Numbers Adding Up In '98 For Warsaw

BY GREG JONES, Times-Union Sports Editor

Warsaw is playing a numbers game this year.

In the third year of his reign, Tiger coach Phil Jensen is getting closer to his ultimate goal - a two-platoon system. Even with a school of 2,000 students, players exclusively on offense or defense have not been seen around much in these parts.

Jensen would like to see that changed. And he might be getting the support he needs.

With more than 100 kids in the program this year (grades 9-12), it may be only a short while before Jensen will have those two separate units. The turnout for the Tigers is up 10 percent from last year and 25 percent from Jensen's first season two years ago.

"It is not just numbers," Jensen said. "It is kids who have actually worked in the program, lifting weights and working out in the summer."

Of the 63 varsity players, about 56 of them put time in this summer in Jensen's regimen.

"We want to two-platoon," he said. "I want 11 starters on offense and 11 starters on defense and have that way all the way through (the program). If we are going to compete in 5A football, we have to two-platoon. There is where we are headed, and you have to have numbers to do it."

Unlike last season, it appears that Warsaw won't sneak up on anybody. After a 2-7 campaign in 1996, the Tigers turned things around with a 6-4 mark last year, including a glorious three-game run where Warsaw avenged losses to Tippecanoe Valley, Plymouth and South Bend St. Joe.

"That bit of success, did that make them say 'look how good we are' or did it make them say 'Hey this is good, and I want more,'" Jensen said. "Our goal is always to win the conference and sectional championship. But beyond that I hope the kids want to take that next step."

The results could be bolstered by a return of 13 starters to the team, including six on offense and seven on defense.

"We have a solid nucleus on both sides of the football coming back," Jensen said. "Yet, we still have some key positions that need to be filled. Where our real concern defensively is who is that third kid at each position when someone needs a rest."

Warsaw will be hurt on both sides of the football with the loss of Derrick Duncan. Duncan, who played in this summer's North-South All-Star game and is headed for St. Francis, was Warsaw's middle linebacker for the first half of the season before switching to the workhorse load at running back after Jose Esquivel went down with an injury against Goshen.

Duncan will be sorely missed, but Jensen sees the possibility of several different players stepping up to fill the void, including Esquivel, who is back at running back for his senior season.

Esquivel is expected to be the focus of the Warsaw offense. The quick and elusive senior ran for 465 yards last season and was the Tigers' leading receiver two seasons ago.

"There is no secret. You call anybody on our schedule and ask them who our offense is going to be based around - Jose," Jensen said. "The key to his success is how everybody else plays their role. We can't be one-dimensional. His role is to carry the football and carry it a lot. There will be no shortage of him touching the football."

Helping to play a critical role will be junior Greg Seiss, who is expected to step into the graduated Andy Plank's (Butler University) spot at quarterback.

"Greg Seiss is doing a great job in practice, and he has worked hard this summer," Jensen said. "But that is a big step to go from JV quarterback to varsity. There are a lot more responsibility. He is working hard to fill those shoes, and (sophomore) Jared Scrafton is working hard to push him."

Jensen might also finally have the receivers to run the run-and-shoot he has been looking for three years. Back from last year are seniors Jason Barrett, Pat Riley and Jon Hill and junior Ross Kesler at wide receivers.

"We have the receiver corps to open things up, but do we have the experience?" Jensen said.

"To strictly say we are going to throw the football 30 times a game you are opening up the quarterback for even more pressure. We need to run the football, control the tempo of the game and relieve the pressure off Greg."

Esquivel and Barrett earned honorable mention All-Northern Lakes Conference honors last season.

Fighting for the fullback position are senior Steve Perry and junior Zach Sheetz.

Last year, the Tigers' offensive line was a big reason for their success and will once again dictate what is done in 1998. Gone is All-NLC center Jerrod Engler, but three two-year starters return in seniors Wes Rodman and Jamie Elliott and junior Zach Nelson. Rodman will be out for half the season after having a pin put into his broken foot. Also lettering last season were juniors John Leininger and Clint Davis.

Defensively, the Tigers have plenty of experience back, but will have to find replacements for Engler in the defensive line, Duncan at linebacker and All-NLC safety James Taylor (St. Joesph's College).

Back for Warsaw are: seniors Ryan Sands (linebacker), Joe Stanley (defensive end), Steve McKinley (linebacker), Joe Sittler (linebacker), Steve Fribley (defensive tackle) and Pat Riley (cornerback) and junior Matt Horn (defensive end).

