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Aug. 28
Jeffrey Zampanti
The task of duplicating the success from last season won't be an easy one for the Tremper football team.
Coming off of their first undefeated regular season since 2001 and a berth to the second round of the WIAA playoffs - capped off with a loss against crosstown rival Bradford in one of the biggest games in county history - the Trojans enter the season with an entirely new look on both sides of the ball.
"This is probably the youngest team I've ever had," Tremper coach Frank Matrise Jr. said. "We're young and inexperienced, but improving every day. I'm excited to see what they can do as a group and how hard they want to perform on the field."
Tremper not only needs to replace a number of positions, but is forced to fill the openings left by some of the state's top players. SEC Offensive Player of the Year Tyler Hujik and SEC Defensive Player of the Year Joe Epping graduated as did the county's leading passer Kyle Snell.
Combine those holes with the departures up front on both the offensive and defensive lines and it's a brand new team on the south side of town.
"We lost a lot of really good football players and now we're starting over from scratch," Matrise said. "Our coaching staff will do a good job of getting these guys ready to go. I have confidence in these kids. You learn as you go along. Hopefully, we learn fast."
The Trojans should, once again, be a difficult team to pass on with an athletic and experienced secondary led by seniors Shawn Miller, Deion Scarbrough and Kyle Sebetic. Miller and Scarbrough return for their third seasons on the varsity. Miller has eight interceptions in the last two seasons and registered 50 tackles (23 solo) with five knockdowns in conference play last year.
"These are the guys that have to lead us," Matrise said. "They're not only great football players, but great students in the classroom. That carries over on the field. They're athletic, they move well and the one thing they all have in common is they love to play the game."
Middle linebacker Kyle Weddel could also emerge as one of the team's leaders. The senior moved from fullback to linebacker this season and will likely play between senior outside backers Griffin Sengbusch and Andy Johnson.
On offense, the Trojans have an interesting battle at quarterback with senior Austin Golownia and junior Jake Snell at a dead heat heading into Friday's season opener. Golownia played backup to Kyle Snell last season, while Jake Snell quarterbacked the sophomore team. Jake Snell is the younger brother of Kyle Snell.
"This is something different for me," Matrise said. "Both quarterbacks bring a different mix. Both are heady kids that throw pretty well and move pretty well. They work well together and support one another and the kids have really taken to both of them."
Tremper returns its top tailback in senior Ryan Zolper. The county's fifth leading rusher, Zolper had 96 carries for 634 yards (6.6 avg) and four touchdowns last season. Ryan Snell should see plenty of time at fullback.
The wide receiving core of Mike Short, Robert McCrea and Scott Forchette will work conjunctively in replacing Hujik. The All-State receiver caught 68 passes for 992 years and scored 12 touchdowns last season and is currently competing at NCAA Division-1 Dayton.
The line will be anchored by junior Zac Epping. After playing primarily on defense last year, the 6-3, 260-pound Epping will start at tackle on both sides of the ball.
"Zac Epping is the one that I think will have a breakout year," Matrise said. "Our offensive line is very young, but they've really caught on fast. They're not big, but they're pretty quick. The key is to make sure they don't make the mental mistakes."
Alex Newberry will also be a key two-way player at tight end and defensive end. The senior is the son of ex-Bradford football coach Dave Newberry and the nephew of former NFL lineman Tom Newberry.
Matrise listed Bradford, Oak Creek and Racine Horlick as the early favorites in the SEC.
"There hasn't been much mentioned about us," Matrise said. "We still have to prove ourselves. The key is putting the right kids in the right spots to be successful. We've done that in the past and we'll continue to do that."
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Carthage opens camp with 154
Aug. 23
Andrew Horschak
With an eventful summer out of the way, Carthage football Tim Rucks is happy to finally get down to business.
The Red Men welcomed 154 players to training camp as practice opened on Friday. That number is up from the 138 players at the opening of last year's first practice.
"It's a little bit higher than we've been the last couple of years - just an explosion of freshmen," Rucks said. "Everything is organized. Everything has been going real smooth."
Out of the 154 players, 114 are from Illinois. The rest of the breakdown is as follows: Wisconsin (16), Indiana (9), Michigan (5), California (4), Florida (2), Minnesota (2), Missouri (1) and Ohio (1). Eighty-one of the 154 players are freshmen.
Former Carthage linebacker John Sedeska was hired as the team's new defensive coordinator on May 19, while Terry Peebles was hired as the team's new offensive coordinator on June 21. On top of that, the Red Men found out in the off-season that quarterback Brennan O'Boyle and defensive back Tom DeBaker opted to forego their senior seasons by enlisting in the Marine Corps.
