FAIRBURY - Matt Edson is the new head coach for Fairbury, but he doesn’t feel new. He’s been offensive coordinator for the last seven years. Even before that, Fairbury has always been home.

"One of my dreams was to lead the Jeffs," he said. "I'm an alum here, I've put my time and effort here being the offensive coordinator for the last seven years, and now I get the opportunity to lead these tremendous kids out on the field on Friday nights."

Edson inherits a team with ample playing experience. The Jeffs return their starting quarterback, all running backs, all receivers, and the top nine tacklers from a season ago. All but two offensive tackles have returned.

"We all have some experience now," senior and second-year starting quarterback Devin Wanamaker said. "We all have good playing time, so we'll be ready to rock on Friday nights."

Edson said he expects Wanamaker to have a "breakout year" this season. Having dealt with some throwing hand injuries last year, Wanamaker still managed to throw for 559 yards and six touchdowns, while completing 47.2% of his passes.

The Jeffs started 0-for-3 in 2018, but finished 3-3 down the stretch, including wins over Sandy Creek and Fillmore Central to end the year. It seems that momentum has carried over into 2019.

"We needed to build for this year," Edson said. "That's what our goal was last year. Those two wins are going to help propel us to a good start this year."

Fairbury has been to the playoffs seven times as a program, including three appearances since 2010. But, they’re one of just 17 active football programs in the state to have never won a postseason game.

Senior linebacker and running back Seth Firmanik, who led the team last year with 102 tackles, said this senior class is determined to change that.

"That was our number one goal coming into our senior meeting," he said. "We're really determined to get that first playoff win for Fairbury."

Wanamaker said it's everyone's first goal to get a postseason win, and not just the seniors. However, Wanamaker is also thinking about the bragging rights.

"We'd all like to get it, and then we can all say that we were the best team ever at Fairbury."

The Jeffs open their season at Auburn on Aug. 30. The Jeffs will face a total of six teams (including Beloit, KS) that made the playoffs last year.

You can follow Tommy on Twitter @Tommy_NCN.