Looking to fill in the other spots will be junior returning lettermen Russ Albert (free safety), Mike VanLaeken (defensive back) and Aaron Chabot (linebacker).

Standing in Warsaw's way toward success this season will be a schedule filled with tough Northern Lakes Conference games, along with difficult tests against non-conference foes Tippecanoe Valley, South Bend St. Joesph and Columbia City.

"Our conference is so tough," Jensen said. "Goshen, NorthWood and Plymouth are tough, and the others are definitely improved. People keep asking me how good we will be this year, and it really depends on how well our young kids step up and how much has all of this sunk in. We have had two years of working harder than they have ever worked and how much pride and intensity have developed?"

Tippy Valley Hoping For Healthy Players

BY JASON KNAVEL, Times-Union Sports Writer

MENTONE - If only Tippecanoe Valley could have a healthy team.

In the first two weeks of practice, the Vikings have struggled with missed time at practices due to all sorts of reasons, many coming from some of their top players.

Brandon Eaton, slated to be the starting quarterback when the season begins, missed the first week of practice after having his wisdom teeth pulled. Jeremy Fox, who is expected to be a force on the offensive and defensive lines, could not practice until after the Vikings' scrimmage because of arthroscopic knee surgery. Dusty Cooper, a senior who was expected to contribute as a linebacker, had a knee injury and is out indefinitely.

"(Besides those injuries) we've got some typical groin pulls, hamstring pulls," Bibler said. "That's just because we're working them hard and some of them came in two-a-days not in the shape they needed to."

Bibler, however, did go on to say that the summer weight lifting and conditioning programs were the best attended since he's been at Valley.

"Nowadays kids have so many things going on between jobs and (4-H) fair and girlfriends," Bibler said. "We averaged over 50 a day, so we were pleased with the attendance."

One of the more interesting developments in the Valley camp is the quarterback situation. Eaton is the starter, but backup Craig Kuhn got his chance to shine while Eaton was out the first week of practice.

"Kuhn stepped in and got a good jump start," Bibler said. "We, as a coaching staff, were real surprised and pleased with Craig Kuhn. Both kids can step out there and take command of the offense and move the ball down the field. We could be like a Steve Spurrier at Florida. It's kind of crazy, but last year he rotated quarterbacks and sent the plays in with them."

Most of the other positions on offense are solidified with either returning starters or reserves who have taken over the starting spots. Last year, the Vikings were inconsistent on offense, scoring 20 points or more six times, including a 43-point outburst against North Miami and a 52-point scoring spree against Northfield. However, Valley was shut out twice and scored just six points against Rochester.

At running back, Eric Prater will be the workhorse. He led the team with 636 yards rushing last year. He had a knee injury last season, but is no longer feeling the effects of that.

"The knee has not been a problem so far," Bibler said. "Last year, we didn't think he ran the ball hard, with a punishing type of play. But this year, he's shown us that he's definitely not afraid of contact. He's probably one of the most gifted open field-type people we've seen in a while."

Charles Hall will play the fullback position and carry the ball in short yardage situations. Nathan Patterson, who Bibler considers the team's best overall athlete, will also play running back, and Derek Domenico will relieve Prater and Patterson when they need a break.

With the graduations of James Dawson and Phil Prater, the offensive line is not as big as it has been. Micah Lukens, Fox and Charlie Wise started last year. Rustin Birge, Mark Wortley and Scott Brown will look to contribute in the trenches and got experience on the varsity team last year. Depending on who Bibler decides to put on the line, Valley could be starting as many as five seniors or up to three underclassmen.

At wide receiver, the Vikings were hit hard by graduation. Josh Wagoner, Eric Carlin, Luke Gibson, Dax Snyder, Adam Smith and Matt Shilling will compete for the starting spots there. Those players combined for 13 receptions last year, nine from Smith and four from Wagoner.

The defense will be harder for Bibler to sort out. The Vikings' staff has moved players to different positions to try to get the best players on the field. After allowing 20 points or more six times last year, the defense is a definite concern.

To see how unsettled the defense is, consider this.

Birge has been moved from outside linebacker to defensive tackle, but still may not start if Fox is healthy for the season opener. Adam Smith played in the secondary last year, but has been moved to outside linebacker to battle with a group of four other players for two starting spots. At inside linebacker, one returning starter and two other players are fighting for two spots. In the secondary, Gibson and Kuhn are looking to play the safety position. At defensive halfback, five players want to grab two starting positions.

