LYLE — As it prepares for the upcoming year, the Lyle/Pacelli football team will have two things it lacked last season — a home stadium and a three go-to running backs.

The Athletics return two of their top three rushers from last year in Riley Marsolek and Nate Williamson — but they will also get a familiar face back in junior Cody Meyer, who rejoined the team after sitting out his sophomore year.

Meyer will give the team a boost at running back, flanker and safety.

“Cody’s athletic and he’ll help us instantly,” L/P head coach Matt Buntje said. “He’s the best athlete in the two schools.”

The news off Meyer’s return was a good omen for L/P’s senior quarterback Matt Buntje, who started one game at helm last year.

“We’ve got Cody now along with Brady Stier and Michael Lonnergan, so we’ve got a few weapons,” he said. “Cody will help us ten fold at least.”

Matt Buntje said playing in a playoff game against Houston last season did a lot for his confidence and he feels good about this season.

Still, the Athletics will keep it on the ground a little more than they did in 2007.

“We’ve got to be able to run the ball,” Mark Buntje said. “We’re not gonna depend on the quarterback so much like we did last year with Sam (Stier). We’ll have to be more balanced this year. “

L/P, which went 3-6 overall last year, returns eight players who played significant time on that team, but it has just 26 players on the roster. In short, the Athletics must avoid injuries.

“We’ve got quality but we don’t have any depth,” Mark Buntje said. “We can’t afford to get anybody hurt.”

That depth will hit hardest on the line, as players will be forced to take both sides of the ball. Justin Hutchinson, who is one of three returning lineman for L/P, said that he may have to sneak any needed breaks while he’s on offense, since defense is a top priority.

“It’s a lot harder (without depth),” Hutchinson said. “We had a little more numbers on the line last year, so you have to be a little extra careful. The heat’s been hard on us for the first few weeks, but after that it’s a piece of cake.”

As for their what to expect, Mark Buntje named Houston and Mabel/Canton as the favorites in the Southern Confederacy East and he expects the Athletics to fight for third place with Grand Meadow, LeRoy/Ostrander, and Spring Grove.

This season will mark the first time a game is played in Lyle since 2005 (see below). The Athletics will play three games in their home field this season and they hope it gives them a boost as they host Houston on their homecoming Oct. 3 in Lyle.

“We’ll be fired up for Houston on homecoming and hopefully we’ll get a big upset right there,” said L/P’s Brady Stier, who led the team in receiving last season. “We plan on being over .500.”

L/P will open the season at Glenville/Emmons Thursday at 7 p.m. The Athletics will play Grand Meadow in Wescott Field Sept. 12 and they will play their first game in Lyle against Spring Grove Sept. 19.

A FIELD OF THEIR OWN

The last time the Athletics hosted a football game in Lyle, they beat Glenville/Emmons in a playoff game in October of 2005.

Now, three years later, they feel comfortable enough with the progress of their field to give it another try.

But the playing surface isn’t exactly in tip-top shape.

“It’s probably not even close to being ready this year, but we’ve been in worse and we’ll make do,” Athletics head coach Mark Buntje said. “It has been good to be practicing here instead of walking halfway through town.”

The Athletics — who played their home games in Adams the past two seasons — will play three games in Lyle this season, including a homecoming battle with Houston Oct. 3.

Athletics wide receiver Brady Stier hopes the move will bring back some pride to the team as he used to film games for the Athletics when they played in Lyle while he was in junior high.

“Then we went to Southland and it wasn’t as fun, but we still got to play football,” he said. “When we come back here it’ll be a big boost with motivation and everything will be on our side.”

L/P quarterback Matt Buntje said it’ll be nice to have a home and not always be on the road, even if it means playing on a rough surface.

“It would be nice to have a good field like Adams. But the grass is growing in pretty good now, so it’ll be nice to not have to take a bus and to actually have a home game,” he said.

L/P offensive and defensive lineman Justin Hutchinson said the field may provide an edge for the Athletics as they’ll be used to finding their footing in rough terrain.

“That’ll be a huge advantage I think,” he said.

Having a field close to home may also build up the Athletic fan base as fans won’t have to travel so far to see them.

“It can’t hurt us,” Mark Buntje said.

The field currently has no stands or goal posts. But they will be installed in a few weeks. The Athletics will play their first game in Lyle against Spring Grove Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.