THE COURIER WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2016 T19

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2 T20 NORTH BALTIMORE Bishop KEY TO THE SEASON Brian OFFENSE According to running back Taylor Bishop: Just capitalize on every drive. Every drive at least get into field goal range, or put six up. We had too many drives last year where we stalled out at the 40. DEFENSE According to free safety Noah Brian: Stop the run more than the pass. We re putting in more coverages and we need to stick to our gap assignments and have everyone flying to the football LEADERS PASSING ATT COMP YDS TD INT Rader , RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Bishop 236 1, RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Watson Brian DEPTH CHART By BRANDON SHRIDER STAFF WRITER NORTH BALTIMORE Finish drives. Finish games. Finish seasons. Finish everything, as North Baltimore s first-year football coach Jeff Weber would say. The last couple years we ve had good starts, 4-2 both years, but we have to finish. That second half, we have to start over like it s a new season and really finish strong, he said. We get into lulls in the middle of the game sometimes where we start stalling on offense; we have to get rid of those. We have to be consistent from first quarter to fourth quarter, and finish, finish everything. Despite four wins in the first monthand-a-half each of the past two seasons the Tigers only have a pair of 5-5 records to show for it. Whether the issue is mental or physical, if the Tigers want a chance at a Blanchard Valley Conference title or a playoff berth, figuring it out must be top priority. We have to get over the hump. The 5-5 hump, Weber said. We have a hump in the middle of the season the last two years that s been killer to us... we have to get over that. QB Brady Rader So HB Taylor Bishop Sr WR Noah Brian Sr WR Jimmy Smith Sr WR Chase Naugle Jr WR David Patterson Jr T Garrett Carles Jr T Gage Carles Sr G Bryce Gunter Jr G Hunter Wymer Jr C Alex Snyder So OFFENSIVE UNIT Tigers look to get over hump of.500 record QB David Patterson Jr HB Kole Wymer Jr WR Tyler Durfey So WR Levi Gazarek Fr WR Adam Flores Jr T Jacob Crawford So G Owen Stewart Jr G Brayden Holloway Fr C Harley Cole So KENT TARBOX / for The Courier NORTH BALTIMORE S GAGE CARLES, right, works on chucking off blocker Brendon Cotterman during practice drills in early August. It starts with physicality. With inexperience along the offensive line and small stature defensively, Weber wants his team to embrace contact. Physicality. Across the board, offensive line, defensive line, he said. And defensively, we have to tackle. We couldn t stop the run to save our lives last year. If we tackle we ll be OK, if we go back to our old way we re going to be in trouble again. The Tigers had a plus-37 scoring margin in the season s first six games a year ago, even including its 51-0 loss to Van Buren, but sported a minus-eight margin in the final four games. The offense will be pivotal in flipping the script this season. Despite a 26.4 points per game scoring average for the season, the Tigers were winless (0-4) in games in which they scored two touchdowns or fewer. In games which they scored more than DE Taylor Bishop Sr DE Garrett Carles Jr DT Alex Snyder So DT Bryce Gunter Jr WLB Hunter Wymer Jr MLB Gage Carles Sr SLB Jimmy Smith Sr CB Chase Naugle Jr CB Adam Flores Jr FS Noah Brian Sr SS Kole Wymer Jr DEFENSIVE UNIT See TIGERS, Page T32 DE Jacob Crawford So DT Tyler Schwartz So WLB David Patterson Jr MLB Owen Stewart Jr SLB Clayton Heineman Fr CB Tyler Durfey So CB Kole Wymer Jr FS Levi Gazarek Fr SS Adam Flores Jr QUICK FACTS COACH: Jeff Weber (1st year). LAST YEAR: 5-5 overall, 1-4 Blanchard Valley Conference Valley Division. LAST LEAGUE TITLE: 1995 in Midland Athletic League. OFFENSIVE SCHEME: Spread. DEFENSIVE SCHEME: 4-3. STRENGTHS: Athleticism. With experience and leadership at every offensive skill position the Tigers should have no problems executing the spread offense putting up points in bunches. And Weber with bell cow senior running back Taylor Bishop back after leading the Blanchard Valley Conference in rushes a year ago, they should be able to keep the defense fresh. WEAKNESSES: Trenches. The offensive line has just two seniors and just two guys weighing north of 200 pounds. North Baltimore may be able to get by because of the spread style of offense, but getting the tough yards may be a struggle. GRIDIRON GURU North Baltimore s spread offense had its ups and downs a year ago, but with experience and talent back at every skill position the Tigers figure to keep their side of the scoreboard busy on Friday nights. But can the defense hold up for four quarters and can the offense stay consistent and maintain long drives to keep the defense fresh? It remains to be seen, but if it can North Baltimore has set itself up for another 5-5 season at worst and maybe an outside shot at a BVC title at best. owens.edu

3 NORTH BALTIMORE T21 Levi Gazarek (1), Bryant Matthes (2), David Patterson (3), Adam Flores (4), Chase Naugle (5), Noah Brian (7), Brady Rader (10), Taylor Bishop (12), Jimmy Smith (13), Tyler Durfey (20), Kole Wymer (21), Brendon Cotterman (25), Clayton Heineman (34), Logan Gunter (50), Brandon Biller (51), Jacob Crawford (54), Owen Stewart (55), Hunter Wymer (56), Gage Carles (58), Brayden Holloway (60), Harley Cole (62), Bryce Gunter (65), Kaleb Spence (66), Tyler Schwartz (68), Zach Williams (72), Alex Snyder (74), Garrett Carles (75), Clayton Bowen (82), Gio Greco (84). HEAD COACH Jeff Weber. ASSISTANT COACHES Kevin Hopple, Lane Bishop, Wade Ishmael, Zach Walls, Matt Wymer, Darren Morrison, Mitch Archer SCHEDULE Date Opponent Home/AwayNorth Baltimore August 26 Holgate A September 2 Otsego H 9 Riverdale* H 16 Pandora-Gilboa* A 23 Cory-Rawson* A 30 Van Buren* A October 7 Arlington* H 14 Leipsic* H 21 Arcadia* A 28 Vanlue* H All games 7 p.m. * Blanchard Valley Conference game OsteoStrong Holgate Otsego Leipsic Arcadia 51-6 Van Buren RESULTS RECORD BOOK Riverdale 23-6 Cory-Rawson Pandora-Gilboa Hopewell-Loudon Vanlue 42-6 TIGERS

