NT_OT_BCR_Prep Football Preview_031721

Taking the Field (at last) 2021 Prep Football Preview Amboy/LaMoille/Ohio • Bureau Valley Fieldcrest • Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland Hall • Henry-Lowpoint/Washburn • L-P Marquette • Mendota • Ottawa • Princeton St. Bede • Seneca • Streator est. 1851

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Wednesday, March 17, 2021

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La Salle-Peru Cavaliers look to build on successful 2019

By Kevin Chlum Coming off its best season in a decade, the La Salle-Peru football team has a strong core of returning players to build on.

Especially on the offensive side of the ball.

The Cavaliers return NewsTribune All-Area quarterback Tyler Hartman to direct their triple-option attack along with running backs Carlos Larios and Drake Weber, receiver Reese Kurtz, and offensive linemen Reid Robeza, Carson Mrowicki and Eric Lane.

“We have some good players back, offensively for sure,” said sixth-year coach Jose Medina, who guided L-P to a 5-5 record and its first postseason appearance since 2009 last season. “We want to continue to run the ball. That’s been the No. 1 thing since we transitioned into this offense (in 2017).”

Hartman was a dual-threat last year, as he passed for 396 yards and eight touchdowns and ran for 550 yards and seven scores.

Junior Sean Whitfield, who saw action when Hartman was injured early in Week 7 and started with Hartman out in Week 8 last season, also will get some time under center.

“We just trying to utilize them and give them opportunities to get out there,” Medina said. “For the most part, we’re going to stick to our base formations. We’re still going to be running the triple option. We saw some good improvements last year.

“We want to continue to grow off that.”

Larios rushed for 674 yards and four touchdowns last season, while Weber racked up 273 total yards and five scores through six games before suffering an injury. Trevon Hunter also has experience at running back.

Medina said the Cavs are looking for a younger player to step up and fill the third running back spot.

Noah Hamilton, Drew Lane and Tyler Wrobleski will contribute at re-

ceiver.

On the line, L-P lost All-Area tackle Logan Turigilatti, but Mrowicki is back at tackle, Robeza returns at guard, and Eric Lane moves from center to tackle. Andrew Demaso, Landon Morscheiser and Aidan Vanduzer are in contention to fill the other two spots.

“The offensive line is pretty solid with three of five from last year returning,” Medina said. “We’re still trying to piece some things together to find those other two guys. Hopefully, with a couple practices, we should be ready to roll.”

While there’s plenty of experience back on offense, there are voids to fill on defense.

The Cavs lost their entire defensive line, including All-Area end Nick Krolak, and senior Levi Reed is the lone returning linebacker with any experience.

In the secondary, Hunter, an AllArea pick last year, and Whitfield return.

Will Daugherty and Mike Lemrise are expected to contribute on the defensive line, while Medina said some offensive linemen could pull double duty.

“The defensive line is going to be a work in progress for us,” Medina said.

“We’re going to miss Nick Krolak. He created a lot of things, as did Payton Piraino.”

Hartman, Weber, Chris Swayne, Byron Verdun and Luke Mertes could see time at linebacker.

“We’re going to be young in the linebacker corps, but I think we have some good, quality kids who got some reps as sophomores who should help us out.”

David Narkis, Ethan Bell and Ethan Tarkowski may see time in the secondary.

“It’s a pencil-in type of defense, because we haven’t been able to see these guys except for last year,” Medina said.

Weber will handle kicking and punting duties as he has since his

La Salle-Peru senior Drake Weber runs the ball against Sandwich last season. The Cavaliers bring back a lot of experience on offense from last year’s playoff team, but will be inexperienced on defense.

freshman year, while Whitfield, Hunter or Weber could all return kicks and punts.

With no playoffs to shoot for this season, the Cavs have other goals.

“We want to start out on a good note and end on a good note,” Medina said. “It’s an old cliché, but we want to get better every game.”

The Cavs were set to open the season against Sandwich on March 20, but can’t because they won’t have the required number of practices due to

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the school’s COVID-19 shutdown.

L-P will open against Rochelle at home (1 p.m. March 27), travel to Plano (1 p.m. April 3), play host to Ottawa (6 p.m. April 9), play at Morris (6 p.m. April 16) and welcome Kaneland to Howard Fellows for the finale at 6 p.m. April 23.

L-P went 3-2 against its opponents last year with wins over Rochelle, Plano and Ottawa and losses to Morris and Kaneland.

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Continued on page 6 - Bruins

Your talent determines what you can do.

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In 2019, the St. Bede football team managed just one victory — a 24-23 win over Erie-Prophetstown in Week 8.

With nearly every starter back from that team, sixth-year coach Jim Eustice hopes the Bruins can learn from taking their lumps last season.

“Experience always helps in high school football,” Eustice said. “We were so inexperienced in 2019, and the record showed that. Hopefully, the experience we gained will be helpful.

“Our kids are excited and thankful we’re back. They’re hopefully going to do some good things this spring.”

Senior Braden Damerell returns at quarterback to lead the offense. He threw for 1,099 yards and five touchdowns in 2019 while running for 369 yards and six scores.

Junior Tyreke Fortney is a dynamic weapon for the Bruins as a threat to run or catch the ball. He finished with 759 total yards and six TDs in 2019 and had three games of 100 receiving yards or more.

Junior Tyreke Fortney racked up 759 total yards and six TDs in 2019.

Ethan Sramek, Tim Croissant, Noah Setser, Griffen Heuser and Brady Hurst also will get carries.

