By Jim Cotter
St. Joseph-Ogden football hopes raise the bar this season.
Last season, the Spartans finished 2-4. The Spartans are welcoming back all but five seniors, giving sixth-year head coach Shawn Skinner an arsenal of players to work with, including 12 seniors.
“Basically it starts with Coby Miller and Keaton Nolan. They (Miller and Nolan) will be in the middle of the defense this year and have been starters since their sophomore year. They will also carry the ball for us a lot and also catch passes, so they will be doing their share of playing both ways,” Skinner said about his two senior leaders.
Despite the fact that most of these players didn’t get much of a spring or summer season, Skinner thinks they are handling the situation as best they can.
“This is a unique situation that we’re in, and I think our guys have put themselves in a position to be ready. Each district is handling the situation a little bit different, but I think we’ve handled things to be as ready as we can be as the season opener draws ever closer,” Skinner added regarding how the team has approached the uniqueness of playing two football seasons in just a few months’ time.
Up front, the offensive line is a cohesive unit that will need to give quarterback Evan Ingram a lot of protection, something Skinner is confident that they will be able to do.
“The nice thing about our offensive line is that they are their own entity, and the five or seven of them do a great job of working together to make sure they get the job done,” Skinner commented on his offensive line and the importance of them being able to sustain on a weekly basis.
Another player that Skinner thinks has a chance to do some good things is senior Griffin Roesch, who can be versatile at a couple different positions.
“Griffin will play some tight end for us, and as you saw tonight, can catch passes as well when lined up as a receiver. That will be a key for us for Evan (Ingram) to get the ball to him in order for us to move the ball down the field,” Skinner said on Roesch and his contribution to the offense.
Defensively, Skinner has more flexibility to work with as the front seven will be interchangeable, led by a couple juniors and a senior.
“Jett Morris will be on the defensive line for us, and Coby will be the middle linebacker. We’ve also got Owen Birt and Bryson Helfrich on the line as well, but the nice thing about our defense is there are a lot of players that we can spell the starters that won’t diminish our attack. We’ll have about six or seven players that will go both ways, but we’ve also got several players that can step in and give much needed rest when the starters need it,” Skinner said about his defense and his many options on that side of the ball.
Miller, who was injured for much of the spring season, hopes to have a healthy senior season, one that he can end his high school career on.
“I’m just excited to have one more go around with my best friends and hopefully stay healthy. Practice has been going well thus far and early on, we were more of a roller coaster, but lately we’ve been stacking days and I feel that we’re ready for Week 1 against Monticello,” Miller said about what he hopes to get out of his senior season.
Skinner uses the word potential in discussing his team, knowing that they have the desire to have a good season, but with a daunting early schedule that has them playing three of the top four teams in the Illini Prairie Conference to begin the season, he knows that they have to take everything game by game.
By Jim Cotter
St. Joseph-Ogden football hopes raise the bar this season.
Last season, the Spartans finished 2-4. The Spartans are welcoming back all but five seniors, giving sixth-year head coach Shawn Skinner an arsenal of players to work with, including 12 seniors.
“Basically it starts with Coby Miller and Keaton Nolan. They (Miller and Nolan) will be in the middle of the defense this year and have been starters since their sophomore year. They will also carry the ball for us a lot and also catch passes, so they will be doing their share of playing both ways,” Skinner said about his two senior leaders.
Despite the fact that most of these players didn’t get much of a spring or summer season, Skinner thinks they are handling the situation as best they can.
“This is a unique situation that we’re in, and I think our guys have put themselves in a position to be ready. Each district is handling the situation a little bit different, but I think we’ve handled things to be as ready as we can be as the season opener draws ever closer,” Skinner added regarding how the team has approached the uniqueness of playing two football seasons in just a few months’ time.
Up front, the offensive line is a cohesive unit that will need to give quarterback Evan Ingram a lot of protection, something Skinner is confident that they will be able to do.
“The nice thing about our offensive line is that they are their own entity, and the five or seven of them do a great job of working together to make sure they get the job done,” Skinner commented on his offensive line and the importance of them being able to sustain on a weekly basis.
Another player that Skinner thinks has a chance to do some good things is senior Griffin Roesch, who can be versatile at a couple different positions.
“Griffin will play some tight end for us, and as you saw tonight, can catch passes as well when lined up as a receiver. That will be a key for us for Evan (Ingram) to get the ball to him in order for us to move the ball down the field,” Skinner said on Roesch and his contribution to the offense.
Defensively, Skinner has more flexibility to work with as the front seven will be interchangeable, led by a couple juniors and a senior.
“Jett Morris will be on the defensive line for us, and Coby will be the middle linebacker. We’ve also got Owen Birt and Bryson Helfrich on the line as well, but the nice thing about our defense is there are a lot of players that we can spell the starters that won’t diminish our attack. We’ll have about six or seven players that will go both ways, but we’ve also got several players that can step in and give much-needed rest when the starters need it,” Skinner said about his defense and his many options on that side of the ball.
Miller, who was injured for much of the spring season, hopes to have a healthy senior season, one that he can end his high school career on.
“I’m just excited to have one more go-around with my best friends and hopefully stay healthy. Practice has been going well thus far and early on, we were more of a roller coaster, but lately, we’ve been stacking days and I feel that we’re ready for Week 1 against Monticello,” Miller said about what he hopes to get out of his senior season.
Skinner uses the word potential in discussing his team, knowing that they have the desire to have a good season, but with a daunting early schedule that has them playing three of the top four teams in the Illini Prairie Conference to begin the season, he knows that they have to take everything game by game.
“We eventually have to play everyone, don’t we? Normally we end with Monticello, but this year they are our week one opponent with a trip to Unity in week two. We’ll just take things day by day and play the schedule out. After all, I like the potential of this team heading into the season,” Skinner said.
You must be logged in to post a comment.