Linn, Rakoczy Steer Whitko Through Playoffs
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
SOUTH WHITLEY - The thought almost seems comical to Bryan Sprunger, this notion of a could-be freshman running his offense on the field.
But that is what has happened this year, and the Whitko football coach wouldn't change anything.
"Jimmy's young," Sprunger says of his starting quarterback, Jimmy Linn. "He's a junior who just turned 16. He just got his driver's license in September. If I remember it right, we figured it up that he could actually be a freshman and still play four years. He could be in college at 17."
Sprunger shakes his head in awe.
"He's a talented football player," Sprunger says. "He's been a pleasant surprise. He's very strong, very quick. You can tell that when he runs. It takes a lot of guys to get him down."
Not only is he young, he didn't play quarterback when he started high school. He was a tailback his freshman year. He made the switch to quarterback his sophomore year.
Offense is just half of Linn's game. He also starts at strong safety, where he has intercepted two passes this season.
Sprunger needed a quarterback this year after Tracey Brandenburg graduated. Linn stepped in and has never stepped out since. He leads the team with 657 yards rushing on 118 carries, and he has completed 19 of 46 passes for 291 yards.
The numbers may not rank with the state leaders, but his ability to hide the ball in Whitko's misdirection schemes now has opposing coaches naming Linn as their chief concern when they play Whitko.
His line - Dustin Patrick, Ray Smith, Scott Barker, Mark Christian, Robbie Nieto and Alan Wagner - would also consider him a smart quarterback. He knows enough to credit them for his success.
"I have to give the line a lot of credit for what they've done for me," he says. "It's mostly them. I just run behind them.
"My favorite thing is when the line gets off the ball like they usually do, and the holes are 10 feet wide and easy to run through. That's the greatest feeling. That and winning, of course."
While Linn leads the offense, Mark Rakoczy helps lead the defense. Both are big reasons why Whitko is 7-2 this season.
Rakoczy, one of six seniors on Whitko's roster, is the Chris Spielman of the Whitko Wildcats. All he does is make tackles all over the field. He plays the inside linebacker position, so stopping the run and patrolling the middle of the field falls on his shoulders.
He was second on the team with 68 tackles entering the Blackford game.
Rakoczy, who is also a wrestler, played both offense and defense earlier this season. He used to share fullback duties with Keith Starkweather, but now Starkweather is the full-time fullback.
And that's just fine with Rakoczy.
"I like defense," he says. "Now I can concentrate on one position better. I learned my keys better, and I can read (opposing offenses) a lot better now."
Rakoczy has played a big role in Whitko's defining number of the season, +14. Wildcat opponents have given Whitko the ball 26 times. Whitko has given it away only 12.
You can be assured that Rakoczy delivered some of the bone-jarring hits that caused the fumbles. You can also be assured that he has recovered some of them, too.
"That means a lot," Rakoczy says of +14. "Those are big plays we needed. They went our way. In those close games we had, they could have gone the other way.
"That's just from hustle in practice. People want to get to the ball."
Rakoczy and the other Whitko defenders will have their hands full Friday night with Harding, who is ranked No. 6 (3A) with a 7-2 record. Ivory Bryant and Alan Ganaway each have rushed for more than 1,000 yards, while quarterback Corey Moore has thrown for more than 1,000 yards.
To Rakoczy, the game plan is simple. Carrying it to completion against the fastest runners the Wildcats have seen all season will be the test.
When Harding and Whitko met in last year's sectional championship, Harding fumbled on its opening drive. The Hawks recovered their fumble and went on to score to take a 7-0 lead. The game was tied 7-7 entering the fourth quarter.
"It's going to come down to stopping the run," Rakoczy says. "The run is what got (Harding's) first touchdown last year. I feel if we would have stopped that first run and got the fumble, it would have turned the other way."
Last year's loss to Harding has stuck with Rakoczy, but a lot of the Whitko players have changed. The Wildcats had 18 seniors on last year's team.
"It's a whole new year, a whole new team," Rakoczy says.
And this year's version includes Linn, who is eager to drive his team past Harding. He thinks Whitko has the offensive weapons. He can throw to Tim Mason or Adam Slater or hand off to Bryan Rose or Starkweather.
It all comes back to +14.
"If we turn the ball over all the time Friday night, we won't win," Linn says. "But if we hold on to the ball, do what we're supposed to do, be where we're supposed to be and trust our teammates, we can win this football game." [[In-content Ad]]
SOUTH WHITLEY - The thought almost seems comical to Bryan Sprunger, this notion of a could-be freshman running his offense on the field.