Blocking for St. Bede’s plethora of weapons is an experienced and deep offensive line, led by three-year starter Joe Edwall. Rylan Heersink, Ryan Migliorini, Shawn Schwemlein and Brandon Green all have starting experience, while Ben Burke, Ethan Fleming and Jayce Ladzinski will provide depth.

“We have a lot of guys with a lot of experience who should be able to do some things,” Eustice said. “We can change formations and things like that, but we have to be good up front in order for this offense to work, just like any offense.

“We’re going to keep trying to get reps up front, and hopefully we’ll be able to create some opportunities for our guys to get the football in different spots on the field and have success.”

The Bruins have plenty of experience on defense as well.

Jim Sanchez returns after a solid

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Wednesday, March 17, 2021

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6 BRUINS

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2019 at defensive end, while Eustice expects good things from Green at nose tackle.

“The defensive line is probably going to be a big rotation system with all the offensive line guys,” Eustice said. “We’ll have 6-7-8 guys in the offensive line rotation who also will take care of the defensive line.”

Sramek will lead the linebacking corps, while Luke Story returns in the secondary.

“Luke Story got a lot of quality time and played very well in the secondary last year as a sophomore,” Eustice said. “We look for him to be a big leader for the defense.”

The Bruins also have experience on special teams, as Nick Pearse returns for his fourth year as the team’s kicker.

St. Bede plays its first two games

at home against Hall and Monmouth-Roseville before hitting the road to play Erie-Prophetstown, Newman, Bureau Valley and Orion.

“You always want to win football games,” Eustice said. “There are so few of them even in a regular season.

The build up for a football game is a week-long event getting ready for it.

It’s not like other sports where you’re playing two to three games per week or even more.

“These seniors took their lumps, and a lot of the juniors were up as sophomores. Ultimately, as a football coach, you want to win games and have your kids have a good experience and good memories they can take with them.

“We’re thrilled we have the opportunity to go out and create some of those memories for the kids.”

St. Bede players run the track during practice on Wednesday, March 3, 2021.

New coach, same Knights: Fieldcrest looks loaded for success again

By J.T. Pedelty Less than a decade ago, success on the football field was a hit-or-miss thing at Fieldcrest.

Six playoff appearances over seven years, with two of those postseason runs extending all the way to the Class 2A state semifinals, has a way of changing things.

So much so that, even with a reduced schedule and with Derek Schneeman — the head coach who guided Fieldcrest to the past six years of that success including the only seven playoff wins in school history — no longer with the program as he takes over as offensive coordinator at DeKalb High School, success is an expectation for the Knights in this COVID-reduced 2021 spring campaign.

“We’re approaching [this season] with a very thankful attitude, a mindset that we’re thankful to have anything we do have,” said former Fieldcrest JV head coach and first-year varsity head coach Mike Freeman. “I just keep preaching to them that we have to embrace what we have.

“We can only play as many games as we’re given, take this opportunity to grow as a team and grow as better people. Ultimately, we want to win games, but as long as we come out and enjoy ourselves and have fun and make the memories high school football is all about, that’s the mindset we’re looking at.”

A trio of all-area seniors return to lead this spring’s Knights.

Two, OL/LB Travis Sunken and OL/DL Jordan Hochecker, are back

after good 2019s on the offensive line and dominant performances on the defensive side. Sunken (6-2, 225) racked up 70 tackles two falls ago, while Hochecker (5-10, 240) accumulated 54 tackles with two fumble recoveries and an interception.

And then there is WR/RB/DB Jaxon Cusac-McKay, a Second Team member of the statewide Friday Night Drive Team of the Year who quite simply is electrifying to watch no matter the sport. Last season, the now 5-10, 170-pound senior took on a role in the backfield in addition to his proven receiving abilities, finishing with over 1,100 yards and 16 touchdowns from scrimmage, plus a six-pack of INTs from the secondary for good measure.

This will be his second senior-year high school football season, as while Illinois sports were shut down he temporarily transferred to Calloway County High School in Murray, Ky. “Those names stick out, because this will be almost four-year starters for those three guys,” said Freeman.

“They got a lot of playing time their freshman years because of some injuries we had.”

While those three provide fantastic cornerstones from which to build, they’re hardly the only proven plus-producers for this year’s Knights.

Expect to see names such as those of seniors RB/LB Austin Jefford, WR/ DB Henry Lorton and QB/DB Cory Land — who served as a change-ofpace quarterback last season — all over the statsheet even more than in 2019, as all three step into even more prominent roles. In addition to

Cory Land (8) is set to take over full-time duties behind center for this spring’s Fieldcrest Knights.

Hochecker and Sunken, fellow 12thgrader Zach Cremer will lead the way up on the lines.

A few players with potential for a breakout season include WR/DB Andrew May, OL/DL Noah Nordstrom, RB/LB Ethan Stoeger, WR/DB Zach Keller, WR/DB Lucas Sidebottom, OL/DL Clayton Boland, OL/DL Elliott Rowland and OL/LB Skyler Nix. Half of the 40-man roster is seniors, led by senior captains Jefford, Sunken, Hochecker, Cusac-McKay and Lorton.

“We have seniors for days to put in these positions,” said Freeman.

“Last year was a close-knit group. but this team hangs out together, they

eat together, they play video games together. Everything they do is together.”

Like the rest of the Heart of Illinois Conference, the Knights are only playing a four-game schedule, the first three of which — a highly-anticipated March 20 showdown at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, March 27 at Deer Creek-Mackinaw and April 3 at Eureka — are all 2 p.m. Saturday kickoffs on the road. Fieldcrest will finish up at Veterans Park in Minonk on Friday, April 9, under the lights against El Paso-Gridley.

