Jake Danneman, Excelsior Springs’ new varsity football coach, and his staff are looking to take the Tigers in an upward direction.Danneman takes over a program that has posted back-to-back sub-.500 seasons. The Tigers went 4-7 in 2022 and 1-9 in 2023.To get the Tigers above .500 again, Danneman and his staff have made some changes.“Everything is new to this team on both sides of the ball, and we have implemented our schemes and we have been focusing on a renewed sense of focus on fundamentals,” he said.Offensively, what’s new is an emphasis on a balance between running and passing, as the Tigers are moving away from the option-style attack they used the previous eight seasons. But there’ll be some familiar players running the new offense.Those returning include quarterback Marquez McCant. McCant, a junior, had his sophomore season shortened by an injury.McCant will have multiple weapons at his disp...