ADAM RAEDER
Scrimmages are completed and two-a-days are a thankfully distant memory. Depth charts can now be set in ink and playbooks are set in memory.
The long wait of summer is over and the football season is here. Teams finally get to write their first chapter toward a fairy tale ending or a tale of could-have-beens.
And in Week 1, teams finally get their first peek and answers to questions that have been dogging them all preseason, questions that could tip the balance of the season toward their goals or against them.
n Grand Valley at Jefferson (7, WFUN)
Opening day for Jefferson not only means a chance to show off its new diggs, but a chance to show off its hard work. The Falcon seniors spent the entire offseason working to turn Jefferson back to its old winning ways.
How big of a payoff they’ll get from that would could show up in Week 1, as they rematch a GV squad that stunned them in overtime last year.
“I’ve got 17 seniors this year,” Falcons coach Jimmy Henson said. “Since the end of last season, they’ve done nothing but positive things trying to get the program going in the right direction.
“Just the leadership in everything that we do. It started with the offseason weight program. Everything we do in practice, there’s always a senior there right now to show the young kids what we expect. They’re a lot of fun to be around. They’re a real special group and I hope it pays off for them.”
While Jefferson is looking for a big payoff from their seniors, the Mustangs are looking to see just how far their young guns – their talented sophomore class led by A.J. Henson, Joey Satterfield and Jeromy Rockafellow can carry them. Though a big part of that relies on how well their lines play in front of them – especially against the larger Falcons.
“They’re much bigger than we are, but we’re going to do our best to get prepared,” Grand Valley coach Tom Henson said. “Jefferson this year is about the same size they were last year but they’ve got a little better foot speed.”
That newfound foot speed was something the Falcon coaches were looking for over the offseason when they decided to switch to a 3-4 defense. And it’s foot speed that will get a good test from the Mustang’s athletic youngsters.
“We’ve tried to put more speed on the field,” Jimmy Henson said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to match up with them OK.”
Tom Henson’s hoping the same thing from a defensive unit that struggled at times during their scrimmages against Newbury and Edgewood.
“We’ve got a lot of improving to do on the defensive side of the ball, especially the defensive line,” the Mustangs coach said. “They’re going to be difficult for us in terms of matchups.”
On film, Tom Henson has been impressed with the play of Jefferson quarterback Colin Cicon, and he’s worried the junior will be able to pick apart his defense should they focus exclusively on stopping the run.
“What concerns me, if we do that, their quarterback and receivers are very solid. They pose a lot of different problems for us,” he said.
And that’s just one more mystery to see some light in Week 1 – if the much-worked-on passing game of the Falcons can fly as high as they hope.
“Well, you know, we’ve thrown the ball pretty decently in the scrimmages. That’s another thing my seniors have really taken leadership in, along with my quarterback, who’s a junior,” Jimmy Henson said. “They came in on their own before school and all summer. They knew how important it was for us to get better at throwing and I think we’re better at it.”
n Riverside at Perry (7)
After two straight years of shellackings at the hands of Perry, the Riverside Beavers are looking to Week 1 to show them just how different this year can be.
The Beavers talked all offseason about handling adversity better – they even required that players attend leadership training if they wanted to be captains – and now they’ll get to see if that work paid off, because they know they’ll face adversity against the Pirates, a team that put 71 puts up against them over the last two years.
“We’ve been together probably about two months now,” Riverside coach Ryan Wolf said. “I think we’ve really grown as a team, but I’m excited to see how it all come together, four quarters, a battle – like we know it’s going to be against Perry – and we face adversity.”
The biggest key for the Beavers, if they hope to avoid another blowout, is getting off to a strong start. The past two years, the Pirates have controlled the first quarter, and had the game firmly in control by halftime.
“Defensively, we have to weather the storm,” Wolf said. “The last two years, the first quarter hasn’t been kind to us.”
And even though the Pirates lost plenty from last year’s squad, the Beavers aren’t expecting things to be any easier.
“Perry does what Perry does. In the scrimmages, Perry, they never show a lot ... but they’re a very talented team offensively. (New quarterback) Mitchel (Hokavar), he doesn’t look like a new guy out there. (Anthony) Kukwa, at tight end, may be the best in the area.”