“Our conference is giving us four games,” Freeman said, “and it doesn’t matter if it’s four or 14 games, we’re ready to take on the challenge.”

By Kevin Chlum

Hall’s Mac Resetich (24) runs the ball during a game last season.

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on the seniors, the Red Devils are junior heavy, and he’s hoping the additional experience this spring can help come the fall season.

“With the numbers with the JV right now, we may have a couple more freshmen and sophomores playing up a little bit on the varsity. This will be a good look for us with a five-game schedule to see what we’re going to have come fall.”

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

at Kewanee before finishing the season at home against Rockridge.

“It’s going to be a different season, for sure, but we’re going to have fun with it, and hopefully we can make some noise with it,” Nick Guerrini said. “We want to have fun with our seniors. These seniors are getting a chance to show what they can do. That’s what we’re really focusing on right now.”

While Nick Guerrini said the focus is

•

Nick Guerrini is very familiar with the Hall football team’s wing-T offense.

He ran it as a Red Devil under Gary Vicini when he scored three touchdowns in Hall’s 1995 Class 3A state championship game win.

Guerrini has also coached it as an assistant the last three years on Randy Tieman’s staff. Now as he takes over as head coach at Hall, Guerrini will continue to run the wing-T. However, he may throw in some new wrinkles, and the Red Devils may also implement some double wing.

“We’re in a tough spot to really change a whole lot with a short turnaround and a new coaching staff,” Guerrini said. “I’ve been on the staff a handful of years. That’s what I’m comfortable with. We’ll probably start with wing-T, and as we get comfortable and see how practices roll out, you may see some variation to it.”

The Red Devils have a stable of running backs they’ll rely on to successfully execute the wing-T, including seniors Jack Savitch and Donovan Cotton, juniors Caleb Savitch and Dominic Guerrini, and sophomore Mac Resetich, who started last season as the team’s quarterback before moving to wing back.

“We have a pretty good committee of guys who are willing to compete, and are all very athletic at that spot,” Nick Guerrini said. “We might be running some

double wing, so we’ll be moving people around the field.”

Hall lost a few starters on the offensive line, but does return senior Alec Vecchia and junior Rylan Kerper, who both have starting experience. Junior Gabe Lucas is expected to be the team’s starting quarterback, while sophomore Hunter Meagher could also see time under center.

“I think we have a good group,” Nick Guerrini said about the offense. “We have a couple guys filling in line spots. I think we’ll have some good tight end play. I think our ground game should be pretty positive this year.”

Defensively, Nick Guerrini said the Red Devils don’t necessarily have a ton of size up front, but have plenty of speed.

“Numbers-wise, we’re not great across the front with heavy guys,” Nick Guerrini said. “But we do have a handful of 170180-pound guys who are willing to come up and hit you.

“We have a lot of those backer, defensive back types who I think can come up big for us this year.”

Resetich and Dominic Guerrini both put on size and are expected to contribute at linebacker. Cotton was a defensive starter last season and will play either linebacker or defensive back, while Jack Savitch returns at safety, and Caleb Savitch will play cornerback.

The Red Devils travel to rival St. Bede Academy to open the season, play Princeton and Bureau Valley at home and play

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Hall alum Nick Guerrini takes over junior-dominated Red Devils team

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Mendota’s Ted Landgraf (7) passes against Genoa-Kingston during the 2019 season. being quick, being in the right spot by-down basis, being able to make and being able to move to the ball will positive plays and then build on them. be very important to us,” said Hill.

“We can’t be behind the chains, tak“We have to play to our strengths. … ing chances we shouldn’t have to or We will need execution on a down- don’t want to take.”

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The Mendota High football program knows what it takes to be a winner, evidenced by the multiple playoff appearances under Dean Lubbs and Frank Swingel in the late 1980s/early ’90s and John McKenzie in the early 2000s.

They also know what lean years are — for example, the 4-41 collective mark over the last five seasons.

But there is hope for yet another turnaround, and it rests with a small, tightly-knit, young but experienced group of young men undertaking an unprecedented, pandemic-shortened, five-game schedule.

So in a year leaded with unpredictability, why not the Trojans?

That group, which was forced by necessity to start 10 sophomores on the varsity level a year ago, at the end of 2019 looked like anything but the team that would be outscored 70355 on the year, winning its next to last game on the road at Rock Falls, snapping a 20-game losing string, then playing Oregon to a close loss.

So why not the Trojans?

This season’s squad has those players back, a year more closely bonded as teammates, with a year on the varsity under their belts and now a year and a half more physically mature.

So why not the Trojans?

In its final season in the Big Northern Conference, Mendota hopes to start a climb that will return it to the postseason, possibly as soon as next fall, its first season in the Three Rivers Conference.

“We were playing our best football at the end of the year last time, so things were turning in the right direction,” said MHS coach Keegan Hill.

“We had some momentum before all this [pandemic] stuff came a long and put it all on pause. …

“So there’s the new challenges of that and investing in the kids, though we didn’t have games, showing them we’re still here for them just as we always are, especially when it’s tough.

“That investment, I think, is going to go a long way with this group and for everybody.”

A look at the roster starts in the backfield, where junior Ted Landgraf returns at quarterback; and on the perimeter where he has three solid receivers from which to choose: the lone senior on the club, Andrew Castenada, and juniors Damien Magallanes and Emilio Perez.

Junior Uziel Angulo leads a young underclass bunch at running back.

Vying for time at running back and wideouts will be juniors Abel Rodriguez, Johnnie Gonzalez and Gavin Huffaker.

