Not having a senior class from which to draw experience is not going to stop the newly formed varsity Starr's Mill High School Football team, said Starr's Mill Head Coach Mike Earwood.

"We want to be competitive," he said, describing his men as "good, solid players."

Although the team is aware they will be competing with wizened teams, Earwood is not worried. Their 9-1 junior varsity record will buoy their spirits this first year, he said.

"They know what it feels like to win," the coach said.

"At some point you just have to jump in," he said. "What we've told them is, 'Let's think about the things we can do. We can control how we play.' We have to take the focus off the scoreboard and put it on the quality of performance. Our focus is on Starr's Mill, not on the competition. It's on maximizing what we have."

This is a second year of firsts for Starr's Mill. Earwood is starting his initial football season in the region with 80 football team members who have never played on a varsity team, the coach said.

The team boasts several standout members such as quarterback Brad McLaren, fullbacks Craig Maddock and Arlando Hinton, halfback LaDon Cooper, starting wideout Curtis Sebastian, and linemen Stephen Behringer and Mike Phillips, Earwood said. The team's defense shines with defensive end Clint Barbour, linebacker Akil Chhbra, defensive backs Reuben Houston, Drew Cofty and team captain Matt Deffenbaugh.

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