But the Pirates aren’t preparing for another easy day at the office. Perry coach Matt Rosati expects the Beavers, with a full year of Wolf’s system under their belt, to provide more ferocious competition this year.
“They’re very good. They’re very big, they’re very fast. They’re a very good Division I football team,” Rosati said. “This is going to be a very, very tough challenge. I’m very impressed with Riverside. They look very good this year.”
For the Pirates, the key will be making sure their plethora of new faces on defense have their fundimentals down pat, so the Beavers can’t turn a would-be short gain into a game-breaker.
“We’re going to have to tackle. We’re going to have to do a good job of tackling,” Rosati said. “We’re going to have to create some turnovers and tackle well.”
n Normandy at Madison (7:30)
In Madison, Week 1 will determine whether one of the Blue Streaks’ seaons goals has traction, or whether it skids off the road before the season really starts.
The Blue Streaks hope to hold every back they face under 100 yards rushing, a goal massively talented Normandy senior Jake Squirek will put to the test right away.
“He’s super-fast. He’s very powerful, he has bulk,” Madison coach Tim Willis said. “He’s a good powerful running back. We had them on the ropes last year, we had them 10-7 with 4 minutes to go and he ran for an 80-yard touchdown that beat us. That memory, that’s why we’ve got to focus on stopping him. He’s one of those backs that can come back and haunt you.”
And that, along with up-and-down performances in Madison’s scrimmages, is why the Blue Streaks spent this week focusing on defense.
“Number one, I think, we’re really emphasizing that defense this week in practice,” Willis said. “They’ve got one of the best running backs in the state. He’s rushed for way over 1,000 yards each of the last two years as a sophomore and junior. We’ve got to stop him defensively. That’s our focus this week in practice, No. 33.”
And that defensive focus in practice has squared right in on the basics.
“You have to be in the right gaps. They’re probably an 80-20 run to pass team. You’ve got to make sure you’re in your correct gaps and you’re taking on blocks with the right shoulders,” Willis said. “You’ve got to have the small fundamentals to make the big picture work.. Each kid has to be focused on their keys, their techniques. You have to be very fundamentally sound versus this team.”
While the Blue Streaks are focusing on stopping the run on defense, they’re looking for ways to get their running game going on offense against Normandy’s aggressive stack defense.
“We’re going to have to find ways to run. Hopefully we can do that will our quarterback, Miles (Iverson), and Steve Isabella and Ty Law. They’re going to have to carry the load.
“The more we can keep the ball in our hands and out of their hands is better for our team this week – minimize their number of series. Hopefully they only get it 5 or 6 times a half.”
Helping them along will be the return of offensive linemen Mike Hrutkay. One of the strongest players on the team, Hrutkay will see part-time duty this week after missing both scrimmages with a knee injury.
n Lakeside at Howland (7)
Last year, the Dragons’ defense proved to be the heart and soul of their resurgent team. Can it be that again after losing key cogs like Cody Maxwell, Isaac Moore and James Christan?
Week 1 could tell the story as the Dragons travel to take on a strong Tigers offense.
“I hope so,” new coach Bill Lipps said. “I always say, if we line up rang and tackle, we’ll be OK.”
The Dragons weren’t OK against Howland last year, even on defense. The Tigers pretty much ran at will against Lakeside en route to a 31-7 victory.
“Howland is a very, very, very good football team,” Lipps said. “It’s a really difficult opener.”
And if Lakeside’s defense isn’t as strong as it showed most of last season – opener excluded – the game could go from difficult to impossible.
After all, Howland’s defense is no slouch either, so points will be tough to come by. In fact, Lipps thinks Howland’s secondary will be the best they face all year.
“Defensively, they don’t make many mistakes,” Lipps said.
So what do the Dragons have to do to run with the Tigers?
“We’re going to have to be better in the red zone, offensively and defensively, be better on third downs, offensively and defensively,” the coach said. “We’ve got to win the battle of special teams and keep it close into the fourth quarter.”
The coach then added: “They’re really, really good at home.”
n Kirtland at Geneva (7)
For Geneva, the opening week of the season brings a chance to see just how far they’ve come under Tony Hassett, and, on the heels of a division title, if they’re ready to take the next step.
If they can knock off a Kirtland squad that has become a fixture in the playoffs, the Eagles can show everyone they’re ready to be a contender, too.
