Manchester Squires To Play More Freely
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
“We give them a lot of freedom,” Miller said. “At quarterback, we give (senior Lucas Schilling) the freedom to see what's in front of him and see what the defense is giving him. As coaches, he can make us look good by choosing a play that's going to work better. He has an ability to audible, then we give the receivers an ability to adjust their routes to what the defense is doing as well. Our kids just seem more comfortable in the system, and the longer you're in a system, the more you can go into the playbook. That's more evident now.”
Finishing last year at 3-7, and placing fifth in the Three Rivers Conference with a 3-4 mark, the Squires must replace three all-conference players in lineman Jake Semler, wide receiver/defensive back Brodi Carter and defensive end Nick Eubank, but they also return quite a lot.
Among the returnees are all-conference center Thad Miller, running back Jacob Casper and Schilling, who was all-conference honorable mention.
As a junior, Schilling led the TRC in scoring, tallying 18 touchdowns, while also passing for 1,036 yards and rushing for another 537.
“With what he put on the board last year, we're looking for some great things from him,” Miller said of his 6-0, 203-pound signal caller.
At 6-0, 204 pounds, the speedy Casper will also be a force in 2014, a year after he was third in the TRC with 1,111 yards and six scores on 164 carries, going for 6.8 yards per rush.
“We've tweaked some things offensively, and with the threats we have, everybody wants the ball, but Jacob's going to get his fair share throughout the game,” Miller said. “There's no doubt in my mind, that with the work he's put in this offseason, he's going to have an outstanding year.”
The other threats Miller refers to are at wide receiver, where senior Daniel Griese, junior Keelan Norwood, sophomore Kane Gable, senior Evan Milam and junior Bailey Ness will get the bulk of minutes, with juniors Janzin Cripe and Jared Gable working in as well.
Regardless of the weapons, they're not worth much without a stable offensive line, which it seems Manchester may have with Miller (5-9, 211) returning at center, along with senior guard Codi Hutchinson (5-10, 247), sophomore guard Tyler McNall (5-6, 211) and junior tackle Landon Tharp (5-9, 203). Newcomer Quentin Moore (5-9, 170) will also join the group, with 6-2, 226-pound freshman Zeek Shockome also seeing time.
“We have a veteran group,” Miller said of the line. “I think it's going to be a big asset for us. All of those guys are basically in their second year of starting, and they've basically gotten bigger, better, stronger throughout the offseason. I think that's going to be our anchor.”
Those linemen will also be manning defensive line duties, although senior Brennan France will be at nose guard, despite his 5-5, 150-pound stature.
“He's small, but he's quick,” Miller said. “He wreaks some havoc. With him being a wrestler, he knows leverage, so that's why we put him at nose. Being a center myself, the hardest thing is having a quick guy across from you, especially when you're in shotgun snap. It's hard to get a snap and be able to get a good block on a kid like that.”
Miller is also high on his linebackers, led by Thad Miller, a player his coach is very high on.
“Thad Miller was an all-state center, but he could have very easily been an all-state linebacker,” he said.
Casper, junior Clay Sellers and Tharp will also play linebacker, with Norwood, Schilling, Cripe and Ness at cornerback.
Milam and Kane Gable will play strong safety, while senior Cole Isbell will be the free safety.
With so many returnees on defense, Miller hopes it will perform better early in the season than it did a year ago, when it surrendered 54 points per game in an 0-4 start.
“When you can take the thinking out of it, you can play much faster,” he said.
Opening the season Friday at home against Mississinewa, followed by a home game against Bluffton, Miller hopes the to non-conference games prepare his guys for a strong showing in the TRC.
“Of course we're going to have to win the games, but it's also good competition that's going to get you ready for the conference as well,” he said. “Defensively, we've tweaked some things. A year into our system, we're looking to sturdy up some things.”
In 2013, the conference title was split between Whitko and Rochester, but both those teams lost a lot to graduation, as did Tippecanoe Valley, which finished third.
“I think there's a lot of parity in the conference this year,” Miller said. “Of course, you always have to look at the bigger schools in Tippecanoe Valley, Rochester and Whitko. I think they're perennial favorites, but I think it's wide open this year. There's a lot of good teams and teams that have graduated a lot of kids.”
And if his team can just play instead of think, Manchester could work its way back to a title, its first since splitting with Rochester in 2009.
