The changes Powell High School’s football team underwent this summer failed to change one thing.

“We still plan on winning a state championship,” senior quarterback Carter Baxter said of his WyoPreps Preseason No. 1-ranked football team.

It’d be no surprise if Baxter’s teammates are on the same page with their new leader. Heading into the 2014 season, the Panthers own a 27-game winning streak along with three straight Class 3A state championships. No Wyoming high school has claimed four in a row.

Powell will attempt to make history with another gridiron title, but will need to do so with new personnel, a new coach and revamped offensive and defensive systems.

“Right now, we’re kind of at a serious building point. We’re getting a whole new offense ... a whole new scheme basically,” Baxter added. “We’re learning a lot of new terminology and we’re putting people in different spots that they haven’t been in in the past. We’re just doing a lot of building and coming together as a team.”

The building started at the top with interim head coach Chanler Buck.

Buck spent three seasons as a volunteer under the late Jim Stringer, who passed away suddenly in July. After taking the reins of the program just a month before practices began, Buck will be tasked to put the best 11 players on the field on both sides of the ball.

“Coming into camp, we didn’t know who our leaders would be,” Buck said last week. “But coming into day two, that kind of took care of itself, with primarily veteran kids stepping up, which is super ensuring.”

A healthy amount of leadership will be present on offense and defense for the Panthers this fall. Senior Riley Stringer, who stars on the offensive and defensive lines, will miss the first few weeks of the season with an ankle injury. But when he returns to action, Powell will feature at least seven senior starters on both sides of the ball.

Baxter is among those starters, but is in his first year as the full-time signal caller. He may have big shoes to fill after last year’s star quarterback, Hayden Cragoe, graduated. Baxter should be aided by talented wide receiver Kalei Smith however, who stands 6 feet 2 inches tall and had a knack for turning deep passes into touchdowns last year.

In the backfield, senior running back-fullback hybrid Ty Herd should help anchor the Panther running game. Herd came up big during Powell’s state-title run last season, and plans on more of the same this year.

“We’ve got a lot of guys that can run the ball, and a quarterback who can hit us on short passes,” Herd said. “We should be just fine.”

Coincidentally, when Baxter finishes leading the offense down the field, he’ll do the same with the defense, serving as Buck’s middle linebacker. As is the usual with smaller schools, several of the offensive starters will also see starting minutes on defense.

Smith and Herd will play safety, while Herd’s running mate, Austin Hanson will man one of the cornerback positions with fellow senior Ryan Ferro. Keep an eye on youngster Zach Easum, who, as a sophomore, has been given the nod from the Panther coaching staff to start at defensive end.

“We have a lot of talented kids on this roster,” Buck said. “We’re not as big physically as we’ve been in the past, but we have some depth and these younger kids can definitely play.”

Powell faced its first challenge in a week zero matchup against Custer County Friday.

The regular season opens with a road trip to Douglas High School this Friday. The game will be a rematch of sorts, as Powell downed Douglas 19-13 to win state in 2013.

The Panthers face off against Riverton at home in the third week, host Star Valley in week five, and Jackson Hole and Cody back-to-back to finish out their regular slate. All four teams were state playoff qualifiers a year ago.

“We know it’s not going to be easy,” Buck added. “Teams get better, and you have to give your all each week. It’s going to be fun to watch no matter what. But we believe in our kids, and they have a lot to play for this year.”