Football preview

By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor

Martin’s Keaton Wolfe will be one of the premiere quarterbacks in the county this year. (File photo)

ALLEGAN

For most people, the idea of sleeping on the floor of a high school gymnasium for five nights might not sound like a whole lot of fun.

Apparently Allegan coach Tony Danzig isn’t most people.

For the second season in a row, Allegan started its season with a lock-in at the high school. During this six-day, five-night span, members of all three Allegan teams—varsity, JV and freshmen—live in the high school gym.

According to Danzig, who instituted the lock-in when he took over as coach last season, it’s a great way for the players to bond as well as focus in on football and the challenge that awaits them.

“It was a great experience for everyone,” Danzig said.

“I’m extremely happy with the varsity team’s performance at camp. The guys worked hard every day, and we’re further ahead of schedule right now as compared to last year at this time. That’s a direct result of how committed to football this group is.”

If the Tigers offense remains ahead of the pace set by last year’s squad, then that could be bad news for Allegan’s opponents.

Utilizing the California-inspired Fly Offense, the Tigers averaged more than 400 offensive yards per game last season. And while many players from that unit were lost to graduation, Danzig believes the team has the speed at the skill positions to do some serious damage.

“One of our strengths is the speed of our running backs, receivers and quarterbacks,” Danzig said. “Those kids can just fly.”

Seniors Casey Rhodes and Tom Harms are the top two running backs, while seniors Kyle VanderHulst, Kurtis Dame, Curtis Cameron and Justin Shek anchor the receiving corps. Senior Adam Brown and junior Ron Baughman are battling for time at quarterback.

Helping create holes for the skill players will be an offensive line that includes seniors John Dial, Ricky Labra, Tyler Heiser and Aaron Lynema, as well as juniors Clint Cook and Lyle Murphy.

Hopkins’ Kinian Mack returns as one of their key receivers for the 2007 season. (File photo)

Defensively, Danzig looks for big things from juniors Ryan Shek and Chris Flokstra.

“Overall I have a great group of athletic kids that love the game, their school and their community,” Danzig said.

FENNVILLE

An overall lack of experience hurt Fennville last season.

Not only did the Blackhawks see their record slip from 6-4 in 2005 to 2-7, but they also saw their run of three straight playoff appearances come to an end.

And with the loss of several players due to graduation, inexperience could once again be a factor for coach Tim Schipper’s squad as it looks to regain in winning form.

“Our numbers are good at the varsity level, but some (players) lack varsity experience,” said Schipper, who enters his 20th season as a head coach with a 106-73 mark. “We have some big holes to fill, and we must find the best 11 players to put on the field.

“These guys know the expectations around here, and how hard they work to improve individually and as a team will determine our level of success.”

The area in which the Blackhawks will feel the inexperience the most is on the line. Only seniors Shane Hagger, Mitchell McKellips and Steven Fries return as starters.

“When it comes to the line, we’re rebuilding on both sides of the ball,” Schipper said.

Senior newcomer Justin Carlson and juniors Caleb Hoffman and Ethan DeJonge appear to be among the frontrunners to nail down starting roles on the line.

In contrast to the line, Fennville can boast some experience at the offensive skill positions.

Back are junior quarterback Tony Stennett (25-of-60 passing for 240 yards), senior fullback Cameron Glover (557 yards on 110 carries), junior fullback Robert Ulmer (234 yards on 35 carries) and senior receivers John Schulte and Don Manske.

Junior quarterback Miguel Aldaco, who guided the JV team to a 7-2 mark last season, adds depth, as do junior running backs Taylor and Trevor Crane and junior receiver LC Cooper.

Glover (linebacker), Schulte (defensive back) and Ulmer (nose guard) should also help on defense, which remains somewhat settled.

“We have many athletes and need to find the best places for them on defense,” Schipper said. “Our scheme may be determined by how we can get the best 11 people that love to run to the football.”

HAMILTON

It’s been said that all good things must eventually come to an end.

That proved to be the case for Hamilton coach Chris Myers and his Hawkeyes last season.

After reaching the playoffs in each of his first five seasons at the helm in Hamilton—averaging more than eight wins a year in the process—Myers found himself on the outside looking in at the postseason picture last year and a lot of that had to do with one of the toughest schedules in the county. Things will not get any easier for Myers and his Hawkeyes again this year.

“We have just a brutal schedule again this year,” Myers said. “Relatively speaking I don’t know of a school our size that has a schedule any tougher than ours. The only thing we can do is stay focused, start chopping wood and don’t look up until it’s done.”

On the positive side, Hamilton returns some athletes with both experience and athleticism.

