NTL FOOTBALL: EXECUTION, RESPECT IS NEW SAYRE COACH'S FOCUS DURING PRESEASON (9 PHOTOS) (August 17, 2026)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportSAYRE — After a week of heat acclimation, first-year Sayre coach Guy Kapichok started his team off hitting with paydirt in sight here Monday morning.
"We did goal line today for the first hitting, and that was nice," he said. "We got through our goal-line package, and got a little rust off the shoulder pads.
"We're pretty much installed, and just ready to to hit," Kapichok added.
Kapichok has his sights set of growing his program's numbers, but he's ready to go this season with the numbers a little less than desired.
"We are at 23 right now, and we're actually getting a little healthier as we go," he said. "We had a couple injuries over the summer workouts, and those guys are working their way back in and a couple new guys just came in, so that's been nice."
Kapichok took the Sayre job over the winter, so he had a chance to work with his team all summer.
"We had a really good summer," he said. "We've worked out all summer ... we knew we were going to be thin numbers-wise, so our 16 or 17 guys who are ready for varsity time are ready to go.
"It's just our scout team is thin, so we have to improvise," noted Kapichok. "I'm the king of half-line drills.
"We mix it up, get good on good as much as we can," added Kapichok. "I'm sure I'm not the only coach saying that."
Aside from getting in shape, Kapichok said getting the playbook down is the focus of the preseason.
"We're working on install," he said. "We're not running a play that we can't execute.
"So, execution has been our thing and respect," noted Kapichok. "We want to have respect for ourselves, have respect for our teammates, and then earn the respect of the league. So our big focus has been respect.
"We want to come out early and have our opponent's say, 'hey, Sayre is for real,'" added Kapichok. "Because that hasn't happened in the past few years."
Sayre will scrimmage at Montrose Saturday.
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IN PHOTO 1: Sayre coach Guy Kapichok. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
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