They’ll be operating behind a line led by returning starters Christian Tellez (5-10, 195), Omar Gonzalez (5-11, 205) and Andy Rivera (6-0, 250). Filling the remaining slots will be Sergio Sandoval (6-1, 220), Sean Figueroa (5-10, 215) and Parker Guelde (5-10, 200).

“The junior class has played sports together all their lives, and their camaraderie and their willingness to build expectations for each other will be the strength of this team and is the foundation of any team sport,” Hill said. “What you can expect your teammates to do? Will they be trustworthy, caring competitors? That group has a chance to develop those things, and that’s what we expect them to do.

“With the amount of experience we have returning, those boxes are already checked, so that’s nice. But with so few seniors available, out of necessity the sophomore class will have to contribute again.”

All of those players will have to see double duty on the defensive side, as well, unless some of those sophomores step in to contribute. Oddly enough, the Trojans were a plus-3 in turnover ratio a year ago and still won only one game, a fact the coach called, “amazing” but a good starting point to build on on that side of the ball.

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Mendota Trojans hoping to build on late 2019 success

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Mat Pistole goes over a play with a few of his Bureau Valley players during the Storm’s summer 2020 practices at Bourquin Field.

•

It wasn’t that long ago Bureau Valley coach Mat Pistole played football for the Storm, and he knows what it means to “put on the bolts, pound the stone.”

In this modified spring season, he wants to give their seniors the “best possible experience we can provide that they can remember for a lifetime like they deserve.”

At the same time, Pistole wants to set the foundation on the fundamentals that will “drive us forward while gaining ever-important game reps heading into 2021 fall season for our very young team we will have.”

Pistole said the Storm coaching staff has spent the extended layoff “really dialing in” where the program needs to improve on from its 0-9 season in 2019, and “setting a clear direction moving forward to getting us back where we belong in the playoffs every year.”

That direction isn’t some complicated formula or complex schemes/ drills or any innovative/cutting edge concepts or ideas, he said, but rather simplifying everything.

“Our entire focus is on first and foremost playing together and for each other. Then blocking, tackling, pursuing the football and ball security,” said Pistole, a 2003 BVHS grad-

uate and former Storm quarterback.

“We have simplified our schemes in every facet so we are thinking less, able to play faster and focus on the little things that have been taken for granted here in recent memory.”

The Storm have just a limited number of senior players and will be relying on its juniors to build some depth.

Top players back in the Storm camp include seniors Evan Eckberg (QB/RB/DB), Drew Spencer (RB/ NG) and juniors Eli Kruse (OL/LB) and Nevin Bolin (WR/LB). Key newcomers include juniors Brock Foster (WR/DB), Carter Haney (OL/DL), Brodie Hansen (OL/DL), Adam Johnson (QB/DB), Justin Kopp (RB/LB), Jaden Michlig (RB/LB) and Carter Salisbury (WR/DB) and senior Jonah Johnson (RB/LB).

The Storm have opted to play a four-game spring schedule, instead of six, opting out of Week 1 and 6 to enhance the season transitions for its many multi-sport athletes between basketball and football and then football to spring sports.

Bureau Valley will be tested right out of the gate with its season opener at home Saturday, March 27, against defending 2A champ Newman.

Remaining games will send the Storm to Hall on Saturday, April 3, and host E-P on Saturday, April 10 and St. Bede on Saturday, April 17.

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By Kevin Hieronymus

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Wednesday, March 17, 2021

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No postseason, but Princeton will make most of spring football

By Kevin Hieronymus There will be football at Princeton High School this school year.

And while it won’t be the kind of season everyone had hoped for in Tiger Country, there will be one last hurrah for this year’s talented senior class.

The Tigers return much of their top personnel who reached the 2019 3A semifinals and were primed to make a state finals run again in 2020 before the pandemic canceled the fall season. There will be no postseason opportunities, however, in the revised IHSA spring season.

“Not having a playoff format was disappointing, but our kids are excited for an opportunity to get to play.

That is much better than the alternative of not getting to play at all.

“Our kids are excited, and they will be ready,” fourth-year Tiger coach Ryan Pearson said.

“We are sad that there is no postseason opportunity, but we just have to control what we can control, which is taking advantage of getting the chance to play. We are happy and ready to get started,” PHS senior lineman Grant Foes said.

Senior quarterback Tyler Gibson said the Tigers have to put any disappointment of having no postseason

behind them and go out and enjoy the season.

“I mean, I definitely wish we had some sort of playoffs, but I think that’s past us, so I’m ready to play in some exciting rivalries and hopefully an interesting Week 1 matchup when that gets decided,” he said.

Foes and Gibson are just two of the many stalwarts returning from the 2019 semifinalists.

Foes, , a two-way all-conference lineman, will be blocking for senior All-State RB Ronde Worrels, the program’s all-time leading rusher with 3,667 yards, and Gibson, who set a single-season passing record (1.956 yards). They all shared BCR Players of the Year honors with WR Wyatt Davis, who is now playing at Northern Michigan University.

Both Worrels (Northern Illinois) and Foes (Indiana Wesleyan) will play at the next level.

Other returning starters on offense are seniors Kody Mongan (OL) and Alex May (OL) and junior Drew Harp (OL). Pearson looks for juniors Logan Glancy (RB) and Bennett Sierens (WR) to play bigger roles on offense this year.

Key newcomers on offense, Pearson said, will be seniors Kaleb Cain (OL), Caleb Haring (TE), Cael Davis (WR), juniors Pierce Miller (OL),

SHOW YOUR TIGER PRIDE!

