Preseason Blitz: Collinsville Cardinals

NewsOn6.com

TULSA, Oklahoma – There's always a learning curve for a team moving up a class, and sometimes that learning curve has to last more than a year.

But if the Collinsville Cardinals have any say in it, they want to prove that theory wrong.

Collinsville moved up from 4A to 5A to begin 2010, and hopes its team will be better adjusted to the speed and size to begin this season.

The Cardinals face one other obstacle: their relative youth.

Wide receiver Shane Goossen said the roster is pretty young overall, but the players have done a good job of coming together.

"You've really got to push the younger kids, and I really feel like our team is really stepping up with the younger kids," he said. "I feel really confident in them and I can actually trust them."

News On 6's Keith Leventhal was at Collinsville's practice on Wednesday as the Cardinals prepared for their season opener Sept. 2 against Mannford.