This year’s returners include Dustin Dupree, Ryan Zoet, Austin Schild, Nick Farris, Rueben Salinas, Christian VandenBerg, Nate Wind, Ryan Dannonberg, Jeff Dekker, Clark Becksford, Tyler Bursh, Nick Boeve, Tyler Berens, Nate Joostberns, Nate Hoavley and Nick Beyer.

The newcomer list and those counted on to help are Kyle Lorend, Eric Melton and David Ptacek.

HOPKINS

When it comes to the quarterback position, no player in the area is more experienced than Hopkins’ Nick Jones. Anointed as the starter prior to his freshman season, Jones has been under center for the Vikings for the past three years.

Now, as he prepares for his fourth and final season as Hopkins’ offensive leader, Jones is looking to get his team back to the playoffs following a two-year absence from postseason play.

After seeing its string of 15 straight winning seasons come to an end with a 4-5 showing in 2005, the Vikings went 4-5 again last season.

Hopkins coach Rex Weaver, for one, has faith in Jones.

“Nick has a lot of talent and a lot of experience,” Weaver said. “He’s throwing the ball really well, and I expect big things from him. The offense has a chance to be very explosive.”

Complementing Jones will be a ground attack that features the senior duo of Zach Nelson and Kyle Kuiper.

As important as Jones is to Hopkins’ fortunes, however, Weaver believes the players lining up in front of Jones will be the ones to determine the success of the team.

“If the offensive line performs well, we’ll be all right,” Weaver said. “That’s the key to our season.”

Among the returning starters who make up the offensive line are senior Sam Krcatovich, who’s moving from tackle to center, senior guard Rick Centilli, junior guard Brad Tusink and senior tight ends Kyle Hoffmaster and Kinian Mack.

On the defensive side of the ball, Hopkins returns a host of experience.

Hoffmaster and Centilli are back at defensive end; Kuiper and Tusink are back at linebacker; senior Jamin Williams and Mack are back at defensive back; and senior Josh Gust is back at safety.

“I like our defense a lot, especially our secondary,” Weaver said. “We’re going to put a lot of pressure on other teams.

“The big thing for us is to stay healthy. We’re only carrying 24 players on the varsity this year, so we can’t afford many injuries.”

MARTIN

Keaton Wolfe has always never been one to say a whole lot. Even on the football field he’s on the quiet side, choosing instead to let his right arm do the talking for him.

And over the past two years, that right arm has spoken volumes.

Racking up passing yards and touchdowns, Wolfe, an All-State selection, has led Martin to the playoffs in each of his two years as the Clippers’ starting quarterback. That included last year when the team won its first district title in two decades.

The good news for Clippers fans—not to mention first-year Martin coach Tim Heath—is that Wolfe is back for one more year.

“Keaton is an exceptionally gifted athletes,” said Heath, who served as Martin’s defensive coordinator the past four years before taking over as head coach when John Kubiak resigned to take the same position in Otsego. “He’s 6-foot-3, 190 pounds and has a cannon for an arm. Those are just God-given attributes that not everyone has.”

The one knock on Wolfe in the past has been that, due to his considerable talent, he has sometimes tried to do too much. Heath said he’s already seen improvement in that area.

“The one thing that got Keaton in trouble is that he make bad decisions at times,” Heath said. “But so far in practice he’s really been making good decisions and I’m confident that that will carry over to the season.”

And it’s not like Wolfe has to get the job done by himself. To the contrary, he’s surrounded by quite a gifted supporting cast.

Fellow returning seniors Ron Cade, Travis Buskirk and Shane Zeinstra will spearhead the running attack, while seniors Steve Mena, Ben Page, Cory Taylor, Spenser Brogdan, Matt Ward and Zach Petrie are back receiver.

“We have some weapons,” Heath said. “If we stay healthy, we should be able to challenge Gobles for the SAC North title.”

Also returning for Martin are senior linemen Christopher Dalrymple, Mike Peterson, Casey Rickli, Ryan Gayheart, Shane Hettinger and Kent McLaughlin and Alex Brenner.

“This is one of the biggest, most athletic offensive lines I’ve seen here at Martin,” Heath said.

OTSEGO

To say that the Otsego football program has endured its share of struggles in recent years would be a bit of an understatement.

The Bulldogs, who have gone winless in each of the past two seasons, enter the season riding a 26-game losing skid that dates back to the second game of the 2004 campaign. In Wolverine Conference play, Otsego has dropped 29 straight.

Given those difficulties, it should come as no surprise that the Bulldogs are looking for a spark to get the program heading back in the right direction.

Enter John Kubiak.

Named as the Bulldogs’ new coach in June, Kubiak comes to Otsego after a successful nine-year stint in Martin that saw him reach the playoffs in four of the past six seasons.

It’s that winning attitude that Kubiak is hoping to instill in his new squad.