4 T22 PANDORA-GILBOA Walther KEY TO THE SEASON Stall OFFENSE According to wide receiver Jason Walther: The line will be the key. If we get enough of a push and open up the run game it will help us win games. If we can t, we won t be successful. DEFENSE According to defensive end Gunner Stall: Our speed and mobility will be key to our blitz call. We re planning on going all out, because we don t have much size this year. Our smarts and speed will be key LEADERS PASSING ATT COMP YDS TD INT Breece RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Hovest Z. Traxler RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Nofziger Walther Young DEPTH CHART By TED RADICK STAFF WRITER PANDORA Christopher Myers makes no bones about it. The Pandora-Gilboa coach says 5-5 isn t good enough. That s how the Rockets finished a season ago, as P-G went into Week 10 with a chance to make the postsesaon but fell short with a loss to Van Buren. There were some mitigating circumstances. Pandora-Gilboa had just three seniors in 2015, and only two of them started. This year s group had an accelerated learning curve and should be much the better for it in We have 10 letterwinners back, Myers said. Hopefully, they re one year older and a little more mature. They understand the game a little bit better and hopefully we can improve on that record. Quarterback Jared Breece typifies the average Rocket. Due to injury, he was forced into a starting role as a freshman. Breece didn t embarrass himself he threw for 770 yards but returns this year much more accustomed to the speed of the game. Breece has worked really hard, Myers said. He got thrown into the QB Jared Breece So RB Zane Traxler Sr WR Carter Nofziger Jr WR Austin Niese So WR A.J. Marinelli Sr WR Riley Larcom So T Joey Luttfring Jr T Ethan Steiner Jr G Gage Hovest So G Zeb George So C Kyle Verhoff Sr K Matheus Martins Sr OFFENSIVE UNIT Rockets must play physical along the lines QB Josh Wauters Jr RB Peyton Traxler So WR Josh Wauters Jr WR Travis Maag So WR Jason Walther Sr TE/H Gunner Stall Sr OL Andrew Buess Jr KENT TARBOX / for The Courier PANDORA-GILBOA S JOEY LUTTFRING, center, works against Andrew Buess, left, and Gage Hovest in blocking drills during an August practice. DEFENSIVE UNIT fire through no fault of his own. Guys got hurt. Was he ready to go in? No. Did he do the best he could? Absolutely. He s worked hard in the offseason and the spring. He s developed as a quarterback tremendously, I m excited to see what he can do. Last year, he couldn t make some of the throws and wasn t really comfortable in the position. Now, he knows what to expect. Breece has plenty of returning teammates to lean on. Both offensive tackles, juniors Joey Luttfring (5-foot-11, 185 pounds) and Ethan Steiner (6-2, 185) are back, as is senior center Kyle Verhoff (6-2, 240). Sophomores Gage Hovest (5-7, 210) and Zeb George (6-0, 220) will play guard. I m most comfortable in their understanding of the game, said Myers, who doubles as the position coach along the offensive and defen- DE Ethan Steiner Jr DE Gunner Stall Sr DT Joey Luttfring Jr DT Zeb George So OLB Zane Traxler Sr OLB Austin Niese So MLB Riley Larcom So CB A.J. Marinelli Sr CB Josh Wauters Jr FS Carter Nofziger Jr SS Jason Walther Sr P Dallas Hilvers Jr See ROCKETS, Page T32 DL Hayden Blank So DL Gage Hovest So DL Kyle Verhoff Sr DL Dallas Hilvers Jr LB Peyton Traxler So LB Walker Macke Fr DB Jared Breece So DB Travis Maag So QUICK FACTS COACH: Christopher Myers (3rd, 11-10). LAST YEAR: 5-5 overall, 2-3 Blanchard Valley Conference Valley Division. LAST BVC TITLE: OFFENSIVE SCHEME: Spread. DEFENSIVE SCHEME: 4-3. STRENGTHS: Seven starters are back on offense and eight return on defe n s e. Quarterback Jared Breece had to step in as a freshman last season, and he s a year bigger and smarter. Defensive ends Myers Gunner Stall and Ethan Steiner are back, as are all four members of the secondary. WEAKNESSES: The Rockets are small, with just two players on the roster weighing 220 pounds or more. With 27 healthy players on the team entering the season, depth is a concern; any injury could take away a contributor on both sides of the ball. GRIDIRON GURU A young Rockets team still managed a.500 season last year, and now those players are a year stronger and, hopefully, smarter. A nonconference slate that features rival Columbus Grove and Divison V Marion Pleasant, an 11-1 team two years ago, will tell us in a hurry what type of team P-G can and will be.

5 PANDORA-GILBOA T23 Ryan Lee (1), Peyton Traxler (2), Dallas Hilvers (5), Walker Macke (6), Josh Wauters (8), Carter Nofziger (9), Matheus Martins (9), Jared Breece (10), Austin Niese (12), Riley Larcom (13), Travis Maag (14), Brad Wentz (16), Isaac Stall (17), Austin Miller (18), A.J. Marinelli (21), Jason Walther (22), Philip Manikov (23), Zane Traxler (24), Gunner Stall (34), Tom Schulte (36), Brennen Morman (51), Andrew Buess (52), Kyle Verhoff (53), Zeb George (54), Hayden Blank (55), Joey Luttfring (60), Gage Hovest (62), Ethan Steiner (74), Brandon Morales (75), Zach Duling (77). HEAD COACH Christopher Myers. ASSISTANT COACHES Nate Westenbarger, Kevan Westenbarger, Matt Hershey SCHEDULE Date Opponent Home/AwayPandora-Gilboa August 26 Columbus Grove A September 2 Marion Pleasant A 9 Arlington* A 16 North Baltimore* H 23 Leipsic* H 30 Vanlue* A October 7 Liberty-Benton* A 14 Hopewell-Loudon* H 21 McComb* H 28 Cory-Rawson* A All games 7 p.m. * Blanchard Valley Conference game Columbus Grove 6-36 McComb 0-41 Riverdale 14-6 Cory-Rawson 35-0 Leipsic RESULTS RECORD BOOK Hopewell-Loudon 7-28 Vanlue 56-0 North Baltimore Arcadia Van Buren 8-34 ROCKETS

6 T24 RIVERDALE Davis KEY TO THE SEASON McKee OFFENSE According to quarterback Tristian Davis: We just need to do our jobs, not try to do too much. Just do the simple things. I ve got my reads worked on this offseason, so we should be a lot better in the air. DEFENSE According to strong safety Evan McKee: We have to stick to our responsibilities both in the air and on the ground to make sure everyone is doing the right thing, we re in the right spots LEADERS PASSING ATT COMP YDS TD INT Davis , RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Davis 217 1, Ai. Loveridge McKee RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Hough Ai. Loveridge McKee DEPTH CHART By BRANDON SHRIDER STAFF WRITER MOUNT BLANCHARD As Mark Frey entered his second year as head coach, expectations were the talk of camp for Riverdale football last season. Third time might just be the charm for the Falcons. Frey, now in his third season, returns 18 of 22 starters nine on each side of the ball from last year s 2-8 squad. With a handful of better second halves last season, the Falcons may have been a.500 team. Expectations are very high. Last year we thought we should have had a better team. We lost three or four games that we probably could ve won, Frey said. We were in it at halftime, or ahead at halftime. So with everybody back now it s like, hey, you ve gotten that out of the way, now it s time to put the wins on the board. The.500 threshold would be a huge step for Frey s program; the Falcons haven t met that mark since the 2010 season. That would be huge for our program. We haven t gotten to.500 in QB Tristian Davis Sr HB Aidan Loveridge Jr HB Braxton Sowers Sr WR Dustin Miller Sr WR Evan McKee Sr TE Noah Hough Sr T Garrett Craine Jr T Dylan Vanderpool Sr G Wyatt Thacker Sr G Dakota Gray Sr C Ethan Hayes Jr K Griffin Cole Sr OFFENSIVE UNIT Falcons have 18 starters back from 2015 QB Alec Loveridge So HB Justyn Scott So HB Wayne Frey Jr WR Gage Murphy So WR Cody Mason Jr OL Aiden Vent So K Matthew Mason Fr MATTHIAS LEGUIRE / for The Courier RIVERDALE S JUSTIN SCOTT catches a pass and sprints through the Hardin Northern secondary before being downed by Nicholas Bame in a July 7-on-7 scrimmage. a long time and so our guys, most of their goal sheets say.500, some of them want to be better and get to November, Frey said. But, definitely, with this being my third year, our install was very short this year, everyone remembered the