Despite all of those unsettled questions, Bibler still sees the potential of this team.

"The overall attitude of this team is one of the better attitudes as a whole that we've seen in a while," Bibler said. "We know we have a long way to go, but we come off the field knowing we've got a pretty good group of young men."

Rietveld Trying To Revitalize Program

BY JEFF HOLSINGER, Times-Union Sports Writer

SYRACUSE - Preparation has never been a problem with Joe Rietveld.

Before he was named Wawasee's football coach, he visited the high school four times. He has made a 50-page packet that he pulls out of his filing cabinet and hands to you, a packet formed over the past 11 years that covers everything from philosophies to game plan forms to off-season training programs to the role of a football coach.

And then there's the nine-minute video.

Come Friday, he will see if all this preparation pays off when the Warriors host Whitko to open the 1998 season.

He had his team prepared last Friday, although the opponent was picture day, not the Whitko Wildcats. Football players and picture days just don't mix. Schedule one for 3 p.m., inevitably the picture is taken at 4 p.m.

Not here, not at Wawasee, not under Rietveld. Picture day was 1 p.m., and players were ready at 12:55 p.m.

"I told them it was 12:15, knowing that it was at 1," Rietveld says.

For 12 years Rietveld has dreamed of being a head football coach. He has spent his last seven years as an assistant varsity coach at Anderson High School in Cincinnati. Anderson went 61-13 and won conference championships all seven years.

When Wawasee meets Whitko, Rietveld's dream will be fully realized in his first official game as head coach.

Shortly after picture day has finished, Rietveld sits at his desk in the back of Wawasee's coaching office. He faces all doors that lead into the room. No one can sneak in or out without catching Rietveld's attention.

Behind Rietveld is a bookshelf with books written by Pat Riley, Joe Gibbs and Bo Schembechler, among others.

"I don't memorize them all," Rietveld says. "I just try to pick up one or two things that will help me along the road."

Riley currently coaches, while Gibbs and Schembechler are former coaches. Rietveld is asked what his coaching style will be like.

"I see myself as a father-like figure," he says. "I'm very positive, and I don't ever belittle players. I yell and help them correct their mistakes. But I don't believe in breaking down players and then building them back up.

"Practices are mine and theirs. Games are theirs. I do my job Sunday through Thursday. I should be able to just sit back and watch Friday night. Now, I know that will never happen."

Changes will be noticeable. For one, Rietveld preaches the ground game and sticking with it. When hired in March, he said of his game plan, "No secret. Teams are going to have to stop the tailback."

For Wawasee, that would be starter Rustin Mikel and backup Kevin Carr. Mikel, a 5-foot-8, 165-pound senior, carried the ball 67 times last year and led Wawasee with 370 rushing yards.

The Warriors will have a new quarterback, 6-3, 195-pound junior Adam Brown. As a freshman, Brown advanced to the RCA Dome in the NFL's Punt, Pass and Kick competition. He replaces Jeff Beer, who completed 68 of 195 passes and threw for 941 yards last year as a senior.

"Adam Brown is definitely an integral part of this football team, not only as quarterback, but as a punter," Rietveld says. "Rustin Mikel will have to carry a load playing tailback and cornerback."

Matt Binns, Toby Witmer and Jimmy Meyer will see time at fullback.

"We want to establish the run first then throw when we want to throw," Rietveld says. "We'll run just enough option to let people know we will run it."

He thinks his backs have the offensive line to build a good ground game. Asked the best thing about his team on the football field, Rietveld says, "The size of our offensive line is where we start."

The Warriors have people like Marc Smith (6-1, 240), Jamie Salazar (6-2, 250), Nate Ousley (6-4, 250) and Tom Bryan (6-2, 220) taking up space on their line.

"Two kids who don't get mentioned but are integral parts are Marc Smith (G/DT) and Tom Bryan (T/DE)," Rietveld says. "Both are juniors, two kids who will have to play both ways. Everybody else usually has someone else to spell them. They play next to each other, on the left side on offense and the right side on defense."

If the running game is part A of Rietveld's coaching philosophy, having a fast defense is part B.

Big offensive linemen give Rietveld hope the running game will work. The fast defense may be another story.

