The Valley Center Hornets are coming off a historic 2016 when they won nine games and eventually fell in the Class 5A playoffs to Great Bend. This fall they hope to defend it.

Nineteen seniors lead the club and they will once again have their hands full in the AVCTL II, a league head coach Caleb Smith says has no "gimme" games.   

"I don't think motivating is hard except for when you lose a game or two and then how we respond to adversity is going to be the main thing for us and that's one of those things you learn playing the game of football is how do you respond to adversity and last year's team it didn't happen until later in the year, but we got our butts kicked by Goddard and came back and made a playoff run and so they knew how to respond and this team will need to learn how to as well," Smith said.

Their goal this year is to go on yet another playoff run and they Smith says they understand they will have to fight for anything they get this year. Senior quarterback Wyatt Lange has his key to pick up wins in league play. 

"It takes a pretty good running game because a lot of these teams have pretty strong defenses and we like to pass and make it look pretty but really it's what happens between the lines," Lange said.

Valley Center kicks off their season against Salina South on Sept. 1 at 7 p.m.