plays and we were ready to go since August 1. Now it is all about Xs and Os for the experienced Falcons. After taking a step forward on DEFENSIVE UNIT defense last season and finishing the year allowing an average of 28.3 points per game a touchdown away from finishing in the top half of the Blanchard Valley Conference Frey expects his team to take yet another step forward. Every year, you re just trying to get statistically better, he said. The wins will come with that. I think when DE Aidan Loveridge Jr DE Trysten Mix Fr DT Noah Hough Sr DT Dakota Gray Sr OLB Braxton Sowers Sr MLB Ethan Hayes Jr OLB Seth McElree So CB Dustin Miller Sr CB Gage Murphy So FS Tristian Davis Sr SS Evan McKee Sr P Tristian Davis Sr See FALCONS, Page T32 DE Wyatt Thacker Sr DE Anthany Leonard Fr DT Ellis Sampson Jr DT Sabastian Farthing Jr CB Wayne Frey Jr S Cody Mason Jr P Dustin Miller Sr QUICK FACTS COACH: Mark Frey (3rd year, 5-15). LAST YEAR: 2-8 overall, 1-4 Blanchard Valley Conference Blanchard Division. LAST LEAGUE TITLE: 1991 in the North Central Conference. OFFENSIVE SCHEME: 2-back Multiple. DEFENSIVE SCHEME: 4-3. STRENGTHS: Experience. The Falcons return 18 starters and will start just two sophomores, one on each side of the ball. Senior quarterback Tristian Davis has two senior wideouts, a Frey senior tight end and three seniors across the offensive line in what could be one of the more explosive offenses in the Blanchard Valley Conference this season. WEAKNESSES: Size. While Riverdale does have respectable height at a bevy of positions, they only have two players on the offensive line heavier than 200 pounds and just one such player on the defensive line. GRIDIRON GURU When a team returns 18 starters and its head coach is back for a third season, good things are bound to happen. There was excitement around the program a year ago, but an inability to finish games stymied the Falcons. But the excitement is back again this year and the top of the depth chart is littered with seniors. If the passing game becomes more efficient and the defense maintains its effectiveness in the second half, Riverdale could see that spark it hoped for last season. Have a Season

7 R I V ER DA LE T25 Tristian Davis (1), Matthew Mason (2), Braxton Sowers (3), Dustin Miller (4), Max Morris (5), Gage Murphy (6), Griffin Cole (9), Alec Loveridge (11), Justyn Scott (12), Noah Hough (13), Miles Frey (14), Clay Young (18), Anthany Leonard (19), Kacey Kramer (20), Seth McElree (21), Wayne Frey (22), Dylan Hunt (23), Thane Gallegos (24), John Rymarczyk (25), Caleb McCoy (26), Chad Beekman (27), Chase Southward (28), Aidan Loveridge (33), Evan McKee (45), Dakota Gray (50), Garrett Craine (51), Aiden Vent (54), Dustin Tanner (56), Ethan Hayes (58), Jase Lauck (60), Zach Himes (63), Derek Kleman (65), Dylan Vanderpool (66), Zack Koehler (67), Josh Wilkins (68), Ellis Sampson (70), Colton Rau (71), Sabastian Farthing (73), Wyatt Thacker (75), Cody Mason (86), Trysten Mix (88). HEAD COACH Mark Frey. ASSISTANT COACHES Levi Brown, Pete Brunow, Seth Frey, Pete Jackel, Brad McKee, Travis Valdez, Jon Wells SCHEDULE Date Opponent Home/Away August 26 Waynesfield-Goshen September 2 Plymouth 9 North Baltimore* 16 Vanlue* 23 Liberty-Benton* 30 Cory-Rawson* October 7 McComb* 14 Arcadia* 21 Van Buren* 28 Hopewell-Loudon* All games 7 p.m. * Blanchard Valley Conference game *2 )$/&216 *DPH 21 5LVH WR WKH &KDOOHQJH A A A H H H A A H A Riverdale FALCONS 2015 RESULTS Carey Cardington Lincoln Pandora-Gilboa McComb Arlington $LLA )R@H #>I@LKP North Baltimore Liberty-Benton Vanlue Cory-Rawson Arcadia.DVDL 1RUWK $PHULFD,QF 1 :DUSROH 6W 8SSHU 6DQGXVN\ 2+ RECORD BOOK ( 6DQGXVN\ 6W _ 6HUYLQJ 1 : 2KLR VLQFH &NNC KTBJ %@KBNMR` #OLJ )*/ =& OYdc]j Kl& Mhh]j KYf\mkcq$ G@,++-) j]_afyn]flj]ydlqdd[&[ge 0EBIALK $>P 1/!RKHFOH,% :RUOG FODVV PDQXIDFWXULQJ VLWH IRU FRPSOH[ LQWHULRU FRPSRQHQWV IRXQG LQ VRPH RI WRGD\ V PRVW SRSXODU DXWRPRELOHV DQG 689 V *2 216 ) $/& owens.edu

8 T26 Adolph KEY TO THE SEASON Go Black Knights! siferds.com Fasone OFFENSE According to quarterback Riley Adolph: We re looking to spread it out a lot more than we have in the past because we have a lot more speed than size. We will probably pass a little more than in the past few years and just really try to get the ball to our athletes. DEFENSE According to safety Braxton Fasone: We have a lot of athletes on our team, so we re hoping that we can take advantage of that and get some interceptions and fumble recoveries and get to the quarterback really quick LEADERS PASSING ATT COMP YDS TD INT Adolph , RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD DeVore 206 1, Foltz RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Brand Bell DEPTH CHART By SCOTT COTTOS STAFF WRITER VAN BUREN After leaving Arcadia following four years as head coach, Pat Gehrisch was all set to settle in as an assistant to Kevin Shoup at Van Buren. Then in June, Shoup accepted an administrative position in the Findlay school system and Gehrisch was asked to step in as interim head coach. In some ways I was looking forward to not being a head coach and just stepping back and coaching for a few years, but when the opportunity presented itself it was a no-brainer, Gehrisch said. That s easy to understand, as he takes the helm of a revitalized Black Knights program that has been in the Division VI playoffs the past two seasons and has reason to believe that another strong campaign is at hand. I think the pieces are in place to compete to be one of the elite teams in the (Blanchard Valley) conference again, Gehrisch said. Besides winning a second consecutive BVC Valley Division title last season with a 5-0 record, Van Buren downed Gibsonburg and Delta QB Riley Adolph Sr RB Jacob Leal Jr WR Tyler Saltzman Sr WR Braxton Fasone Sr WR Codi Leonard Jr WR Brandon Bell Sr T Jared Zimmerman Sr T Clay Noblit Jr G Tanner Schroer Sr G Brendan Roszman Jr C Matthew Iliff Jr K Thomas Piccirillo So OFFENSIVE UNIT Large senior class back for Black Knights QB Brandon Bell Sr RB Khail Fasone Jr T Bobby McGough So T Reece Young So G Austin Hutchison Jr G Brandon Klausing So C A.J. Overmyer Fr Township Road 14, Van Buren VA N BU R EN MATTHIAS LEGUIRE / for The Courier VAN BUREN DEFENSIVE LINEMAN Kevin Beal, center, works his way through the offensive line to force a fumble at an early August practice. in the first two rounds of the playoffs before falling to Tinora in the Region 20 championship game and finishing with a 9-4 overall mark. The Black Knights graduated top rusher Nick DeVore (1,463 yards, 18 touchdowns), leading receiver Marcus Brand (38 catches, seven TDs) and several players from both the offensive and defensive lines. But with quarterback Riley Adolph and wide receiver/ safety Braxton Fasone leading a group of 11 seniors, Gehrisch feels comfortable with what he s inherited. They re great kids, Gehrisch said. They re very coachable. They work very, very hard. They re smart. They ve welcomed me with open arms. They re great kids on and off the field. They re respectful, which is what you expect. I had most of those traits in my kids at Arcadia, too. It