One thing last year's 4-6 Warriors had going for them was the linebacker position, where Wawasee had the likes of Scott Ousley, Luke Matz and Brad Swope. All three graduated, and Matz and Ousley have gone on to join Indiana State's football team.

"Linebacker is probably our biggest area of concern," Rietveld says. "We don't have a lot of people to put there, and the ones we have are inexperienced.

"We really don't have overall team speed. We tried to help that by moving guys around. Still, that doesn't turn a 4.9 into a 4.6."

Will Rietveld be able to turn Wawasee, a team that had gone 15-33 under Gene Mitz the last five years, into an Anderson?

Only time will tell. Rietveld hopes to at least get the team headed in the right direction.

"Our slogan going in is 'Committed To Excellence,'" Rietveld says. "Part of building a tradition is taking care of little things. We want to take care of things down to stepping with the right foot and getting the right hand placement."

NorthWood Poised For More Success

BY JEFF HOLSINGER, Times-Union Sports Writer

NAPPANEE - Football season is here. Sweat is here. Grass-stained uniforms and cleats clogged with dirt are here. The infamous "two-a-days," two three-hour practices under the 90-degree August sun in one day, are here.

There is no place else NorthWood football coach Rich Dodson, who wears shorts and a white T-shirt that proclaims the NorthWood Panthers as 1995 Northern Lakes Conference champion, would rather be.

"I'm not much of a fisherman," he says, "and I'm a lousy golfer. This is as about as good as I can get."

Good is 64-9, Dodson's record since he became NorthWood's head coach six years ago. Good is not having a losing season since the Richard Nixon regime, 1972 to be exact, something NorthWood has done.

1998 is not expected to be any different.

Back this year for NorthWood are a quarterback who threw for nearly 2,000 yards and rushed for 800 as a sophomore and a tailback who rushed for close to 1,200 yards.

Also back are the top four receivers.

Life is good on offense at NorthWood.

"We'll have a balanced offense," Dodson says. "We have the ability to run the football, the ability to throw the football. And then we have some experience in our offensive line."

Charlie Roeder, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound junior, is the returning quarterback with the big numbers. So poised was Roeder running NorthWood's option offense last season that when once asked if he fretted over a sophomore leading the team, Dodson replied, "If teams rattle Charlie, that's something I haven't been able to do."

So what else is there for Roeder to work on? What else for a sophomore who completed 54 percent of his passes, threw for 18 touchdowns and ran for 12 more?

"Oh, Charlie just has a lot of things, a lot of fundamental things," Dodson says. "Footwork. Setting up to throw. He's just a young kid. He doesn't do anything great to the point where he's a perfect quarterback."

Aaron Huber, a 5-10, 175-pound senior, is the tailback who rushed for 1,180 yards and caught 25 passes for 478 yards. He rushed the ball for an average of 7.1 yards per carry and scored 15 rushing touchdowns. He also caught six touchdown passes.

He still had time to punt the ball an average of nearly 40 yards. He returns as the punter this year.

Joe Abel, a 6-4, 215-pound senior, led last year's receivers with 37 catches for 543 yards.

Also back are Blair Baumgartner and Brad Greenlee, who each caught more than 20 passes.

This much is certain: NorthWood's offense is set. The Panthers averaged 29.1 points per game last year, and with the key players back, that number should only rise.

Dodson is asked if he was the coach on the other side of the field, which NorthWood player he would highlight in the game plan as the key guy to contain.

He instead throws out another option.

"You know how I would stop this football team?" he asks. "Challenge the defense. If I've got the football, they don't. I'd try to control the football."

Aahh, defense. Two years ago NorthWood shut out opponents four times and allowed more than 13 points twice. Last year, the Panthers shut out one team and gave up 19 points or more eight times.

"Defense was a big concern," Dodson says. "If we had a weakness on our football team last year, it was our inability to shut people down when we needed to.

"As I look this year, we're stressing defense. And we're gonna put a better defensive football team out on the field. We need to be a better defensive football team so we can get the football back in the hands of our offense."

In what many schools would consider a rebuilding year - the Panthers had only 10 seniors last season - NorthWood went 10-3. The Panthers lost regular season games to Jimtown, a state champion that finished 15-0, and Goshen, the NLC champion that finished 10-1. Their last loss came to 11-3 Harding, 28-21 in the regional.

"From where we started to where we ended ... you always want to win your last football game," Dodson says. "But we lost to Harding. I wasn't disappointed in the season. You just never want to see it end."

