
The Bobcats will prepare for the cream of the crop in the NAIA as the Heart continues to prove they are a powerhouse conference. The conference finished with five teams in Top 25 with two of them in the Top 10. This year will be another challenging road with no easy wins away from home when traveling through Missouri, Iowa, and Kansas.
 
The 'Cats look to continue to improve their record as they enter their ninth year in the conference. During their first seven years in the Heart, Peru State finished: 2011: 2-8, 2012: 5-6, 2013: 7-4, 2014: 2-7, 2015: 7-4, 2016: 5-6, 2017: 7-4, 2018: 3-8, and 2019: 2-9.
 
The 2020 Heart Coaches' Preseason poll put the Bobcats in fifth in the North Division.
 
The Schedule
 
Another tough schedule awaits the Bobcats this fall. Several Heart teams will most likely end up in the NAIA's Top 25 poll when it is released with a couple of teams most likely to be among the top ten teams.
 
This season is a complete slate of Heart opponents and has been shortened to nine games due to the later start of the NAIA football season.
 
The Bobcats were to have played Benedictine (Kan.) and MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) to start the season, but those games were moved to Oct. 10 and Nov. 21 respectively due to the challenges with the coronavirus.
 
The complete schedule, along with the special events planned for each game, can be found at https://pscbobcats.com/sports/football/schedule
 
Synopsis
 
The Bobcats will have plenty of opportunities to prove themselves as every week is a tough test.  If this team can stay healthy during the season, they have the potential to contend highly in the Heart and gain national recognition in the NAIA. 
 
Media/Internet Coverage
 
All of the Bobcats will be broadcast live on News Channel Nebraska 1600 AM & 105.5 FM.
 
In addition, home games will be shown by Peru State's streaming provider. Most all road games will be streamed in some manner. The www.pscbobcats.com website will have links to games and stats when available.