By DOMINIC BISOGNO dominic . bisogno @ apgecm . com

Breck football is looking to continue a culture shift around the program , one that aims for victories on and off the field .

The Mustangs were not senior-heavy last season , but the team did lose some key roles in the Class of 2024 , including quarterback . The next senior class will have shoes to fill and are expected to receive support from standouts in the younger classes .

Breck will see changes on and off the field , with factors like starting families and retirement , which have led members of the coaching staff to leave on amicable terms .

Head coach Marcus Harris feels the group has a path forward through a number of new seniors as well as an exciting group coming out of the Breck junior varsity football team , which may see multiple players called to varsity action .

“ We have two guys competing at the quarterback position and we ’ re going to give them both a chance until one of them shines through ,” Harris said . “ We have a lot of guys coming back with some experience but they ’ re going to have to play bigger roles this season . We ’ re not very deep and our line will need to get its stuff together to carry us forward . ... We also have a young group , a big ninthgrade class , really for the first

( PHOTOS BY DOMINIC BISOGNO )

A Mustangs football player receives a pass during a receiving drill during a practice last week at the Breck School .

time . That ’ s exciting in the long term .”

Harris is in his third year as head coach for Breck but has been with the program far longer on staff . He is also the head coach of the girls basketball team at Breck . After two years of further cementing his head coaching role , he has placed attention on growing the program in a longer-term sense .

Harris added that the size of the underclassmen group is positive , but the excitement is not simply down to numbers . Rather , the group includes several promising individuals that he looks forward

to working with .

“ It ’ s not really about the numbers themselves but the people in those numbers . One of the school ’ s best youth teams had 20 kids , but if you have the right kids show up , we ’ ll be alright .”

Breck finished last season with a 4-6 record and a difficult 41-0 sections loss to Minneapolis North , but the Mustangs also had good results and close losses in 2023 and will look to make last season a source for lessons learned .

The perception of football at Breck is part of the puzzle for Harris , who wants to teach his players to appreciate

the presence football has in their lives .

“ We want the kids to learn that they get to go to football . They get to play football . It is an opportunity . We also want to work on our urgency ,” he said . “ If we can get this group to believe and protect each other , I think that helps us start to get over a . 500 hump or hit certain benchmarks .”

Harris also explained that the program is looking to make more progress on developing players over time , instead of relying shorter-term players who only play varsity their senior year , to help the Mustangs create a stronger pipeline for seasons to come .

“ I need a guy who ’ s in 10th grade , then a junior , then a senior so you can build them up . The past two seasons we ’ ve had one-year quarterbacks . That ’ s hard to build on . ... We really want to work on getting guys into the program earlier . That ’ s what will get us to the next step . ... [ Regarding results ] The key has to be beating the teams you ’ re supposed to beat . Then surprise a team . Then we need to compete with teams we don ’ t think we can compete with . Each step of that process is important .”

While Breck has hills to climb , the Mustangs will bring talent , togetherness , and determination to the 2024 season . With the program showing signs of long-term growth , 2024 could prove to be an important year in the history of Breck football .

Head Coach

Marcus Harris Third Season

Last Year ’ s Record : 4-6

Key Returning Players

Benjie Sullivan ( Class of 2025 , QB ) Jaylen Gebeck ( Class of 2025 , DT ) Alex Grant ( Class of 2025 , OL )

Schedule

Aug . 23 : at St . Antony Village . 7 p . m .

Sept . 6 : at Minneapolis South . 6 p . m . Sept . 13 : vs . St . Agnes . 7 p . m . Sept . 20 : at Concordia Academy , 7 p . m . Sept . 27 : vs . St . Croix Lutheran , 7 p . m . Oct . 4 : at Spectrum . 7 p . m . Oct . 10 : vs . Kasson-Mantorville , 7 p . m . Oct . 16 : at Watertown-Mayor . 7 p . m .