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Mark Poston has not wasted his youth.

In fact, the Eastern Montgomery High School football coach has put those boys right to work.

No moaning and groaning about a lack of experience from the Mustangs' boss.

"If a team's going to get us, get us now, because they ain't going to get us in two years," he said.

No fewer than 10 of the team's 15 sophomores started in EastMont's four overtime, season opening 26-20 loss to Narrows last week, four of them playing offense and defense.

Inexperience?

What inexperience?

"That's a lot of sophomores starting," Poston said. "Still, they're good-quality kids. They've worked hard in the weight room. Now, they still make mistakes -- they ain't perfect -- a lot of mistakes, actually, on both sides of the ball. But we've laid the foundation."

The busiest of the 10th-graders is Shawn Christian, who doubles at quarterback and strong safety. Brad Wooten, Julian Stewart and Adam Milovich also go both ways.

Other sophomore starters include Michael Shelor, Justin Brammer, Justin Fisher, Adam Sisson, Stephen Lilly and Joey Mackee.

When it comes to underclassmen earning starting spots, the future appears bright, and the present, well, you just don't know.

One predictable result is that older members of the program who are passed over for playing time aren't going to like it.

"I think there's a lot of jealousy," the 6-foot-2, 170-pound Christian said when the topic was brought up at a recent practice.

"Some people think they work harder than us and they don't get the chance to start. They just don't have the skill as others."

The youngsters are caught in the middle and the pressure's on.

"If we don't do good, then everybody in the stands and the other team is thinking, the sophomores aren't doing good so why are they starting or even playing?" Milovich said.

What others think is the least of their concerns when the sophomores take to the field.

"There is more pressure, for sure," Stewart said. "You're a lot smaller and not near as strong. You have to be faster."

That's a tough assignment for anybody whose last start came at the junior varsity level.

"It's a whole different game than JV," said Sisson, who started at running back as a freshman.

There's a whole lot more people watching, too.

"You feel more important," Christian said.

Wooten earned a first-string defensive back's spot last year. That seems like an awfully long time ago.

"I was pretty nervous the first game," he said. "I didn't want to hit."

Not the best outlook for a defensive back, to be sure.

"I had to get better," he said.

There will be plenty of time for that with this whole group.

"There's a lot of athleticism there," Poston said.

Everybody knows there might be some long nights ahead.

"Especially with what we're asking some of them to do, going both ways and never coming off the field," Poston said. "They gotta grow up quick."

For those who started as freshmen, that period's over.

"They've had their free shot at being a sophomore," Poston said. "They have to play like juniors now."