Even without playoffs to shoot for, the Princeton Tigers are excited to return to the gridiron this spring.

Matt Lucas (OL), Jacob Aley (OL), Walker Menzel (OL) and sophomore Teegan Davis (WR).

Harp was the Tigers’ top tackler (159) in 2019 from his linebacker spot. Other starters back on defense are seniors May (DL) Foes (DL), Worrels (LB) and Cael Davis (DB), juniors Logan Glancy (DB) and with junior Pierce Miller (DL) and sophomore Teegan Davis (DB) stepping into bigger roles.

Key newcomers on defense will be seniors Drew Woolley (DL), Jacob Read (DL), juniors Matt Peacock (DL), Ashton Davis (DL) and sophomores Danny Cihocki (LB) and Augie Christenson (DB).

The Tigers are two-time defending Three Rivers Mississippi Conference champions, having gone 11-1 in that span.

The Tigers just Friday added an opponent for Week 1 at home on Friday,

March 19, replacing Erie-Prophetstown with one of Class 1A’s top teams, Lena-Winslow. Princeton then plays March 26 at Hall in what up until a few days ago it believed would be its season opener.

The big date on the schedule promises to be the TRAC crossover at 2A defending champ Newman on Friday, April 16.

Remaining dates on the Tigers schedule are Thursday, April 1 at home vs. Kewanee, Friday, April 9, at Orion and Friday, April 23, at home vs. Fulton.

PHS fell to Byron 7-3 in a defensive battle at Bryant Field in the 2019 3A semifinals. Its only other loss was at 2A state champ Sterling Newman, a game it led 21-7 at halftime only to fall 25-21.

Pearson is 21-9 in three years at PHS, having led Canton to the 4A semifinals in 2016.

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14

FCW Falcons, L-W/H-S Wildcats ready to keep climbing in 8-man game

By J.T. Pedelty Four area high schools are again combining their efforts into two programs and keeping football alive in their communities as members of the Illinois 8-Man Football Association (I8FA).

Here is a look at this spring’s Lowpoint-Washburn/Henry-Senachwine Wildcats and Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland Falcons: L-W/H-S Wildcats Head coach Tony Davis leads the Wildcats into their second season playing the 8-man game after a 4-5 debut in the I8FA, including a playoff victory.

“It’s only our second year of existence,” Davis said. “With all the challenges this year, hopefully we continue to grow as a program. We want to remain competitive and continue to improve. I think we share the opinion of everyone that we are just happy for the chance to play football this year.”

The co-op has reason to believe it will do well with a handful of proven players returning. That list includes seniors RB/CB Britton Barnes and OL/DL Noah Gebel, as well as juniors QB/LB Braden Grebner, RB/LB Alex Whirrell, FB/LB Jesse Knecht and OL/DL Tyree Addo.

Davis also cites some key newcomers to the team, many of them seniors. Expected to make an impact are the likes of QB/LB Brady Neuhalfen, RB/LB Bradan Frawley, RB/NG Gavin Fitton, RB/DL Kyler Beltramea and OL/DL Will Strauch.

As of press time, L-W/H-S is scheduled to open in Flanagan on Saturday, March 20, vs. Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland with a 1 p.m. kickoff. From there the Wildcats host River Ridge, go on a three-game road trip to South Beloit, West Central and Peoria Heights (the lone Friday night game), and finish the season back home against Alden-Hebron.

FCW Falcons

The 2019 season was a great one for the Falcons under head coach Todd Reed.

FCW posted an 8-4 record and advanced all the way to the I8FA state playoff semifinals.

“Last year’s team members bought into a total program rebuild that I and my assistant coaches knew could be done,” said Reed. “We had a great group of 10 senior leaders that came in together, and half of them never played football before. I might add there was some uncertainty at first, and they had to put their trust into me and the coaching staff.

“After our second game of the season last year when we beat Pawnee in a nail-biter, they knew we had something special going on. That group laid the foundation for our program and reignited the excitement and gained some respect.”

Key returnees include I8FA All-State OL/LB/K Kyle Uhl, OL/LBs Will Weber and Chris Stasko, RB/DBs JD Ruddy and Jesse Simpson, and QB/DB Dallas Hamilton, a receiver on last year’s squad.

Some newcomers on the overall young roster Reed is excited about adding include Phoenix Cooper, Tyler Pfaff, Sam Jones, Keegan Boldt, Gavin Winners, Michael Gamble, Ethan Schumm and Jace Torrez.

“I am really excited about our upcoming spring season,” Reed said. “We have several new faces in our program this year, and I’m excited to get to work with them and watch them grow as football players.”

FCW opens at home Saturday, March 20, against Lowpoint-Washburn/Henry-Senachwine with a 1 p.m. kickoff in Flanagan. After that, the Falcons host St. Thomas More at Woodland for a Friday night contest, are back in Flanagan vs. Peoria Heights on April 1, visit North Fulton and Milford-Cissna Park, then close April 23 in Flanagan against West Central.

Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland’s Dallas Hamilton (in black) breaks up a pass against Pawnee last season.

Hamilton is expected to take over as Falcons quarterback this season.

Amboy-LaMoille brings new coach into Northwest Upstate Illini South 2019 record: 2-7, 2-4 NUIC South Coach: Scott Payne Worth noting: The Clippers will continue to play I-formation under first-year coach Scott Payne, but will sprinkle in some spread looks as well. The Clippers have talented wide receivers in Preston Henkel, Trevor Vaessen and Sean Fitzpatrick.

