Outlook: Arenac Eastern squeezed three wins out of a freshman-loaded squad in 2008, giving coach Mark Machulis the feeling that the Eagles' program is headed in the right direction.

This year's squad is again very young, with that now-sophomore class accounting for eight of the 14 roster spots. But with 26 total players in the program, AE this year is fielding a JV squad and isn't being forced to count on its freshmen at the varsity level.

"We had some success last year, but we also got beat up by a couple of teams.

"We went 3-5 last year, so we're hoping that experience will help us to get those three more wins. We already have one of those (after accepting a forfeit from Posen when the Vikings decided to play 8-man football this year), so our 'magic number' is five."

The Eagles may be young, but the roster is nearly unchanged from a year ago.

Graham Morgan gives the Eagles a huge edge in experience at quarterback, as most of the league graduated last season's signalcallers. Morgan is a fourth-year starter who would rather run over would-be tacklers than around them.

"He's definitely one of our leaders," Machulis says. "The kids really rally around him. Having that experience with such a young team is really valuable."

Senior lineman Al Bilacic, tight end John Chmura and running back Caleb Whitney also return. They also add senior JR Ellsworth at center after Ellsworth didn't play last season. Lineman Willy Nelson is the squad's lone junior.

Defensively, Machulis says he's building around the linebacking corps of Bilacic, Morgan and sophomore Buford Jones.

"They're a real good combination," he says. "Whitney does a good job at free safety, and (defensive back) Kyle Zobel has a real nose for the ball."

After getting some victories under their belts in 2008, the Eagles are setting their sights a bit higher this time around.

"We're going to take it one game at a time, but we hope to make a run in the NSL," Machulis says. "Last year the goal was to survive and stay healthy and win a few if we could.

"Now that we know the system, have the reps and the timing down, the bar is set a bit higher."