was just a difference in mindset and trying to get over that hump to get to DE Matthew Iliff Jr DE Clay Noblit Jr DT Tanner Schroer Sr DT Jayden Foltz Sr LB Brandon Bell Sr LB Codi Leonard Jr LB Khail Fasone Jr CB Brady Dietrick Sr CB Jacob Beal Jr S Tyler Saltzman Sr S Braxton Fasone Sr P Justin Parker Sr DEFENSIVE UNIT See KNIGHTS, Page T32 DE Jared Zimmerman Sr DE Reece Young So DT Trevor Wolford Jr DT Brendan Roszman Fr LB Brock Thomas Jr LB Drew Odenweller Fr CB Kyle Hoyng So CB Nicholas Beitzel Jr S Bryce Smith Jr S Justin Parker Sr QUICK FACTS COACH: Pat Gehrisch (1st year). LAST YEAR: 9-4 overall, 5-0 Blanchard Valley Conference Valley Division. LAST LEAGUE TITLE: OFFENSIVE SCHEME: Spread. DEFENSIVE SCHEME: 4-3. STRENGTHS: Van Buren s schemes haven t changed much with much of former coach Kevin Shoup s staff returning to assist new head man Pat Gehrisch, so there s plenty of continuity among veteran Gehrisch players. Quarterback Riley Adolph is one of the best in the area and will be able to throw to plenty of fine receivers. WEAKNESSES: The Black Knights main concerns are up front, where a number of new faces dot both the offensive and defensive lines, so naturally there are some question marks. Van Buren will be more pass-oriented this year, but it will need some help from the ground game after the graduation of standout running back Nick DeVore. GRIDIRON GURU Although Van Buren has a new head coach in Pat Gehrisch, the players were able to hit the ground running with very much the same system. If a greater emphasis on the passing game works, the Black Knights will be difficult to stop. A somewhat rebuilt offensive line will have to keep quarterback Riley Adolph upright and a largely new defensive line will have to hold its own for Van Buren to stay among the Blanchard Valley Conference s best.

9 VA N BU R EN T27 Tyler Saltzman (1), Brady Dietrick (2), Thomas Piccirillo (3), Riley Adolph (4), Aaron Clark (5), Braxton Fasone (6), Codi Leonard (7), Nicholas Beitzel (8), Rickey Reed (9), Kaleb Snodgrass (10), Justin Parker (11), Jacob Leal (12), Bryce Smith (14), Khail Fasone (15), Landon Forsyth (16), Jacob Risner (17), Cody Word (21), Jayden Foltz (22), Koby Fultz (23), Ethan Ring (25), Jaiden Lopez (28), Dakota Feasel (29), Brandon Bell (32), Kyle Hoyng (33), Nathan Williamson (36), Kevin Beal (44), Riley Simons (45), Brendan Roszman (50), Matthew Iliff (51), Danny Vanatta (52), Clay Noblit (53), Tanner Schroer (54), Scot Marshall (55), Makade Maier (56), Reece Young (59), Tyler Lambert (60), Drew Odenweller (62), Trevor Wolford (63), Wyatt Schlaeppi (64), Austin Hutchinson (65), Ron Koenke (66), Cory Noblit (68), Grant Conley (70), Brandon Klausing (71), Bobby McGough (72), Kurt Kuhlman (73), A.J. Overmyer (76), Preston Brabham (77), Jared Zimmerman (78), Calend Wise (79), Cade Whitticar (82), Brock Thomas (85), Payten Franks (88). HEAD COACH Pat Gehrisch. Van Buren 2016 SCHEDULE Date Opponent Home/Away August 26 Allen East A September 2 Bluffton H 9 Vanlue* H 16 Liberty-Benton* A 23 Hopewell-Loudon* H 30 North Baltimore* H October 7 Cory-Rawson* A 14 McComb* A 21 Riverdale* A 28 Arcadia* H All games 7 p.m. * Blanchard Valley Conference game Allen East Bluffton McComb 0-34 Arlington 20-7 North Baltimore BLACK KNIGHTS 2015 RESULTS RECORD BOOK Vanlue 40-6 Leipsic Hopewell-Loudon 45-0 Liberty-Benton 17-3 Pandora-Gilboa 34-8 PLAYOFF GAMES Gibsonburg Delta Tinora

10 T28 VA NLUE Biller KEY TO THE SEASON Creager OFFENSE According to quarterback Andrew Biller: I think that as long as we do our assignments and everybody executes the plays as they re supposed to, then we have a lot more potential this year. DEFENSE According to defensive lineman Quin Creager: The defensive line has to do their job, plug up the gaps so the linebackers can make the plays. We have to be the leaders of the defense LEADERS PASSING ATT COMP YDS TD INT Cornette RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Kline Price DEPTH CHART By BRANDON SHRIDER STAFF WRITER VANLUE High school football games are 48 minutes long, but Vanlue will be looking to shorten that this season. The scoreboard clock will not read any less than 12-minute quarters, but when the Wildcats have the ball the key will be to take their time, run the ball and keep the clock ticking. Whenever we have the ball we want to try to slow things down, run the clock, and get first downs, Vanlue head coach Jeremy Kloepfer, in the first year of his second stint as the Wildcats coach, said of the team s focus this year. If we can get enough first downs, then maybe we can talk about upping that point total at the end of the season. Vanlue scored 50 points across 10 games last season with just a 14-player roster. The Wildcats expect this year to be different and it begins with an increased roster size to 17. Despite losing their starting quarterback, would-be-senior Garrett Cornette, who did not return to the team, QB Andrew Biller Sr RB JJ Miller Jr RB Treg Price Jr WR Lake Sunderhaus Jr WR AJ Reed Sr T Braydon Saltzman So T Jacob Kloepfer Jr G Logan Current So G Troy Ward Jr C Quin Creager Sr TE Caleb Bonham Jr K AJ Reed Sr OFFENSIVE UNIT Wildcats have impressive size on lines QB Troy Ward Jr RB Xavier Temple Fr RB AJ Reed Sr WR Reed Davis Jr WR Riley Okuley So T Julius Kloepfer Fr G Caleb Bonham Jr C Troy Ward Jr TE Lake Sunderhaus Jr K Caleb Bonham Jr MATTHIAS LEGUIRE / for The Courier VANLUE LINEBACKER TREG PRICE gets his pre-snap read against Hardin Northern in a July 7-on-7 scrimmage. and starting running back Levi Kline to graduation, their sights remain set on a step forward. Yeah, we have to replace some guys, but every team has to do that, Kloepfer said. It s just they usually have about 30 guys to pick from and we have 18, 17. But it s still 11 on 11. The offensive line will be a big factor, figuratively and literally, in taking that step. That s going to be the strength for sure. With returning guys you have Caleb Bonham (6-foot-3, 225 pounds), Jacob Kloepfer (6-2, 260), Troy Ward (6-2, 215) and Quin Creager (6-0, 245), Kloepfer said. There s some decent size there and they re giving the effort to correct the little things and trying to get better everyday. Creager will be the senior leader of the line; Bonham, Kloepfer and Ward DT Caleb Bonham Jr NG Quin Creager Sr DT Jacob Kloepfer Jr LB JJ Miller Jr LB Logan Current So LB Treg Price Jr LB Lake Sunderhaus Jr CB Riley Okuley So SS AJ Reed Sr FS Andrew Biller Sr CB Xavier Temple Fr P AJ Reed Sr DEFENSIVE UNIT See WILDCATS, Page T33 DT Troy Ward Jr NG Braydon Saltzman So LB Troy Ward Jr LB AJ Reed Sr CB Reed Davis Jr SS Dawson Beck Fr FS Carter Lamb Fr P Treg Price Jr owens.edu QUICK FACTS COACH: Jeremy Kloepfer (1st year). LAST YEAR: 0-10 overall, 0-5 Blanchard Valley Conference Valley Division. LAST LEAGUE TITLE: None. OFFENSIVE SCHEME: I-formation. DEFENSIVE SCHEME: 4-3. STRENGTHS: Rushing attack. With size and experience up front, the Wildcats expect to run the ball often and run the ball well. The same experience is present Kloepfer along the defensive line which should help boast a respectable front seven. WEAKNESSES: Depth. With just 17 players on the roster, a first-year quarterback and a few senior leaders now gone, Vanlue will be relying on some new faces to step into new positions and make an immediate impact. GRIDIRON GURU The saying is you can t teach size. Well, Vanlue has about as much size as any team in the Blanchard Valley Conference this season. This bodes well for a team that will feature an I-formation and a run-heavy offense. However, with new starters at both quarterback and running back and just 17 players on the roster, the Wildcats will need to rely heavily on their big guys trenches and keep their fingers crossed that the players remain relatively healthy. Effort shouldn t be an issue in the Lue, but stamina stands in the way of Vanlue s first win since We Support You Wildcats! Go Team Go from your friends at: GG s Corner Restaurant 300 Buffalo St. Vanlue

