To say the Raider defense is in a rebuilding year is an understatement. Junior cornerback Michael Sandle is the only full-time starter returning for the Raiders from last season. “Some of the players from our current unit played other positions last year. In some other cases they started a couple of games on defense.” This lack of experience does not stop Sandle or the rest of the defensive unit from being confident.

If the turf at Bennett C. Russell Stadium in Navarre could talk, it would have be screaming, “Uncle” during the early morning hours of Aug. 9. Football players, from the tiniest Navarre Youth Sports Association (NYSA) athletes to high school seniors, ran, jumped and even mashed each other into the turf for more than seven hours as Raider Day became Midnight Madness. The event began with a 6 p.m. game between 5 and 6-year-olds and concluded at midnight with a scrimmage featuring the varsity, JV and freshmen teams.