“You’ve got to go out and prove it,” head coach Tony Hassett said. “That’s what we hope to be able to do.”
And they hope to copy Kirtland’s attitude, one Hassett see as accepting nothing other than success.
“Those kids expect to win any time they walk on the field, that’s an attitude thing we want,” the coach said. “I can see it in our kids, they don’t want to go out and be competitive, they want to go out and win. Hopefully, we’ll be able to match that part with Kirtland.”
Whether they can match Kirtland’s level of play, though, is another matter, one that may hinge on the offensive line. With Nelson Marquez, Tommy Paddovich and Cory Morra in the backfield, Tyler Erb in his third year behind center, and speedy Jimmy Haines on the outside, the Eagles expect to be able to move the ball – if they can block.
“If our line can get the job done, we should be able to move the ball,” Hassett said. “We feel that we’re not going to have to rely on one person this year. When you have to key your defense on more than one person, it makes for a lot better attack.”
Though, stopping Kirtland will be no small task, either.
“Kirtland is going to be tough. They’re going to be a tough matchup. I have a lot of respect for them,” Hassett said. They have some good ball players that we have to be able to contain, especially the tight end, I hear he’s being recruited by Akron and school like that.
“I’m expecting it to be a good game, and the team that makes the fewest mistakes should come out on top.”
Nelson Martez and Tom Paddovich and Cory Morra. “We are strong and very explosive and can really score it at just about anywhere on the field.”
n Berkshire at Pymatuning Valley (7)
Week 1 will teach Pymatuning Valley just how well life without quarterback Andrew Smith will go. The Lakers lost Smith and running back Thomas Erwin to graduation, a pair that netted 2,525 yards of total offense, just over 78 percent of the team’s total.
“That will be a huge hole for us that we need to fill,” head coach Jason Root said. “(But) there’s a lot of optimism.”
To move the ball against Berkshire, the Lakers will have their newfound girth along the offensive line to help out, including 305-pound Andrew Paszko.
“This is my eighth year and I’ve always had small offensive lines. We have some big kids now. It’s a little different experience for me,” Root said.
n Southington at Conneaut (7, WWOW, WYBL)
Can the Spartans keep on improving? There’s no bigger Week 1 question facing the Conneaut squad than that one, not after taking a tremendous leap forward last season, when they posted a 4-6 record.
And it has a good chance to show off that improvement early as it plays host to a Southington squad that beat it 34-6 the last time around.
Not that the Spartans plan on settling for simple improvement.
“We want to win this game. We don’t practice to lose,” Conneaut coach Ken Parise said. “Last year, we won three more games than the year before, the biggest improvement in the county. We hope to improve even more on it this year. That starts off with Southington. It’s a very important game, a very important home opener.”
If it’s going to win, Conneaut’s biggest task is stopping Southington running back Jim Rasey, who, Parise pointed out, torched the Ohio gridirons for 2,000 yards last season.
Offensively, they’ll have to find a way to deal with the Wildcat’s 50-slant defense.
“They just come at you. They make you have to make quick decisions. They’re very effective at it,” Parise said. “We have to really be up and be keying correctly and be getting off the ball. We have to be tackling well. We have to be reading our keys. Basically, we have to be into this game. If we’re not, it’s going to be one of those shootout type of games.”
n Edgewood at Champion (7)
After watching his team scrimmage, Edgewood coach Joe Kearney though saw a lot of improvement from last season’s winless campaign. Week 1 will tell if he’s right as he gets a chance to see his squad in real-game action against Champion and their Wing-T attack.
“We want to play a lot of kids. We just want to move the ball and try to control the ball so we can keep it away from the other team as much as possible,” Kearney said, “When they have it, we want to play solid defense.”
Moving the ball effectively means solving Champion’s 50-angle defense, a scheme rarely seen these days, and one that could cause headaches for the Warriors.
“You don’t block against it every day. Consequently, you have to prepare for it,” Kearney said. “You go through your preaseason and everyone you run against is running something (other than the 50-angle).”
On defense, if the Warriors can contain Champion’s fullback, they can cut the legs out from under their Wing-T attack.
“We have to stop that fullback. He’s a nice runner. He runs hard,” Kearney said. “He’s the heart of their offense.”
Raeder is a freelance writer from Painesville.
