Surrey’s junior linebacker Marcus Hughes lines up for full-contact tackling drills during the first week of football camp. Adam Papin/MDN

The Surrey Mustangs football program has made the playoffs six consecutive years, including back-to-back trips to the state quarterfinals. Despite being hit hard by graduation this year’s squad is committed to keeping that streak alive.

“They’re really committed to wanting to keep that streak going,” said Surrey head coach Conner Hill. “We’ll be rebuilding a little bit. I think it was nine seniors we lost last year, so we only have two starters returning right now. And two others, on top of that, that really played much that year, so we’re young.”

Ethan Amundsen and Trevin Christiansen are the two seniors coming back. Amundsen will anchor the offensive and defensive line for the Mustangs, while Christiansen plays wide receiver and defensive back.

“Then, we’ve got two juniors, one starting at quarterback [Tegan Walhood] and one is going to be on the offensive and defensive lines [Joseph Ogden],” said Hill. “They’re going to be huge for us.”

Despite being limited in numbers, that leadership has created a close-knit group of players, according to Hill.

“I think the biggest strength we have is just how close we are as a team,” said Hill. “Our guys are super close, and they are really committed to wanting to keep the playoff streak going. They’ve just super committed all summer, all offseason.”

With only nine players on the field at a time, there are slight adjustments fans will see compared to an eleven-man squad. For example, the Mustangs will only use three or four offensive linemen. They will also spread out the offensive a bit more, with three to four wide receivers at a time.

Nonetheless, Hill expects a little more balanced attack between the pass and run compared to past seasons.

“It’s about 50% pass and 50% run,” said Hill. “I’m a big run guy. I played offensive line, so I’m just like any other offensive lineman who’d rather run block than pass block, but for the most part it’s about the split.”

On defense, the Mustangs will vary their looks. “We have three or four different fronts that we throw at teams, with three or four different linemen,” said Hill. “Sometimes, there may only be two linemen. It’s nine men, so you kind of throw whatever you got together, and it really depends on what the offense is throwing at us.”

TGU, Westhope-Newburg-Glenburn, and Divide County are some of the biggest games on the schedule for the Mustangs.

“I know a lot of people have said the TGU game is a big game,” said Hill. “They’ve always had our number, and I know last year we had theirs a little bit.”

Westhope and Divide County will both travel to Surrey with strong quarterbacks that make them favorites in the region.

“I think Westhope only lost a few seniors, and they already had a really good quarterback as a sophomore last year, and then Divide County, they’re going to be tough every year,” said Hill.

This will also mark the first time since 2020 that the Mustangs will play a full nine-game regular season schedule. Surrey kicked their season off with a road trip to Tioga on Aug. 18. They have a week two home matchup with Divide County on Friday, Aug. 25, at 5 p.m.