Bruins prepare for year two with Matt Perkins at the helm

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Rock Bridge Bruins are in their second week of summer practices as they get set to enter their second year under head coach Matt Perkins.

In year one with Perkins at the helm, the Bruins went 9-3 on the season falling just short of a district title. Perkins said in year two physicality is one of the biggest things he wants his group to improve on.

"I've already seen some really good things from our defense on that, so pretty excited," Perkins said. "You start playing with a lot more confidence whenever you're physical and that's the big thing is the most physical team typically wins and so that's what we're trying to be."

Watch the full interview with Coach Perkins in the player below.

At the end of year one, Perkins said he walked away thinking about how his team responded to being loved and cherished by the coaching staff. From four wins in 2021 to nine in 2022, the Bruins only want to improve from there. Perkins said a big part of this offseason is working to replace the leadership that last year's senior class brought.

"They just had so many kids that, 'Yes, sir. No, sir' look you in the eye and show up every day," Perkins said. "Replacing leadership is probably number one, I think we have a really talented roster right now. How well we can respond to the negative that's going to come out throughout the season is really big you know, so far so good."

Perkins credited a lot of player of defense for stepping up into bigger leadership roles throughout the offseason. He also said that standout quarterback Sam Kaiser and backup Brady Davidson have shown growth with the new addition of offensive coordinator Alex Harrell.

"He has been just a breath of fresh air," Perkins said. "I think those guys have really taken to him and he does so much with those guys outside of just being here in terms of integrity and character. I think there's a real good connection and so that bond between them is going to be something that I think is going to really impact Sam, really impact Brady and which is going to ultimately impact our team."

Rock Bridge is set to kick off the season at home on Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. against Park Hill South.