Henkel could also play some running back. Fitzpatrick is able to play several positions and has started on varsity since his sophomore year. .....

Lane Boehle, who played quarterback on the freshman/sophomore team in 2017 and 2018 before moving to wide receiver on the varsity squad last year,

GO LIONS!

will move back to quarterback for the varsity team this spring. Payne felt quarterback was a better fit for him and said he is a good athlete who can throw the ball or tuck it under and run. .... The defensive tackles play important roles in Amboy’s scheme, needing to force3 a double-team to

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Tutt. “We’re not looking at next year right now. We want to beat Coal City.

We’ll worry about what’s right in front of us, those things we can control —

attitude and effort. When we do those two things right, I feel like the rest of those things [like wins] will play out.

“Our competition is right now.”

GO BULLDOGS!

By Brian Hoxsey Like every other high school football coach in the state of Illinois, Seneca’s Ted O’Boyle is excited to see his squad back on the field.

But he’s also thrilled to see what this year’s team — albeit in a shortened season — can do.

The Fighting Irish finished the 2019 season 5-5 overall and 4-2 in the Sangamon Valley Conference while qualifying for the Class 3A playoffs for the first time since the fall of 2013. The boys in Green and Gold fell at Farmington by a pair of touchdowns in

the opening round of the postseason under O’Boyle, who begins his ninth year as Seneca head coach and 19th overall.

There won’t be a chance for a second straight playoff berth, but O’Boyle says right now it’s just about the kids — 64 players in the program, 18 upperclassmen — getting to play.

“Being back out on the practice field has been great, and the morale of all the kids couldn’t be much better,” said O’Boyle. “I’m thankful that these kids are going to get a chance to play a few games this season. The effort has been really good the first

few practices, but I knew that would be the case. We have good kids who work extremely hard and want to win.

“We want to carry over the success we had last season in making the playoffs into this spring season, and hopefully keep building into next fall that will only be four short months away when we are finished up this spring.

Many of these players got a taste of the postseason and want to continue to play good football.

“It had taken us a while to get back to the playoffs, so I think even with the season moved to spring and no playoffs, these kids want to prove

themselves.”

The Irish, which scored 24.7 points a game in 2019, have four players — seniors Brayden Roe and Spencer DeGraaf, junior Carter Ellis, and freshman Nathan Grant — vying for the starting and backup quarterback spots. Senior running back/linebacker/safety Ryan McCauley, an All-SVC selection and Times All-Area honoree had a 7.5-yard-per-carry average and ran for 836 yards and nine touchdowns, also adding a team-high eight receptions for 171 yards and Continued on page 16 - Seneca

FOOTBALL PREVIEW

Seneca hopes to build off successful, playoff-clinching 2019 season

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

While the novel coronavirus pandemic certainly altered things, firstyear Streator head football coach Kyle Tutt is viewing the shortened spring season which begins Friday, March 19, in Coal CIty as the start of “new era” of Bulldogs football.

“I think we’ve got a great group of guys who are willing to buy into what we call the new era of Streator football,” said Tutt. “That’s what we’re selling, and that’s what we’re trying to get the mentality of to change what we consider the culture here. ...

“I think the fun, the true joy of playing football, maybe had been lost in the past years for everybody as a whole — the town, the kids. Everyone needs to remember what it’s like to love football, and that’s what we’re trying to build.”

A lot of new faces led by a handful of varsity returnees from 2019’s 2-7 season in new or upgraded roles headline the Bulldogs’ 34-man roster.

Dedication and versatility are two words Tutt is quick to use regarding this spring’s ballclub, fitting into his mindset of building a winning football culture at a school which has only five playoff appearances (1976, 1977, 2003, 2008, 2017) and one playoff win (over Normal U-High in 2008) in program history.

“Hopefully [fans will see] a great group of young guys who are having fun playing the great game of football, that are excited about the game ...”

Tutt said. “We have a lot of guys who are working really hard. Hopefully they’ll be able to see what we’re trying to build toward and see some of those glimpses of what we’re ultimately trying to show everyone.”

Tutt — a state championship-winning, pass-flinging quarterback in his playing days at Iroquois West — aims for the Bulldogs to show flashes of the big-play offense he’s hoping to build in the 61364. To that end, he’s excited about the versatile talent brought in by young men he expects to shine in that approach.

Some of the likely top beneficiaries will be junior WR/DB Alex Ward, junior RB/LB Cade Stevens (coming off some successful offseason organized appearances), jack-of-all-trades senior WR/DB A.J. Benning, junior QB/DB Tyler Luckey (who put up some big numbers with last year’s Bullpups), senior WR/LB Aiden Webb, senior WR/DB/K Mason Telford (joining the football team full-time after serving in a kicking-only role while also playing soccer last season), sophomore WR/LB Jake Luckey, freshman QB/LB Christian Benning and junior WR/LB transfer Jenson Ketcham.

Also in that conversation at the skill positions are WRs/LB or DBs such as David Rashid, Collin Jeffries, Jesse Porter, Aiden Stevens, Zach Schultz, Cooper Spears and Alex Ward. Alex Lopez is also on board to help Telford with the kicking duties.

Much of the roster is filled with the unsung heroes who help make those big plays happen, the linemen. Tutt specifically lauded three he expects to stand out — senior C Dan Stout, junior Walker McClellan and senior Skyler Doss — among a large group which also includes Lexy Jensen, Anthony Dominic, Kalon Kisantear, Jett Austin, Ricardo Lopez, Abraham Villafana, Manuel Nito, Ben Pond, Landen Long, Richard Orozco, Austin Taylor, Nick Flores, J.D. Blickensderfer, Brant Freese and Hayden Wolfe.