“We're looking to play fast on both sides of the ball, and basically, let our instincts take over,” he said. “I think that's going to be a big plus for us.”[[In-content Ad]]
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“We give them a lot of freedom,” Miller said. “At quarterback, we give (senior Lucas Schilling) the freedom to see what's in front of him and see what the defense is giving him. As coaches, he can make us look good by choosing a play that's going to work better. He has an ability to audible, then we give the receivers an ability to adjust their routes to what the defense is doing as well. Our kids just seem more comfortable in the system, and the longer you're in a system, the more you can go into the playbook. That's more evident now.”
Finishing last year at 3-7, and placing fifth in the Three Rivers Conference with a 3-4 mark, the Squires must replace three all-conference players in lineman Jake Semler, wide receiver/defensive back Brodi Carter and defensive end Nick Eubank, but they also return quite a lot.
Among the returnees are all-conference center Thad Miller, running back Jacob Casper and Schilling, who was all-conference honorable mention.
As a junior, Schilling led the TRC in scoring, tallying 18 touchdowns, while also passing for 1,036 yards and rushing for another 537.
“With what he put on the board last year, we're looking for some great things from him,” Miller said of his 6-0, 203-pound signal caller.
At 6-0, 204 pounds, the speedy Casper will also be a force in 2014, a year after he was third in the TRC with 1,111 yards and six scores on 164 carries, going for 6.8 yards per rush.
“We've tweaked some things offensively, and with the threats we have, everybody wants the ball, but Jacob's going to get his fair share throughout the game,” Miller said. “There's no doubt in my mind, that with the work he's put in this offseason, he's going to have an outstanding year.”
The other threats Miller refers to are at wide receiver, where senior Daniel Griese, junior Keelan Norwood, sophomore Kane Gable, senior Evan Milam and junior Bailey Ness will get the bulk of minutes, with juniors Janzin Cripe and Jared Gable working in as well.
Regardless of the weapons, they're not worth much without a stable offensive line, which it seems Manchester may have with Miller (5-9, 211) returning at center, along with senior guard Codi Hutchinson (5-10, 247), sophomore guard Tyler McNall (5-6, 211) and junior tackle Landon Tharp (5-9, 203). Newcomer Quentin Moore (5-9, 170) will also join the group, with 6-2, 226-pound freshman Zeek Shockome also seeing time.
“We have a veteran group,” Miller said of the line. “I think it's going to be a big asset for us. All of those guys are basically in their second year of starting, and they've basically gotten bigger, better, stronger throughout the offseason. I think that's going to be our anchor.”
Those linemen will also be manning defensive line duties, although senior Brennan France will be at nose guard, despite his 5-5, 150-pound stature.
“He's small, but he's quick,” Miller said. “He wreaks some havoc. With him being a wrestler, he knows leverage, so that's why we put him at nose. Being a center myself, the hardest thing is having a quick guy across from you, especially when you're in shotgun snap. It's hard to get a snap and be able to get a good block on a kid like that.”
Miller is also high on his linebackers, led by Thad Miller, a player his coach is very high on.
“Thad Miller was an all-state center, but he could have very easily been an all-state linebacker,” he said.
Casper, junior Clay Sellers and Tharp will also play linebacker, with Norwood, Schilling, Cripe and Ness at cornerback.
Milam and Kane Gable will play strong safety, while senior Cole Isbell will be the free safety.
With so many returnees on defense, Miller hopes it will perform better early in the season than it did a year ago, when it surrendered 54 points per game in an 0-4 start.
“When you can take the thinking out of it, you can play much faster,” he said.
Opening the season Friday at home against Mississinewa, followed by a home game against Bluffton, Miller hopes the to non-conference games prepare his guys for a strong showing in the TRC.
“Of course we're going to have to win the games, but it's also good competition that's going to get you ready for the conference as well,” he said. “Defensively, we've tweaked some things. A year into our system, we're looking to sturdy up some things.”
In 2013, the conference title was split between Whitko and Rochester, but both those teams lost a lot to graduation, as did Tippecanoe Valley, which finished third.
“I think there's a lot of parity in the conference this year,” Miller said. “Of course, you always have to look at the bigger schools in Tippecanoe Valley, Rochester and Whitko. I think they're perennial favorites, but I think it's wide open this year. There's a lot of good teams and teams that have graduated a lot of kids.”
And if his team can just play instead of think, Manchester could work its way back to a title, its first since splitting with Rochester in 2009.
“We're looking to play fast on both sides of the ball, and basically, let our instincts take over,” he said. “I think that's going to be a big plus for us.”[[In-content Ad]]
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