FREEPORT — On the surface, Freeport's cupboard seems bare.

In reality, it's just not as green as it used to be.

The Yellowjackets only have eight seniors on their roster and two starters returning on offense.

Gone are quarterback Garret Schaffhauser and his 1,376 yards passing and 552 yards rushing, Ricky Hunter and his 1,554 all-purpose yards, Brodey Woods and his 550 receiving yards.

“We lost a lot of productivity,” head coach John Gaillot allowed.

Freeport is coming off a 4-5 season, one plagued by injuries that resulted in a lot of younger players getting on the field.

“Those kids saw a lot of time and got kicked around quite a bit,” Gaillot said. “But they learned.”

And now they're playing.

Garrett King, a 6-foot-1 junior, takes over at quarterback. Ben Lane, a sophomore, saw playing time as a freshman a year ago and heads a promising group of running backs that include Parker Lucas, Vince Clark, Shane Jack and Andrew Sullivan.

“Garrett took the field for a few plays at quarterback as a freshman when Austin Romanchak got hurt,” Gaillot said. “We ran five running plays, but when we came off the field, I asked (then center) Garrett Ben if he had command of the huddle.

“Garrett smiled and said 'you're not gonna have to worry about that kid.'”

The coach added that King has already emerged as a leader on the field.

“If he sees somebody flinch on a play we run in practice, he makes us run the play again ... and the kids listen to him,” Gaillot said. “He definitely has their ear.

“Garrett can run and throw the ball. We've had a run of versatile quarterbacks and he's one them.”

King knows he has a largely inexperienced unit on the field with him — and doesn't care.

“I know how hard people are working and the skill-set we have,” the quarterback said. “I believe in these guys.”

Lane caught 11 passes for 142 yards his freshman year and had a handful of running plays.

“We're a young team,” Lane conceded. “But getting on the field with all those seniors last year helped me. I learned from those guys.

“We know we can win. We want to beat every team we play.”

Mario DeVivo and Brady Stivenson top the depth chart at receiver. Cole Charlton and Jackson Reiser figure into that equation as well. Both of them could also line up at tight end.

Joining returning linemen Logan Manke — moving from guard to center — and right guard Elijah Freeman are guard Logan Jendrejewski and tackle Dennis Daugherty.

“Our other linemen, we're not sure how that's going to shake out,” Gaillot said.

Defensively, the Yellowjackets play a 34. Three starting linebackers return in Reiser (inside), Charlton and Sullivan (outside).

King and Lucas are back at safety, Stivenson, Lane and Clark at cornerback.

“Some of those guys were part-time starters last year because of the injuries,” Gaillot said. “We're benefiting from that now. Our freshmen last year are like juniors now, our sophomores are like seniors now.”

Many of the Yellowjacket offensive linemen will play on the defensive front as well. Sebastian Sollinger will play noseguard with Jendrejewski seeing time there as well.

Lucas and Clark are vying for the place-kicking and punting duties.

“Both have very strong legs,” Gaillot said. “They're hitting from 50 to 55 yards in practice. They're booming the ball.”

With the possibility of only section champions making the playoffs this year, Freeport may be facing a major challenge.

“Our goal is still to go all the way,” Lane said.

“We all know each other,” King said. “This same group has been playing football together for a long time. We know what we're capable of.”