By RANDY GONZALES

rgonzales@dailynews.net

Last year, the Hays High School football team won its first seven games, but lost its last two and didn't make the playoffs.

While it's important to get off to a good start, second-year Indian coach Ryan Cornelsen is looking at the big picture.

"We want to win, we want to play well," Cornelsen said of Friday's season opener against Chapman, "but it's a long season.

"In Kansas, you're looking at the last three (games). And we dropped the ball the last three. That's our goal this year, to get as good as we can be the last three," he added.

Hays High will play host to Chapman in a 7 p.m. kickoff at Lewis Field Stadium. While HHS was going 7-2 last season, Chapman finished 1-8.

Cornelsen said his starters were injury-free for the opener, But Chapman coach Jeff Schwinn will be without two key players on the line. Senior guard and defensive tackle Thomas Turlow and senior line offensive tackle and defensive tackle Matt Spurlock are both injured, Thomas is out for the season and Spurlock will be sidelined at least the first two weeks.

"That's what comes with the ball game," Schwinn said of the injuries, "adverse things you deal with."

But it hurts losing two starters up front.

"Those two seniors have about three years' playing experience," Schwinn said.

The Fighting Irish do return senior quarterback Chad Williams in their spread offense. Last year, Williams threw for 1,100 yards and accounted for 10 touchdowns.

"It's his third year into it," Schwinn said of his QB in the spread offense. "His reads are going to be a little quicker, get the ball off.

"His development over the last three years has been good," he added.

Cornelsen said Chapman showed some option in its scrimmage, but expects the Fighting Irish to throw the ball, too.

"I'm guessing with their quarterback as good as he is, they're going to spread the ball, and let him fire the ball down the field," Cornelsen said.

While Chapman has an experienced QB, Hays High will go with a first-year starter under center in junior Austin Unrein.

"Austin's doing a great job of picking up what we want, now starting to execute what we want," Cornelsen said. "We're real pleased with his progress. ... You're going to make mistakes, that's part of the game. Just go compete."

Schwinn wants his team to compete hard, and expects nothing less from Hays High.

"We're just going to have to play sound football and match their intensity in every phase of the game," Schwinn said.

Cornelsen wants his team -- not the biggest around -- to attack, attack, attack.

"When you're undersized, you're going to have to attack every play," Cornelsen said. "... If we can do that, size doesn't matter."