But that is what has happened this year, and the Whitko football coach wouldn't change anything.
"Jimmy's young," Sprunger says of his starting quarterback, Jimmy Linn. "He's a junior who just turned 16. He just got his driver's license in September. If I remember it right, we figured it up that he could actually be a freshman and still play four years. He could be in college at 17."
Sprunger shakes his head in awe.
"He's a talented football player," Sprunger says. "He's been a pleasant surprise. He's very strong, very quick. You can tell that when he runs. It takes a lot of guys to get him down."
Not only is he young, he didn't play quarterback when he started high school. He was a tailback his freshman year. He made the switch to quarterback his sophomore year.
Offense is just half of Linn's game. He also starts at strong safety, where he has intercepted two passes this season.
Sprunger needed a quarterback this year after Tracey Brandenburg graduated. Linn stepped in and has never stepped out since. He leads the team with 657 yards rushing on 118 carries, and he has completed 19 of 46 passes for 291 yards.
The numbers may not rank with the state leaders, but his ability to hide the ball in Whitko's misdirection schemes now has opposing coaches naming Linn as their chief concern when they play Whitko.
His line - Dustin Patrick, Ray Smith, Scott Barker, Mark Christian, Robbie Nieto and Alan Wagner - would also consider him a smart quarterback. He knows enough to credit them for his success.
"I have to give the line a lot of credit for what they've done for me," he says. "It's mostly them. I just run behind them.
"My favorite thing is when the line gets off the ball like they usually do, and the holes are 10 feet wide and easy to run through. That's the greatest feeling. That and winning, of course."
While Linn leads the offense, Mark Rakoczy helps lead the defense. Both are big reasons why Whitko is 7-2 this season.
Rakoczy, one of six seniors on Whitko's roster, is the Chris Spielman of the Whitko Wildcats. All he does is make tackles all over the field. He plays the inside linebacker position, so stopping the run and patrolling the middle of the field falls on his shoulders.
He was second on the team with 68 tackles entering the Blackford game.
Rakoczy, who is also a wrestler, played both offense and defense earlier this season. He used to share fullback duties with Keith Starkweather, but now Starkweather is the full-time fullback.
And that's just fine with Rakoczy.
"I like defense," he says. "Now I can concentrate on one position better. I learned my keys better, and I can read (opposing offenses) a lot better now."
Rakoczy has played a big role in Whitko's defining number of the season, +14. Wildcat opponents have given Whitko the ball 26 times. Whitko has given it away only 12.
You can be assured that Rakoczy delivered some of the bone-jarring hits that caused the fumbles. You can also be assured that he has recovered some of them, too.
"That means a lot," Rakoczy says of +14. "Those are big plays we needed. They went our way. In those close games we had, they could have gone the other way.
"That's just from hustle in practice. People want to get to the ball."
Rakoczy and the other Whitko defenders will have their hands full Friday night with Harding, who is ranked No. 6 (3A) with a 7-2 record. Ivory Bryant and Alan Ganaway each have rushed for more than 1,000 yards, while quarterback Corey Moore has thrown for more than 1,000 yards.
To Rakoczy, the game plan is simple. Carrying it to completion against the fastest runners the Wildcats have seen all season will be the test.
When Harding and Whitko met in last year's sectional championship, Harding fumbled on its opening drive. The Hawks recovered their fumble and went on to score to take a 7-0 lead. The game was tied 7-7 entering the fourth quarter.
"It's going to come down to stopping the run," Rakoczy says. "The run is what got (Harding's) first touchdown last year. I feel if we would have stopped that first run and got the fumble, it would have turned the other way."
Last year's loss to Harding has stuck with Rakoczy, but a lot of the Whitko players have changed. The Wildcats had 18 seniors on last year's team.
"It's a whole new year, a whole new team," Rakoczy says.
And this year's version includes Linn, who is eager to drive his team past Harding. He thinks Whitko has the offensive weapons. He can throw to Tim Mason or Adam Slater or hand off to Bryan Rose or Starkweather.
It all comes back to +14.
"If we turn the ball over all the time Friday night, we won't win," Linn says. "But if we hold on to the ball, do what we're supposed to do, be where we're supposed to be and trust our teammates, we can win this football game." [[In-content Ad]]