2021 Natrona County Football Preview
The Natrona County Mustangs went 5-5 a year ago with a first-round playoff loss to Thunder Basin so the squad would certainly like to atone for the 2020 campaign. Part of the improvement process is staying healthy and the other is taking care of the football.
This year's NC team isn't exactly senior-heavy so a lot of juniors and sophomores will make their way to the field. Depth has never been a problem with the Mustang program. They do have a senior quarterback in Tyler Hill who did see action in 4 games a year ago. He will be backed up by junior Wyatt Powell. Natrona traditionally has a strong running game so they'll be leaning on their offensive line. The development of the O-line will be critical this season.
On defense, they have a superb all-around athlete in Kaeden Wilcox who recorded 10 tackles last season with 6 interceptions. He is the defending 4A state wrestling champion at 152 pounds and is a pretty good baseball player too. The Mustangs historically have been solid on defense and they'll need to be that way this year to compete in a more balanced 4A classification.
Head Coach Steve Harshman has been Natrona's head coach since 1991 and had 7 state titles to his credit. In fact, the last time the Mustangs missed the playoffs was in Harshman's first year in '91 when they went 0-8. This team contends every year and will be a tough out for everybody on their schedule. NC opens the season on Friday with a very intriguing match-up against Cheyenne Central on the road on Friday. Opening night games are hard to gauge but this could be a very entertaining game.
We caught up with the Mustangs at their practice on Tuesday in Casper and talked with Steve Harshman and Kaeden Wilcox.
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