FAIRMONT — Mat Mahoney enters his 11th season at the Fairmont football helm with his eyes on the prize that has eluded his Cardinals during the last two fall campaigns — a sectional championship and a Class AAA state bid.

“I think we’ll be right there in the mix for the section title,” said Mahoney, whose lineup looks to improve on a 7-3 overall record and a second consecutive defeat at the hands of Jackson County Central in the Section 3 finals. “Obviously, we (coaching staff and players) are not counting JCC out by any means, but we’ve got a number of players who have had a taste of what it’s like to play for the right to go to state, and hopefully, we can take the next step this season.”

Ironically, if Mahoney earns his third state appearance — a Class AAA runner-up showing in 2011 and a quarterfinal loss to Rochester Lourdes in 2013 — the Fairmont alum will accomplish the feat by implementing a brand of football not normally associated with the program’s rich roots.

“We’re not big size-wise upfront on offense, so we’re opting to switch to the shotgun (formation) and go with a no-huddle approach,” said Mahoney, who has compiled a 67-37 overall record during his impressive 10-year head coaching span. “Traditionally, our fans are used to seeing us with a quarterback under center, a hard-nosed fullback and big blockers playing old-fashioned smash-mouth football.

“Our personnel doesn’t fit that style of football, so we’re going to use what our coaching staff thinks will work successfully for us.”

Senior guard Collin Steuber, one of five Cardinal co-captains this fall, will be the only offensive lineman to return to his starting position in the trenches from a year ago, but Mahoney and new offensive coordinator Brian Wille are working on making the proper adjustments for Thursday’s 7 p.m. season-opener against rival Blue Earth Area at Mahoney Field.

Senior Camren Saxton will fill the right tackle spot next to Steuber, while 6-foot-4, 215-pound senior co-captain Conner Tordsen will handle the snapping duties at center.

Junior Riley Chaffee will flank Tordsen at left guard, while junior Eli Redenius will handle the blocking duties at left tackle.

Sophomore Sedrick Parker, 6-4, 320-pound senior Justin Byrne and junior Dom Ortiz — a part-time starter in 2016 — will rotate into the offensive line mix.

“That’s one of the aspects we haven’t had for a while and that’s depth not only in our offensive line, but across the board,” said Mahoney. “That depth has created really good competition in practice, and has made every player better for it.”

Oddly, Mahoney also has depth at quarterback, including the return of multi-tasking senior signal-caller Nate Kallenbach. The Cardinal co-captain topped the roster by passing for 1,348 yards and nine touchdowns a year ago, in addition to finishing No. 2 in rushing with 463 yards and six scores.

“Nate’s our guy at QB, but it’s nice to know that we have some options to maybe use him in another capacity, too,” said Mahoney. “Both Alex (Kotewa) and Garrett (Myren) give us a little bit of everything at the position behind Nate.”

Kotewa led Fairmont’s junior varsity in passing in 2016 as a sophomore, while Myren enters his junior season as a new face in red-and-white after his family moved here from Indiana this summer.

Kallenbach and Co. will literally look to spread opposing defenses with senior wideouts Sam Schwieger and Wyatt Quiring — a pair of co-captains, along with senior tight end Brady Allen and junior slotback Hayden Berhow.

Schwieger returns for his third varsity season on the heels of making 16 catches for 218 yards and two TDs, while Allen returns after pocketing a dozen receptions for 177 yards and one score last fall.

Junior Mario Maldonado will represent the lone running back on offense, with sophomore Josh Heinze and junior Zac Ringnell working into the mix.

Defensively, the Cardinals’ depth, once again, will allow long-time coordinator Brad Johnson to flip the switch at a moment’s notice in order to be more effective during a game.

Byrne and Tordsen will look to anchor the tackle spots in a 4-3 alignment, with Redenius and junior Thomas Johnson handling the end positions.

Wyatt Frank, a 6-5, 200-pound sophomore, and Steuber will provide depth at the end spots, while Ortiz, Parker, senior Alex Pitcher and senior Riley Clarey will figured into the interior line rotation.

The Class AA all-state wrestling trio of Ringnell, junior Jordan Wolter and Steuber will handle the starting linebacking duties, with Maldonado, Heinze, junior Nick Thate and junior Jacob Tennyson — a part-time starter in 2016 — vying for minutes.

Schwieger, who pocketed three interceptions a year ago, will anchor the secondary at a safety spot and will be joined by Allen in that capacity.

Kallenbach and junior Daniel Reiter will handle the cornerback duties, with Quiring, Berhow, junior Tony Nuss and junior Dustin Schultz figuring into the last line of defense.

Kallenbach also will handle the Cardinals’ punting duties and extra-point kicking duties again after averaging 35.0 yards per punt and connecting for 28 PATs in 2016.

“This is one of the best mixes of players in grades 10-12 that I’ve coached since I took over the program,” said Mahoney. “They’re all sold on football, understand the game and work hard.”