After opening March 19 at Coal City, the Bulldogs’ all-Illinois Central Eight Conference, all-Friday night (except a Thursday game in Week 3 due to Good Friday) schedule sees them host Peotone and then Herscher, visit Manteno and close the season by hosting Lisle on April 16 at the SHS Athletic Fields. With no prelims, all kickoffs are scheduled for 6 p.m.

Despite the reduced schedule and young roster, Tutt is not reducing this unique spring season to a preseason, of sorts, for things to come.

“I want to win every game,” said

SM-LA1862895

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15 NewsTribune / The Times/Bureau Country Republican

New Streator coach Kyle Tutt looks to put bite back in Bulldogs

16

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Wednesday, March 17, 2021

FOOTBALL PREVIEW

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quarterback sacks out of the defensive line. Senior Cole Underhill and sophomore Collin Wright will be at linebacker.

“Our lines are going to be a work in progress that will be pieced together as they go,” said O’Boyle.

Graduation hit Seneca the hardest in the secondary, according to O’Boyle, but said he sees Trey Hauch and Chase Hauch more than likely in the defensive backfield, but with many spots up for grabs.

p.m.), who will both be top teams in our league, so right now those are two games right off the bat we’re looking forward to. That being said, I think Week 1 will be the biggest game for us in the sense it will be the first one back on the field in actual competition that we’ve obviously had in a while.

“We’ll come out and play hard and see what happens.”

The Irish’s final four weeks — all Friday games at 7 p.m. — will be hosting Watseka (April 2) and Momence (April 9), then on the road to Dwight (April 16) and Iroquois West (April 23).

Ottawa, while young, looking to improve on both sides of the ball

By Brian Hoxsey

SM-LA1862892

“What he does for us is more than what everyone sees on the field. He’s an extension of the coaches with everything he does, and it’s so great to have a kid like Matt in the program.”

Freshman Cam Loomis is expected to handle the kicking and punting duties when not playing for the Pirates soccer squad.

“Scheme-wise we’ll be similar,” said Gross. “We’ve made tweaks here and there because of our personnel, and also went back to the basics a little bit.

“We have a lot of younger kids.

Many are going to be asked to play a number of different roles, so we just want to keep things as simple as possible to start and hopefully add more and build more as the season progresses. We just want the kids to play and play fast, and not have to think too much on the field.”

Senior Adam Weitzel is slated in the middle linebacker spot, while a couple of sophomores and freshman Ryder Miller — of whom Gross says “We’re not sure where he fits in our scheme, but we know he fits, even as a freshman, its just a matter of finding

out where” — will be vying for starting assignments.

The Pirates secondary will be led by senior cornerback Austin Stanley.

“This first week or so has been different, but I don’t think there was going to be any way around that,” said Gross. “We have kids playing with masks on, we have them spread out all over the practice field to keep them as isolated as we can.

“That all being said, I’m just so grateful that the kids are getting a chance to play — it’s all about them.

I have many more seasons in me, but these kids, especially the seniors, this is their last go-round. Whether this all ends up one week or all six weeks, it’s something these kids have worked hard towards and deserve.”

Ottawa opens the season on Saturday, March 20, at Plano at 1 p.m.

The Pirates then host Sycamore and Morris the following two Saturdays (March 27 and April 3, both at 1 p.m.), travel to face rival La Salle-Peru on Friday, April 9, at 6 p.m., and finish off the season hosting Kaneland (April 16, 6 p.m.) and at Rochelle (April 23, 6 p.m.).

FOOTBALL PREVIEW

Ottawa football players run drills in Love Gym during the Pirates’ season-opening practice on March 3. The Pirates will look to improve week-to-week and on past seasons’ marks.

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

GO PIRATES!

•

;;;;Like much of the past year, how the shortened, six-week football season will unfold for the relatively young Ottawa football team and third-year head coach Chad Gross is a bit of a mystery.

The Pirates, who have just three victories over the past four seasons including a 1-8 overall (0-7 Interstate Eight Conference) mark in 2019, feature a varsity roster with nine seniors, 10 juniors, 21 sophomores and a pair of freshmen.

“There is still uncertainty every day, but we’ve told the kids to treat each day like it’s their last to be able to play football and take advantage of it,” said Gross.

“It’s been a nice first week or so, we’ve been able to be outside every day with going into this not knowing what the weather would be in early March. We’ve had good energy from the start, and the kids are so happy to be out there playing football together.

“There has been a lot of smiles, and it’s been great to see.”

Gross is hoping to improve on an offense that posted 17.8 points and around 180 yards per game last season.

Two-year starting quarterback Brett Galletti transferred last spring, but the Pirates’ skipper says he has liked what he has seen from both senior Jake

Serby and junior Braiden Miller, with the former logging snaps at receiver as an 11th-grader and this season if Miller is the signal-caller.

Ottawa returns senior Bryant Schomas and junior Javarius Whitfield in the backfield, and Gross feels both give his club a solid running game, adding both can move into the slot if needed. Senior wideout Briar Naggs — a Times All-Area Second Team pick and Honorable Mention I-8 honoree after recording 19 receptions for 358 yards and four TDs — hopes to build off the back-to-back standout games he had to finish of the past campaign.

The offensive and defensive lines will be anchored by returning seniors Matt Ahearn, Dominic Gende and Ethen Swords, as well as junior Kevin Hernandez, who was mainly a defensive lineman but is also converting to the OL. Also in the mix will be senior Leo Gutierrez and junior Jaxson Decker.