11 VA NLUE T29 AJ Reed (2), Reed Davis (3), Andrew Biller (5), Lake Sunderhaus (7), Riley Okuley (9), Xavier Temple (10), Caleb Bonham (17), Carter Lamb (21), JJ Miller (25), Dawson Beck (28), Treg Price (35), Quin Creager (50), Jacob Kloepfer (52), Troy Ward (54), Logan Current (55), Julius Kloepfer (57), Braydon Saltzman (73). HEAD COACH Jeremy Kloepfer. ASSISTANT COACHES Nick Jacobs, Randy Phillips, Mark Price, Lee Summers, Jady Snyder. Vanlue Date Opponent Home/Away August 26 Danbury H September 3 St. Wendelin A 9 Van Buren* A 16 Riverdale* A 23 Arcadia* H 30 Pandora-Gilboa* H October 7 Leipsic* A 14 Cory-Rawson* H 21 Arlington* H 28 North Baltimore* A All games 7 p.m. * Blanchard Valley Conference game 2016 SCHEDULE Ridgemont Chillicothe Southeastern 6-28 Arcadia Hopewell-Loudon 0-54 Cory-Rawson 2-38 Have a great Season! Vanlue Carryout 417 Buffalo St. Vanlue WILDCATS GO WILDCATS Good Luck from your FRUTH S Sugarhouse, Greenhouse & Floral Shop CR 169 Vanlue RESULTS RECORD BOOK Van Buren 6-40 Pandora-Gilboa 0-56 Riverdale 0-28 Leipsic 8-47 North Baltimore WE SUPPORT WILDCAT FOOTBALL! BROOKS TRUCK REPAIR

12 T30 PREP FOOTBALL Arlington Continued from page T6 His top receiving targets include Ben Slough (5-9, 174), Evan O Rear (5-8, 163) and Caleb Price (6-2, 168). Joining Crawford in the backfield will be Logan Speyer, a pound converted second-team all-bvc offensive tackle. Speyer, a University of Miami (Ohio) commit, is an athlete that McGrain thinks can be a matchup problem for other teams. He s going to be one of those kids we re going to need to get the ball to, McGrain said. McGrain was able to make the move because the Red Devils have six other returning letterwinners on the offensive line. Those include tackles Justin Sheldon (6-0, 178) and Nate Sheets (6-0, 265), guards Drew Begg (5-9, 181) and Nathan Russell (5-11, 156), and center Nathan Insley (5-10, 192) as the starters. Gage Beck, who ran for 281 yards and four touchdowns, will start at fullback. They re hungry to stay on blocks and get where they need to be, McGrain said of the offensive line. We don t necessarily have the size that we ve had in the past, but it s an aggressive group. Aggressive has also been synonymous with Arlington s 30 base defense. The Red Devils were second in the Eagles Continued from page T14 it would be, but now it comes down to making good decisions, taking care of the offense and not putting our defense in bad positions. Junior Justin Risner and senior Nick Burner return at wide receiver, as does running back Jon Sadler, who rushed for 355 yards and 7.9 yards per carry as a freshman. In a new look for L-B, senior Clay Lenhart joins the backfield in a two-back set. It s just a few little tweaks and we ll probably be under center a bit more, Nichols said. We think that suits our personnel the best. The defense also gets a new look as L-B transitions away from its usual 4-3 to a 3-5 front. For years, we were able to stay in our 4-3 and put some nice defensive ends down, Nichols said. We were comfortable with it. We ve gotten to a point, again, where our personnel doesn t suit that, so we ll we a threeman defensive front. Seniors Brad Baird (5-11, 247), Cristian Garcia (5-8, 154) and James Chandler (5-9, 186) will man the front. BVC with 16 interceptions, taking two to the house for touchdowns. Speyer led the team with 61 tackles, 14 for loss, at defensive tackle and was second team all-northwest Ohio for his efforts. Russell and Begg each were thirdteam all-bvc selections on the defensive line. Russell (52 tackles, 9 tackles for loss) will start at defensive tackle next to senior Colton Kidd (5-8, 175) at nose guard. Begg will move to inside linebacker with Insley while O Rear and Devin Plunkett (5-10, 179) will be the middle linebackers. Beck and Slough will start at cornerback with Price and Crawford manning the safety positions. We put our defense into some bad spots earlier in the year and they responded, keeping us in some games last year, McGrain said. We need to make sure we re moving the chains, getting first downs and just able to execute on offense. Arlington s schedule features seven teams that finished.500 or better last year with three making the playoffs. The Red Devils were 1-6 against such teams last season. However this Arlington squad is much more experienced and has 10 seniors to lean on. We re pretty up front and honest with them and telling (the seniors)... this is going to be how you re going to be remembered, McGrain said. Wolf, , andywolf@thecourier.com Lenhart (5-10, 170) leads a linebacking corps that includes seniors Jacob Nichols and Sam Bell, junior Conner Johannigman and Sadler. There will be a lot of things happening at the snap of the ball, Nichols said. That s caused us some issues on offense before; it really makes your linemen sit and think. That s what we re trying to get accomplished with our 3-5. They re not huge kids, but they all run pretty well. We ll have to find out if they can be physical enough in the run game. Risner and returning starter Conor Greer will play cornerback, and Burner will man the safety spot. A lot of people have been moved around, Nichols said. Coverage-wise, we feel pretty good but we have to hunker down and stop the run game. The cornerbacks have physically matured, but even more so they ve mentally matured. Nichols is ready to get the year started and to see where the Eagles are at. We have a lot of guys with game experience but not a lot guys who have had to play primary roles, he said. We have to see if they re willing to embrace those primary roles, and if they do we can have a little fun with this. Radick, , tedradick@thecourier.com Hornets Continued from page T8 The Hornets have 10 letterwinners returning, eight of whom started last year. For the second straight year, the fastest player in the BVC will be Cory- Rawson s starting quarterback. Mason Warnimont, a 6-foot, 195- pound senior who won the 200-meter dash at the OHSAA Division III state track and field meet in June, will be the Hornets signal-caller. Warnimont was effective running the ball last year with 1,023 yards and 13 touchdowns on 146 carries (7.0 yards per carry). However, he completed just 