SAINT MARY-OF-THE-WOODS, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — The SMWC Sprint Football Team hit the practice field Tuesday afternoon for their first practice of fall camp.

The Pomeroys are the defending champs in the Midwest Sprint Football League and will open up the season in the middle of September.

Head Coach Blaine Powell enters his second season fresh off a championship.

“Definitely helped to win last year and we were able to get a really good recruiting class,” says Powell.

“We have 45 new players and we are excited about seeing them on the field. I feel good about the talent we have. We just have to bring them together as a team like we did last year.”

Defensive back Austin Petrillo who hails from Parke Heritage can already see the potential in this year’s squad.

“We have goals set for the season so in order to reach those goals we are going to have to break through a couple of barriers,” says Petrillo.

“It feels good to be out with the team. We know what they did last year and we don’t want to get caught up on that. We want to continue that into this year.”

The Pomeroys home opener is set for September 30 at Jay Barrett Field in West Terre Haute.