This time around, I think our kids are a little bit more mature, a little bit bigger and stronger. With the level of leadership we have, I expect us to be more relaxed.

The Hill City kids played hard and fought.

I thought it was good for our kids to come out with the intensity they showed. We got in the passing lanes, and obviously, our size was a factor. The kids want to play well in front of some of the former Gaels.

Obviously I was pleased with how the guys came out and played. It's one game at a time for us and the first one's done.

Colby never really did get his stroke going like he did last year. I told my assistant coaches that one of these nights he's going to go off. He picked a good time.

A lot of people have made light of it, but I thought we played a good schedule. Out here in the Black Hills Conference and Region 8, there are a lot of good coaches that we've had to face. They all had their teams playing hard.