"I had a meeting (Thursday) with just the returning players," Rucks said. "I said, 'I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting sick and tired of talking about new coordinators and lost players.'
The players were in full agreement.
"They are sick of it, too," Rucks said. "We don't look at it anymore like we have new coordinators. It seems like an old issue by now. It's old to me because I've worked with them all summer."
With the new coordinators, Rucks was asked about the major differences on both sides of the ball.
Defense - "We'll still blitz," he said. "We'll still apply pressure, but we'll have different looks. Terminology is different. Alignments are different. Assignments are different. But there will always be pressure on every single play."
Offense - "It might not look that much different because it's still going to be no-huddle, single-back," he said. "There will be some shotgun, some under center. We're going to do what our personnel can do best. It's definitely a passing offense."
Familiar faces
Bo Blazavier (Bradford), Dan Hernandez (St. Joseph), Bryant Sadlier (Central) and Kyle Snell (Tremper) are the only local products on the roster.
Hernandez, a senior, is a returning starter at linebacker. Sadlier, a junior defensive lineman, has yet to see varsity action.
Blazavier, a linebacker, and Snell, a quarterback, are both freshmen.
"We have three pretty good freshmen quarterbacks," Rucks said. "Kyle Snell is a good athlete. He was here all summer lifting weights."
Junior Dan DeBoeuf enters training camp as the No. 1 quarterback.
Quick kicks
The Red Men scrimmage Concordia (Wis.) a week from today. Former Carthage defensive coordinator Greg Etter is the new head coach at Concordia. "Guys are looking forward to it," Rucks said. "I don't know if Greg is, but the guys are." ... The Red Men, who went 7-3 last season (4-3 CCIW), open the season on Sept. 13 by playing host to Hope College in a 1 p.m. game at Art Keller Field.
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Hernandez ready to lead
Aug. 23
Andrew Horschak
Danny Hernandez got his first taste of organized football as a third grader with the Zion Jaguars.
Now, he is a grizzled veteran on the gridiron.
The only returning captain and one of only 14 seniors on Carthage's 154-player roster, the St. Joseph graduate had mixed emotions prior to the final first day of practice of his playing career as the Red Men kicked off training camp on Friday at Art Keller Field.
"I was just thinking about that the other day," Hernandez said. "It's interesting. Bittersweet is probably the best way to put it."
With a new defensive coordinator in John Sedeska, a new offensive coordinator in Terry Peebles and 81 freshmen in the fold, the personable Hernandez is eager to put his leadership skills right to work.
"I'm a senior, but I kind of feel like a freshman," he said. "It's a brand new football team in a lot of ways. A lot of the guys that you're used to playing with have moved on. It feels like a new team to me, but I'm ready to step up."
That's good news for 14th-year Carthage coach Tim Rucks, who is counting on the linebacker in 2008.
"Now that he's a senior, I would very much like to see Dan take on an even greater leadership role," Rucks said. "I think you need those seniors that freshmen can look up to.
"Danny has been a mainstay in our program. People like the energy that he plays with and respond to that. He plays as hard as anyone. He's one of those guys that everyone notices on the field and he always seems to be around the football. I think he has the potential to be an all-conference guy for us. I'd like to see that happen."
After a successful high school career at St. Joseph, the two-time first-team All-County performer arrived on the Carthage campus as a 184-pound safety. He was moved to inside linebacker as a sophomore and will close out his collegiate career as a 220-pound outside linebacker - hopefully wreaking havoc on opposing offenses.
"I'm probably going to have some more opportunities to make plays," Hernandez said.
Under former defensive coordinator Greg Etter, the Carthage defense was known for its aggressive, blitzing style of play. While there will be some changes, the Red Men don't plan on reinventing how the game is played defensively.
"I'm pretty sure that coach Sedeska wants to blitz a little bit, too," Hernandez said with a smile. "I'm looking forward to running around, picking off balls and blitzing. As far as the players, we all kind of have the same mentality. We just want to do our best every day and improve every day."
Despite missing two CCIW games with a staph infection that hit a majority of the squad last season, Hernandez still finished fifth on the team with 39 tackles (29 solo), including three for loss. As a sophomore, ranked third on the team with 49 tackles (44 solo), including 12 for loss and three quarterback sacks.
The playmaker is looking for even more production in his final go-around wearing the red, white and black.
"I just want to have a great season," Hernandez said. "Obviously, I want to be an all-conference player and be one of the better players in the league. That's one of my biggest goals, but at the same time, I just want to win and keep this program going."
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