By Jack Hart
The Argenta-Oreana Bombers enter the 2026 football season with a new head coach, a tight-knit roster and plenty of motivation to take the next step.
TJ Schroeder takes over as head coach after spending the previous two seasons on the Argenta-Oreana coaching staff. With familiarity already established throughout the program, Schroeder said the transition into the head coaching role has been smooth.
“I’ve been in the building for two years,” Schroeder said. “I coached offensive defensive line here before I took the head coaching role.”
That familiarity has allowed Schroeder and the Bombers to hit the ground running during the offseason.
The Bombers have worked extensively on strength and conditioning, with Schroeder seeing noticeable improvements from his players. Argenta-Oreana enters the season with approximately 28 players, making preparation and player endurance especially important.
“We’re a little bit smaller numbers-wise than we have been in the past,” Schroeder said. “But we got a good core of guys that we’re really excited about to go and compete.”
Senior Alex Jones believes the Bombers are capable of making a strong push despite their limited numbers.
“We’re expecting to come out on top,” Jones said. “The lack of numbers really put us at a down low, but we’re looking to come out on top this year and give it our all.”
Jones will also play an important leadership role for the Bombers. As a senior, he understands that his actions can have an impact on the younger players throughout the program.
“The guys look up to me, so whatever I do reflects on them,” Jones said. “I’m just looking to come out here 100%, everything, energy, anything I can bring to them to help them out.”
The Bombers have embraced their smaller roster by making practices as competitive and game-like as possible. Instead of relying on traditional 11-on-11 work, the team has incorporated 7-on-7 and 9-on-9 situations.
Schroeder said safety and preparation have been major priorities while working around the team’s numbers.
“We try to implement it, like, here and there, but at the end of the day, also, we try to be safe at the same time,” Schroeder said.
Senior Zander Leon believes the smaller roster has actually helped bring the team closer together.
“We have a great group out there,” Leon said. “We’re, I think, the most close we’ve ever been in these past four years I’ve been in the program.”
Leon pointed to the team’s strong summer participation in the weight room, along with team events and daily practices, as major reasons for the chemistry.
With everyone knowing one another and spending so much time together, Leon believes the Bombers have developed the kind of bond needed to make a run.
“I think we’re going to be the group that makes it over the hump this year,” Leon said.
Schroeder has also emphasized the importance of taking the season one day at a time. Rather than looking too far ahead, the Bombers are focusing on improving their habits and preparation each week.
“Just go 1-on-0, just get better every day,” Schroeder said.
That mentality has become a theme throughout the program.
For junior Brycen Cameron, the offseason work has been something different compared to previous years. Cameron said he has seen younger players begin to step into leadership roles and take more responsibility within the program.
“The family’s starting to grow,” Cameron said. “We got a bunch of young kids.”
Cameron also understands the challenges that come with having a young roster. Many of the underclassmen are still adjusting to varsity football, but he believes they are making progress every day.
“They’re slowly but surely adjusting to it,” Cameron said. “They’re just going to have to mature. They’re just going to have to get used to high school football. And I believe in them.”
Cameron is also focused on helping the Bombers reach the playoffs.
Argenta-Oreana finished 2-7 last season, but Cameron believes the record does not tell the entire story. Five of the team’s losses came by one score, leaving the Bombers motivated to correct the small mistakes that cost them last season.
“I just want to capitalize on those errors from last season,” Cameron said.
The Bombers will get an early opportunity to test themselves against Sullivan, a matchup that has already become a major point of emphasis for the team.
Jones said Sullivan is a game he has been preparing for mentally and physically, especially after last year’s result.
“That’s our first game, and they gave us a time last year,” Jones said. “So I’m looking to come out on top this year.”
For Schroeder, the key heading into the opener has been repetition.
“We’ve been doing a lot of repetition, just trying to burn it into their brains,” Schroeder said.
The goal is to have the Bombers operating like a “well-oiled machine” when they take the field.
The coaching staff has also used film to identify mistakes, make corrections and immediately apply those lessons at practice.
“We’ve been really proud of them in that aspect,” Schroeder said. “Taking film from practice, evaluating it, and then literally making changes the next day.”
While the ultimate goal is to make the playoffs, Schroeder isn’t allowing the team to get caught looking too far ahead.
“We’re focusing on Sullivan, and then after that, we’re going to focus on Nokomis right after that,” Schroeder said.
For Argenta-Oreana, the formula is simple: improve every day, stay healthy, play together and take each game as it comes.
With experienced seniors providing leadership, younger players stepping into larger roles and a new head coach bringing familiarity and a fresh approach, the Bombers believe they have what it takes to turn last year’s close losses into this year’s victories.
And as the 2026 season gets underway, Argenta-Oreana is ready to see just how far this tight-knit group can go.
