The Thayer Bobcats enter the 2026 football season with a solid group of returning players after a 10-2 season that included an SCA Conference runner-up finish and a Class 1 District 3 championship.
The conference race came down to the final weeks of the regular season, according to head coach Briar Hancock.
"It came down to week nine against Mtn. Grove," he said.
Thayer lost eight seniors to graduation, and returns six for this season: Dominick Boyce, Trenton Johnston, Jragen Collins, Thomas Poole, Jasper Cypret and Wyatt Cone. Four freshmen are also on the roster.
The Bobcats will have experience in the backfield with Boyce and Poole there again after productive seasons a year ago. Hancock said he is also bringing back much of the group that helped Thayer rush for 4,000 yards last season.
"Thomas Poole in the backfield and Dominick Boyce both in the backfield for us again this year," Hancock said. "Both guys had a really, really good season last year for us in the backfield, so I hope they all pick up their production for us in the run game."
That running game will again be a major part of the Bobcats' offense, with Conner Crowder providing an experienced presence up front.
"Bringing back Conner Crowder, who was a first-team all-stater as a sophomore last year up front, that's a big deal for us," Hancock said. "We like to run the football behind him."
Jasper Cypret, Canyon Harper and Ty Young also return to the line after seeing significant playing time last season.
Thayer's district championship last season came against Marionville, a team Hancock said presented a significant challenge.
"We had a really good game against Marionville down here, who was a really, really tough opponent," he said. "They had some really, really good athletes, a lot of athletes that have seen big state games, so that was a big win for us and a big stepping stone for us."
With that experience returning, Hancock said the Bobcats are not looking beyond the work required to improve throughout the season. The focus will be on getting better in the weight room, at practice and individually, while approaching each game on its own.
"Our outlook is just to get a little bit better each day," said the coach. "Take week by week, and go out and try to win, each week go 1-0."