33 percent (41 of 123) of his passes for 542 yards with five touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Warnimont said he s been working on his accuracy and timing with his receivers. Hefner said he feels very comfortable with him touching the ball on every play. Mason, he is athletic, but he also works very, very hard at what he needs Vikings Continued from page T12 Jordan Brown s tackles or Nate Brecht s receptions or Gavin Cupp s presence on offense and defense with a multiple of guys. That s why we stress things like team defense so much. Graduation hit Leipsic s defense hardest in the trenches, especially with the absence of Cupp and Brown. But from there back, Kirkendall has an excellent nucleus of returning veterans, particularly in the secondary in seniors Grant Schroeder (40 tackles) and Nick Schey (35 tackles) and sophomore Cole Rieman (61 tackles). Leipsic picked off a Blanchard Valley Conference-best 18 interceptions last season and Schroeder (5), Rieman (4) and Schey (3) accounted for 12 of them. Junior linebacker Braydon Niese (64 tackles) picked off two passes as well. He ll be joined at linebacker by senior Devin Hiegel (33 tackles) and junior Victor Sanchez (11). Up front, Kirkendall will be counting on senior veterans Hunter Meyer (71 tackles, 4 sacks) and Jordan Berger (33 tackles, 2 1 / 2 sacks, 1 int.). Kirkendall s by-committee approach applies on offense as well, with sophomore quarterback Dylan Schroeder leading the way. Schroeder was expected to spend his freshman year of high school running the JV team, learning the ropes and getting most of his reps in practice. But when the starting spot on the varsity became open, he stepped in and threw for 1,854 yards and 16 touchdowns in helping the Vikings reach the second to do and I think that was pretty obvious during track season, Hefner said. We let him back there (at quarterback) to make good decisions and that s what he s going to do, and he s going to use his athleticism to make big plays for us. The Hornets have experience along the offensive line with three returning starters, including Kisseberth (6-0, 220) and senior tackles Bryce Tuttle (6-6, 230) and Ethan Korpics (6-2, 190). Junior Zerich Magnall (6-1, 240) and freshman Brandon Zuercher (5-8, 175) will start at guard. Our offensive line, again we got some bigger guys. Some of the guys haven t played a whole lot on Friday night before, but we ve been working since camp and they ve stepped right in, Hefner said. They know the plays already so now it s just working on technique. I think with all that working together, offensively there will be some good things. Junior Austin Price (5-9, 155) leads the receiving corps as he showed bigplay potential at wide receiver a year ago. He hauled in eight catches for 125 yards (15.6 yards per catch) and two touchdowns, and had six carries for 105 yards (17.5 yards per carry) and a round of the Division VII playoffs. Now he s one of the veterans on the roster. Twelve games experience is 12 games experience, Kirkendall said. You can just tell by the questions he asks that he has a better understanding of the game of football than you d expect from a sophomore. Operating out of the spread offense, Schroeder did throw 16 interceptions, and was sacked often enough that he ended the season with minus-24 yards rushing. Kirkendall feels a switch to a pro-set system is the natural progression. The scheme of the game is entirely different, Kirkendall said. Our basis is a balanced attack. We want to be able to stretch you sideline to sideline. It s not a long-developing style offense. It s always been based on quickness. touchdown. Defensively, the Hornets allowed 32.7 points per game a year ago. But they have some key pieces back in Hefner s 4-4 defense, especially at linebacker. Tuttle (middle linebacker) led the BVC in total tackles (138), including 55 solo tackles, as he earned second-team all-bvc honors. Juniors Blaine Peterson (also a starting running back, 5-8, 185) and Logan Kempf (6-0, 170) will play outside linebacker, while Kisseberth will round out the linebacking corps. A lot of those guys are seniors and a couple are juniors, and those guys definitely had some experience, Hefner said. We would watch film in the offseason and show whether you re making the right reads or not and that s a huge thing we ve been pushing, and just being aggressive and taking control of the defense. Warnimont returns at safety, while Price is back at corner. Sophomore Kyle Schultz (6-0, 185) will also start at cornerback. Burwell, mikeburwell@thecourier.com It s a timing, precision-oriented system where it s a simple read, before the snap, then it s a quick one, two and the ball comes out. Offsetting the loss of Brecht and Brown is the return of five lettermen receivers Grant Schroeder (21 receptions, 208 yards, 3 TDs), Rieman (16, 159, 2), Hunter Morman (14, 185, 3), Meyer (11, 124, 3) and Schey (7, 64). Sophomore Gavin Lomeli (5-6, 156) and senior Julius Lomeli (5-11, 164) will set up in the backfield. Tackles Berger and Corey Plassman (6-1, 212, jr.) and Hiegel at a guard spot give Leipsic good returning experience on the offensive front. Hanneman, davehanneman@thecourier.com

13 PREP FOOTBALL T31 Panthers Continued from page T16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions a year ago, while rushing for 665 yards and seven touchdowns. He will have his top three running backs with him in the backfield as well. Senior Jake Crouse (6-0, 205) ran for 1,370 yards and 19 touchdowns last year, while junior Corey Swisher (5-9, 165) and sophomore Kheaghan Loe (5-7, 175) combined for more than 900 yards and 16 touchdowns. The three backs, when we rotate Crouse he s just a bruiser, said McComb head coach Kris Alge, who has never had a losing season in his 18 years at McComb (161-51). Kheaghan s sort of a quick (runner) and Swisher, you never know where he s going and he runs full speed. The Panthers have plenty of experience and size on the offensive line, with five senior starters. Mike Cherry (6-5, 296) and Matt Cherry (6-4, 295), who both earned secondteam all-ohio honors, return at tackle, while David Stoepfel (5-11, 233) is back at center. Nicholas McDowell (5-10, 205) and Matt Smith (6-1, 240) round out a line that averages more than 250 pounds per player. Even with the size, Alge said his line needs to be more physical. The Panthers had trouble at times controlling the line of scrimmage against Fort Recovery in last year s playoff loss. Our line needs to be more relentless, and right now, we re not relentless, Alge said. If you re not relentless on the offensive line, we re depending more on our running backs... but if our line s relentless with their size, we ll be pretty good up front. Defensively, the Panthers have five starters back along the front seven. Crouse also earned second-team all- Ohio recognition at linebacker and was the BVC defensive player of the year. He was second on the team with 90 total tackles. Senior Caden Schroeder (5-10, 200), who earned first-team all-bvc honors at defensive back, had a teamhigh 112 tackles