CONKLIN, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – The football preseason continues, and we go to Susquehanna Valley.

The Sabers are looking to accomplish more of their goals this season after an early exit from the playoffs in 2022.

After a 5-3 season in 2022 that saw the Susquehanna Valley Sabers reach the playoffs but lose in the first round, the team enters the new season looking for more.

Beyond just that individual playoff loss, the Sabers did not quite reach their goals last season, something the team is looking to change in 2023.

“I don’t know if that one game mattered,” Head Coach Mike Ford said. “I think we had some expectations that were a little under achieving last year and it’s given them some desire to come back and make amends for last year.”

Turn the page to this season, the Sabers have been hard at work throughout the offseason trying to make that change, whether it be on the field or in the gym.

“We’ve all been in the weight room all summer,” Senior Running Back and Linebacker Quintin Bowman said. “So, we’ve built that chemistry, we’ve been preparing, working on our plays.”

All of the time spent together leading up to the start of the preseason has brought the players closer together.

That chemistry is something Susquehanna Valley hopes will help when the season begins.

“I would say we’re pretty in sync,” Senior Running Back and Linebacker Ian Harder said. “We’ve been working with each other since last winter, this whole offseason, feel pretty good.”

In order to reach their goals this year, the Sabers will need to perform well throughout the entire season, because as Ford knows, every win and every loss plays a big role in how the season will end.

“Every single game is important,” Ford said. “You never know which game is gonna factor into the playoffs scenarios, so they know that every week they gotta bring it.”

A group that hopes to play at their best every week, the Susquehanna Valley Sabers enter 2023 looking for success.