Ahearn is a three-year starter who was a Times All-Area Second Teamer, posting 26 tackles including a pair for loss.

“Matt is our leader, and there is no question about that,” said Gross.

“I know he’d be the first name out of every kid’s mouth if asked about it.

He’s been great all offseason as far as getting kids in the weight room and building toward the culture that we want to get back to here at Ottawa.

17 NewsTribune / The Times/Bureau Country Republican

three scores. Defensively, he recorded 27 tackles and an interception. Junior Brock Moore, an All-SVC inside linebacker, is also expected to get some carries in the Seneca ‘T’ system.

O’Boyle sees seniors Maveric Varland (All-SVC), Rick Milliman, Nathan Elliott, Jacob Elliott (maybe at TE), and Nathaniel Finch (TE, also DE or OLB) blocking up front, while senior Gavin Robertson (FB, Guard, D-line) returns after rushing for 104 yards and recording 39 total tackles with 11 going for losses and three

“I really think if we’d played in the fall, we’d have been in good shape to playing when Week 10 rolled around, but with the way things are, we’ll just have to readjust our goals and keep the guys motivated towards the goals,” said O’Boyle. “We may have some inexperienced kids out there the first couple of games, but hopefully they’ll be a few that really step up for us.

“We will definitely miss not playing Marquette, that is one I think each school looks forward to. We open the season with Paxton-Buckley-Loda (Friday, March 19 at 5:30 p.m.) and at Clifton Central (Friday, March 26 at 7

FOOTBALL PREVIEW

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Marquette Crusaders having fun, playing to win in spring ’21

By Charlie Ellerbrock Every program and every sport at every high school across Illinois is dealing with the pandemic and the adjustments mandated by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the IHSA in a different way.

Some are taking abbreviated seasons very seriously, while others are taking a lighter, more fun approach to these makeshift campaigns that could end at any second.

For the Marquette Academy football program, it’s business as usual with a little fun thrown in for good measure.

Opponents of head coach Tom Jobst’s younger, faster Crusaders this season can count on facing the usual ground-and-pound winged-T attack and tough physical defense that have earned the veteran mentor a 78-30 mark with a string of eight straight playoff appearances intact during his first 10 seasons at the school.

“It’s going to be full steam ahead, all the way,” said Jobst. “We’re going to pretend it’s a regular year and when it stops, it stops. We’re aware that could be at any time. We’re just taking each day as it comes, having some fun and are doing the best we can.

“We have a good core of returners and an outstanding group of young kids coming up, so I’m excited to see how they’ll do.”

The Cru, a team without a conference facing six of the Lincoln Trail Conference’s best — including Class 1A semifinalist Wethersfield in its opener — for this season only, has lost along others from a team that last had a 7-3 campaign line stalwarts John Thompson and Caleb Boucher, fullback-linebacker Preston Aukland and quarterback-linebacker Jay Scott.

Plus, seniors Luke Couch and Nick Melvin, both two-way starters in ’19, have opted not to play football.

However, MA will have plenty of firepower back, starting with 6-7, 260-pound tight end Vic Mullen, who has already committed to the University of Louisville. A powerful blocker,

The Marquette Academy football team runs through drills with head coach Tom Jobst on Wednesday, March 3, 2021.

Mullen caught eight passes for 175 yards and four scores as a junior.

He’ll be at the end of a line that boasts both speed and quickness inside with seniors Will Fiesel at center, Jake Mitchell and “quick and feisty” Donnie Zitt at guards. At tackles will be 6-2, 237-pound junior twins Brady and Beau Ewers.

Vying to break into that line will be a Ewers cousin, junior Cody Ewers, along with juniors Ethan Price, Daniel Gutierrez, Noah Barth, Garret Geiger, Aiden Thompson, Oscar Robles and Joe Gerkitz.

Just who they’ll be blocking for is largely up for grabs, though the backs are nearly set between senior fullback Hunter O’Dell, backed up by sophomore Vinnie Battestelli, and halfbacks with senior Shane Reynolds and sophomore Logan Nelson.

The quarterback position is “far

from settled,” said Jobst, though it will be manned by one of two sophomores, Tom Durdan or Alex Graham, each possessing their own positives giving the coach “a good problem to have.” Whichever one starts there, the other may see action at halfback, along with junior Scott Shearer and sophs Primo Patelli, Jurnee Reed and Gabe Almeda.

Senior Jake Thomas will start at split end, with juniors Gus Amicon and Jeffrey LaFleur and sophomores Griffin Walker and Caden Eller in competition.

Sophomore Easton Kent is slated to be the kicker.

Marquette will also have “interchangeable parts” on defense, where Mullen, the Ewers twins, Zitt, Mitchell and senior Pat McGrath will see action in the line and/or at inside

linebacker next to Fiesel. The defensive backfield will likely see Durdan, Eller, Thomas and Reed sharing the corners and safety spots.

How quickly the youngsters adapt to the speed and physical nature of varsity will determine who will play where, said the coach.

“We have good team speed, a good amount of strength, decent size, and it’s just a solid team for what we do,” Jobst said. “Like any 1A school, we’re a little short on depth, so we’re always looking to develop that one extra guy. …

“The kids are doing a good job.

These are good kids, they’re hard workers, and I’m just really happy that they’ll have a chance to play, especially the seniors. They’ve been good guys all the way through, so I’m glad they’re getting the opportunity. It will be fun.”

Pick the right team

GO CRUSADERS!

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Wednesday, March 17, 2021

FOOTBALL PREVIEW

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