and will switch to linebacker. The Cherry twins will play defensive tackle, and senior Austin Boyles (5-11, 205) is back at defensive end. Cam Morris (6-0, 155) returns in the secondary. Although the Panthers have experience at each position, they have big holes to fill both on and off the field, including Noah DeLaCerda. He was the Division VII defensive player of the year and the BVC offensive and defensive lineman of the year. The Panthers also lost nearly their entire wide receiver corps, including Tyler Parker (first team all-bvc), Dakota LaRue (second team all-bvc) and Drew Siferd, who combined for more than 1,400 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. Noah DeLaCerda, (wide receiver/ linebacker) Chas Shoop, they took charge with leadership and Tyler Parker, Dakota LaRue and Austin Davis last year were good leaders, Alge said. Noah was sort of the leader of the group, and I think everybody s sort of looking like who s going to step up (this year)? We ve noticed that everyone s starting to step up. The Panthers open the season Friday with Carey and will seek revenge against powerhouse Marion Local in Week 2. The Panthers season-opening loss to Marion Local was their only regular-season setback a year ago. Burwell, mikeburwell@thecourier.com H-L Continued from page T10 His top target will be senior Trent Ardner (5-10, 155) who hauled in a BVC-best 24.9 yards per catch and turned four of his 18 catches into touchdowns. Another primary target is senior Gauge Sadler (6-1, 162) who Colatruglio puts up there with Ardner as good as any receiver he s had. Juniors Dominic Hedrick (5-7, 155) and Logan St. Clair (6-4, 164) round out the starters at receiver. Sophomore Sam Stickley (5-10, 175) will shoulder the load in the backfield. Stickley is sprinter during the spring on the track and field team, and Colatruglio says he is the most explosive and fastest player on the team. Blocking for Stickley is an offensive line full of game experience. Senior Tristan Molotla (5-8, 200) will anchor at center while junior Alec Bower (6-0, 215) and senior Noah Babcock (6-2, 265) will play guard. Sophomore Donovan Bickelhaupt (6-0, 195) and senior Drew Kurtz (6-0, 180) will be the tackles. Colatruglio s 3-4 scheme is designed to keep everything in front of the defense and limit big plays. Senior Charlie Dell (6-1, 200) and Kurtz will start at defensive end while Brady will anchor at defensive tackle. Seniors Brandon Cichowski (5-9, 170) and Molotla will start at inside linebacker with fellow seniors Ben Hulse (5-9, 175) and Blake Kent (5-7, 160) manning the outside spots. Ardner and Hedrick will man the safety positions with Sadler and St. Clair at the corners. Colatruglio believes being a good football team hinges on the first two games of the season, both on the road, against Tiffin Calvert and Elmwood. The Chieftains won both last year en route to a 5-1 start. Should the Chieftains survive those first two contests, they ll face the daunting task of taking on all four BVC playoff teams McComb, Leipsic, Van Buren and Arlington in consecutive weeks. They lost to all four a year ago, two by a total of three points and the other two by at least 45 points each. The ceiling on this team is pretty high, Colatruglio said. We hope our guys realize that. (The coaches) were looking to see what hand we got dealt and we ve been encouraged by what we have. We re trying to get through to these kids how good they could actually be and you can see the confidence growing. Wolf, , andywolf@thecourier.com

14 T32 PREP FOOTBALL Rockets Continued from page T22 sive fronts. They can tell you what they re supposed to do. We, as a coaching staff, have talked about whether they can physically do what they re supposed to do. We need to increase the physicality. I don t think we ve been physical enough the past two years. We ve been preaching that every day. A deep corps of wideouts returns in the spread offense. Carter Nofziger, who started last season at quarterback before a labrum tear forced a position switch, led the team with 27 receptions for 341 yards. All four starters are back and the rotation has several more experienced players. With the receivers, we use the term starter kind of loosely because it s a versatile group of guys, Myers said. We have some sophomores who stepped up big in the weight room this summer. They re going to be bigger and faster. Senior Zane Traxler will step into the shoes of the graduated Hunter Hovest at tailback. Hovest ran for 946 yards in 2015 and led the Blanchard Valley Conference in the regular season with 15 TDs on the ground. He also led the Rockets with 117 tackles from his outside linebacker spot. Hunter Hovest is going to be hard to replace, Myers said. Defensively, P-G returns experience Tigers Continued from page T20 at nearly every position. Luttfring is back at a defensive tackle, and George will line up there as well. Steiner and senior Gunner Stall (5-9, 185) are back at defensive end. We return both our defensive ends, and we rely heavily on them in the run game and the pass game both, Myers said. There s a lot they have to do, a lot they have to recognize. Traxler is back at an outside linebacker, as is sophomore middle linebacker Riley Larcom (6-2, 175). Sophomore Austin Niese (6-1, 170) will play outside linebacker. Senior A.J. Marinelli and junior Josh Wauters will man cornerback spots. Nofziger and senior Jason Walther are the safeties. All four in the secondary are back from a season ago. With all the experience back comes expectations for the P-G program. Myers noted that the schedule will be harder. This year is totally different after playing the BVC divisional schedule the past two years, he said. This year, we play what I consider to be a much tougher schedule. Making the playoffs will be much tougher, but on the other hand beating one of these good teams could get you in almost single-handedly. We have a heck of an opportunity in front of us, but there can be no letdown. You let down, and you can get beaten and get beaten very badly. Radick, , tedradick@thecourier.com two touchdowns, they were 5-1. Unfortunately our kids play both ways, but there s a different mentality when you re picking up first down after first down. Taking the will away from the other team is huge for us, Weber said. (The offense) should be toward the top again. There should be no reason it isn t, we just have to be consistent. Using the same four-wideout spread offense that North Baltimore featured last season with Weber as offensive coordinator, senior running back Taylor Bishop will still be the offense s focal point. We have to be able to run the ball. When we don t run the ball and we have to throw it 40 times a game, we get into trouble, Weber said. (Taylor) is a workhorse. It makes my job as a first-year head coach so much easier. Just to be able to hand him the ball 30, 40 times a game makes it so much easier than having to find a running back or having a running back by committee. The Tigers will lean on Bishop all season, but the wildcard on which the Tigers season hinges on is the