“We have some quality players, we really do,” Kubiak said. “These kids haven’t done a lot of winning lately, but you can see that there’s some definite potential there. The big thing we need to do is to build to the point where we have more consistency in terms of their effort and attitude.”

The fact that the JV and freshmen teams have enjoyed some wins over the past few years should help in that cause.

“Our lower levels have winning experiences to build on, which really helps,” Kubiak said. “We have a good number of juniors up from last year’s JV team, so we have some quality depth.”

In terms of experienced players, Otsego has 10 returning letter winners, all of whom are seniors.

Back are runner back/defensive end Ethan Helmer, receiver/defensive back Michael Higgs, receiver/linebacker Will Harvey, tight end/linebacker Josh Thompson, lineman Kyle Dunn, lineman/defensive end Nate Hamman, receiver/defensive back Nate Wannamaker, quarterback/linebacker Thomas Hollman, kicker/punter Nate Larson and lineman Bart Endres.

Included among the incoming juniors are quarterbacks/defensive backs Mark Scoisson and Adam Mitchell as well as linemen Jesse Perez and Michael Scoisson.

“This is a good group of guys,” Kubiak said. “The main job we have as a staff is getting them to believe in themselves. If we can do that, the success will come.”

SAUGATUCK

Using one of your hands—left or right, take your pick—place your thumb and index finger as close together as possible without having them actually touch.

See that space between them? That’s how close Saugatuck has been to making the playoffs in each of the past three years.

After back-to-back 5-4 campaigns that left them one win shy of securing a post-season berth, the Indians slipped to 4-5 last year. But two of those losses were by a grand total of six points, meaning the promised land of the playoffs was again tantalizingly just out of reach.

With the return of some key starters—including a seasoned quarterback—and some talented newcomers, Saugatuck coach Bill Dunn is hoping this is the year the Indians will finally join the playoff party.

“We’re going to be a little young this year with only four returning starters, but we’re also going to be more athletic overall then we’ve been in the past,” Dunn said.

“We’ve got some talented kids, it’s just going to come down to how quickly the new guys can make the jump from the JV level to the varsity level. There’s always a learning curve, but hopefully the guys will pick things up quickly.”

One player who won’t doesn’t have a whole lot to learn in terms of Saugatuck’s system is senior Nick Dunn, who enters his third year as the team’s starting signal caller.

“This is Nick’s third year, and the experience and leadership he has to offer is huge,” Bill Dunn said. “He’s not really a vocal kid. He likes to lead by example, and we’re going to ask him to do even more this year than we did last year.”

Nick Dunn appears up for the challenge, having gone from 115 pounds two years ago to 160 pounds now.

“Physically, Nick’s in the best shape ever,” Bill Dunn said. “He’s stronger and he’s ready to go.”

Junior Erick Silva-Carasco is also back for the Indians. After averaging about 10 carries at fullback last year, Silva-Carasco, who ran for nearly 450 yards, is expected to get 15 to 20 touches per game.

Senior Peter Broe (offensive and defensive tackle) and Steve Gillette (offensive guard/defensive end) are the other two returning starters.

Top newcomers include senior halfbacks Tyler Collins and Ethan Noel, senior tight end Alex Hammond and junior tight end Kolin Kozen.

WAYLAND

Coach Jerry Diorio’s Wildcats put together a 6-3 season last year that saw them advance to the second round of the playoffs. With an experienced line and a team that understood his system, the Wildcats were producing good offensive numbers while the defense became a rock solid wall. This year the team is young on the line with some good experience in the skilled positions, but best of all, they all know the system and it will be a question of how fast the young line develops to see if this year’s team makes it to the playoffs again.

While there are still a lot of questions to be answered, Diorio is pleased with what he sees so far.

“The team has been showing some great effort so far,” Diorio said. “They have been working very hard all summer and in the early stages of practice, but you don’t know what you’ve got or what’s going to happen until the season starts. The scrimmage will tell a lot and we’re looking forward to that.”

The skilled positions see the most returners from last season. Ends Glenn VanNortwick and Kevin Farmer are experienced and have good speed. Kicker Anthony Casteneda is back as are running backs Ryan Reurink, Mike Martin and Casey Sattler. The quarterback position will be in the hands of Jack Weick, but Sawyer Stevens has backup experience at the position.

“Sawyer played quarterback our first two games last season and he did a good job,” Diorio said. “But he is more valuable to us on defense and that’s where we have him. His experience at quarterback does give us some depth at that position though.”

Quinten Marcott may have the toughest position to fill as he represents the only returning lineman. It will be his role to show the young line what is needed to be successful.

Diorio said, ‘Our line is young and a lot depends upon how our young guys come through.”