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Friday, September 3, 2021 |
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St. Mary’s eager to turn fortunes around
A high percentage of returning starters bodes well for the Crusaders this fall By Tim Trower for the Mail Tribune
St. Mary’s took its lumps in the abbreviated 2020-21 spring football season, but that did little to temper the Crusaders’ enthusiasm going forward. Growing pains are part of the process. St. Mary’s won only one of its four games and allowed 52.3 points per game in its three setbacks. However, starters return to 16 of the 22 offensive and defensive positions, and although the Crusaders will still be on the young side — quarterback Eli Haynes and running back/linebacker Beau Aldrich are the lone seniors — they’ve gained valuable exposure to varsity play. “We’re a young team this year, really,” said head coach Jamie Young, entering his 12th season, “and we’re a team that will have some younger guys get some experience. I think that’s really going to put us in a great spot down the road. It’s a good group of kids, and we’re excited to get back on a normal football-type schedule.”
a concern, but the offseason workout turnout proved encouraging. “We got everything that we wanted to installed, in terms of our offensive and defensive schemes,” said Young. “We had a great turnout of kids. We have some low numbers, but we got them all there this summer, got them in the weight room and did our work on the field.” Now it’s a matter of bringing the pieces together on Friday nights. The offense could be characterized as a thunder-and-lightning show. Bruising running back Aldrich is sure to impart a few headaches to opposing defenders, and when gains need to be made through the air, Haynes showed last season he can strike quickly. Aldrich is 6-foot-1, 245 pounds, ANDY ATKINSON / MAIL TRIBUNE considerably bigger than most of the St. Mary’s quarterback Eli Haynes is one of the Crusaders’ most experienced players and only defensive players he’ll encounter. one of two seniors on this season’s roster. “We have the ability to do some As with most teams, St. Mary’s camp, in Astoria, with the time it can things with Beau at running back that schedule was interrupted by a reshaped spend in pads and gets a good dress are exciting and very unique to what OSAA calendar that had high school rehearsal in July. we’ve had in previous years,” said winter sports stretching into early “In that sense, (summer preparation) Young, recalling the likes of recent, summer. That prevented the Crusad- was significantly different,” said Young. smaller ball carriers Gavin Rajagopal, ers from participating in a team camp That and lower than usual player Brady Eiler and Will Heycke. they’d attended for a decade. numbers — a byproduct of a school year SEE ST. MARY’S, 25 St. Mary’s typically coordinates the dealing with COVID-19 — were initially
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