continued maturation of sophomore quarterback Brady Rader. After winning the starting job as a freshman last season, he rewarded the coaches with 1,580 yards and 16 touchdowns, both second in the BVC to McComb s Malachi Abbott. He had the second-most pass attempts in the league with a completion percentage north of 50 percent. He played great for a freshman, it beat our expectations last year by far, Weber said. He s more mature; even a year difference is a huge difference for these kids. You go from a 14-year-old to a 15-year-old, that s huge. And all the game experience has been huge. He has to do more things than he did last year, he has to see things more clearly than he did last year. I m giving him more responsibility already and so far he s handled it very well. Sophomore quarterback or not, the pieces are in place for North Baltimore to ascend into the upper echelon of BVC teams this year its third in the conference and it is not ducking the expectations. If you re not setting your goals high then you re cheating yourself and you re cheating your team. Our goal is a BVC (title) and playoffs, Weber said. Playoffs are our No. 1 goal because if you re not playing for the playoffs then there s no purpose of playing. I think we can do it we just have to, like I said before, get over the hump. Falcons Continued from page T24 you look at our defensive stats they haven t been stellar, and obviously if you re not stopping people you re not winning games. So if defensively, we make the same jump we had last year, we ll see more victories on the board. The offense, which struggled at times as now-senior dual threat quarterback Tristian Davis tossed a BVC-worst 15 interceptions, did improve as the season progressed. Riverdale was one of just five schools in the BVC to average less than 20 points per game (16.6) last season. But this included an 11.3 average over the first seven games, an 0-7 record, and then a 29.0 average and a 2-1 record to end the season. The Falcons are confident that 2016 can be more like the threegame finish from a year ago by creating a winning culture. This starts in practice. We re doing a lot of competitions at the end of practice, like saying this is third-and-long, this is firstand-goal, and trying to create these scenarios with something on the line just so that they get the feeling that it s not OK to lose, Frey said. We re trying to get over the hump there and I think we ve come a long way this offseason. Frey also thinks Davis has come Knights Continued from page T26 winning, to turn the program into a winning one. Here, I tell people I just have to keep from messing up what Kevin started, he said with a smile. You know, he set the bar awfully high here. But the kids know that and know what it takes to get there because they ve been here. Our seniors have been through a couple of years at the beginning when the winning wasn t quite as prevalent as it has been the last two years. They know what it s taken to get there and they re teaching it to the young kids going forward. They want to leave a stamp on their legacy here. Adolph returns to run Van Buren s spread offense after completing 146 of 257 passes for 1,700 yards with 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions and receiving honorable mention all- BVC recognition last season. His No. 2 target of last season, senior wideout Brandon Bell, is back This year we have a lot of returners, but we do have a couple sophomores who are itching to get on the field. If they pass an older guy up (on the depth chart) then we re going to talk about having that inexperience on the field... so I think that might be our biggest issue. after grabbing 33 passes for 459 yards and five touchdowns. We will pass the ball more this year than they probably have in the past because of the receiving corps we have and the quarterback we have, Gehrisch said. Fasone was a first-team all-bvc choice last season and returns to man a safety spot after intercepting seven passes and making 45 tackles. Defensively, we didn t change anything, said Gehrisch, speaking of the Knights 4-3 base. With our group of upperclassmen with their playing experience, I don t have to reteach them, Gehrisch said. That makes it nice. Gehrisch is benefiting from having retained several of Shoup s assistants, giving him a situation in which he doesn t have to coach coaches. I know the 4-3 defense and I know the spread offense, but everybody has their own terminology, so I had to learn the terminology so I can coach the kids, he said. If everything works out the desired way, the Black Knights will meet their goals of winning the BVC title, hosting a first-round playoff RIVERDALE FOOTBALL COACH MARK FREY a long way in his maturation as a passer. We ve honed in on his passing game, made that a little bit better this year, that way he can get guys out of the box and allow himself to have a little bit more opportunity to run the ball, too, Frey said. We were getting teams stacking eight, nine guys in the box to stop Tristian, and if we just hit a pass on them we would have changed the score drastically. Davis, while raw as a passer, finished third in the BVC and led the team in rushing with 1,161 yards and 14 touchdowns on 217 carries. And despite completing the lowest percentage of passes of BVC passers with at least 130 attempts, Davis was one of just three players in the conference to combine for 2,000-plus yards in the air and on the ground. While the offense will continue to run through the 6-1, 175-pound Davis, the Falcons have a pair of running backs, Aidan Loveridge (5-foot- 10, 170 pounds) and Braxton Sowers (5-10, 175) who both run 4.7 to yard dashes. With so many returning players this season, only a handful of starting positions were vacant as camp opened at the start of August. That has not inhibited the underclassmen. This year we have a lot of returners, but we do have a couple sophomores who are itching to get on the field, Frey said. If they pass an older guy up (on the depth chart) then we re going to talk about having that inexperience on the field... so I think that might be our biggest issue. Even with the experience and cohesion, Riverdale is not a BVC front runner, at least not yet. The league is a little bit down from years past, but I do think McComb (12-2 with a Division VII state semifinal appearance last season) is going to be a very tough team. So if you re talking BVC championship you have to start talking about beating them, beating Van Buren (9-3 and a Division VI regional final appearance), beating Liberty-Benton (6-4) and those guys, Frey said. I think our guys will fight better in those games than they have in years past. We have a lot of expectation and hopes that we ll make it work. game and progressing at least one game further than last year in the postseason. We told all the kids that those are our goals, but we all agreed that let s make our number-one goal and number-one priority to be 1-0 at the end of every week, Gehrisch said. And if we do that, all those other things will take care of themselves. 200 Railroad Street Forest, Ohio