Now NorthWood has 18 seniors and 25 juniors. Compare the Panthers to the Triton Trojans, who have 28 football players total - freshmen through seniors. With that many veterans, with weapons named Roeder and Huber and Abel, the e-word comes into play: expectations. The Panthers are expected to challenge for the NLC title, expected to last deep into the postseason.

This does not bother Dodson.

"It's always been a tradition in our program that there are always a lot of expectations," he says. "Our last losing season was 1972. Our players expect to win. Our community expects to win.

"Like I tell the players, there's not a team on the regular season schedule we can't beat. At the same time, there's nobody on our regular season schedule who can't beat us if we're not ready to play."

No High Expectations For Wildcats

BY JASON KNAVEL, Times-Union Sports Writer

SOUTH WHITLEY - Expectations. It's a scary word. Ask Whitko head coach Bryan Sprunger. Last year, Whitko was "expected" to compete for a Class 3A state title. Many thought the Wildcats had as good a shot as anyone of heading to the RCA Dome. Forget the Chatards, the Zionsvilles and the NorthWoods. Last year was supposed to be Whitko's year.

But when Jimmy Linn was wrapped up just short of the end zone in overtime against Angola trying for a two-point conversion to win a first-round sectional game, the torrential season finally came to a close. The Wildcats ended 5-5, far worse than anyone believed could happen.

But this year is different. Those expectations are much lower now, and Sprunger likes it that way. Expectations make teams attempt things they're not capable of. Expectations make teams believe the hype and often make teams crumble when things aren't going quite right.

"To a certain extent, the expectations on the football team last year made it difficult for the players to live up to the expectations," Sprunger said. "We started making mistakes that cost us some football games. We tried to do spectacular things that turned into turnovers and turned into penalties."

This year's team will be taking it one step at a time. Although the Wildcats have a team with 21 seniors, they have only two players, quarterback Ben Mohr and cornerback Josh Gonzalez, who played extensively last year.

"It's unusual for us to graduate 23 seniors and have 21 follow them," Sprunger said. "These kids are pretty green. We're still really looking for players."

One of the few spots where Sprunger can feel good is quarterback. Mohr completed 49 percent of his passes last year for 397 yards as he split time with Linn as the signal-caller.

At fullback, Joe Potts had 24 carries last year for 132 yards, a 5.5 yard per carry average. He'll be the guy with experience in the backfield as Seth Slater and Josh Gonzalez will also start as the halfback and wingback. Those two had a total of four carries last year.

Sprunger looks at the offensive line as the key to how quickly this team can be at its best.

"As fast as we can get an offensive line to jell is as fast as we'll progress," Sprunger said.

Defensively, Sprunger has a lot of questions.

"Defensive end will be one of our weaknesses early," Sprunger said. "Our biggest question is probably in the center (of the defense) because we're so inexperienced there. If we have a strength defensively, it's in the secondary where we've got Gonzalez back at cornerback, an all-(Three Rivers) conference player with six interceptions last year."

Whitko will have a rotatable line to combat the strengths of the opposition. Sprunger will have a group to use if he needs bulk and muscle, and he'll have a group to use if he needs speed and quickness.

"We've got a lot of late bloomers who are just coming on now," Sprunger said. "If only we had one more year (with those guys). By the end of the season, I'd like to see us being a competitive, hard-playing football team."

This year, instead of talking about the RCA Dome, Sprunger talks about progress and about his kids' attitudes.

"This is one of the nicest groups of kids we've had," he said. "It's a great group of kids to practice with, and they've made strides in the last week and a half. What we have to continue to do is stride forward the rest of the year."

Sprunger has just three rules for this year's squad. Play hard, do things right and get better each week. If his squad does that, this team might just exceed expectations.

Returners Key To Squires' Success

BY JASON KNAVEL, Times-Union Sports Writer

NORTH MANCHESTER - Question marks.

Every high school team has a few before the season. Manchester High School football coach Al Bailey frets about the possibility of those question marks turning into problems. What about injuries? Can all of his key players stay academically eligible? Will any of his players decide that football is no longer for him?

Bailey has been around long enough to see promising teams and players decimated by question marks turned sour. He knows that this team has as much talent, experience and leadership as any he's had in his 13 years at Manchester. He also knows they have question marks.

The graduation of team defensive player of the year Todd Sites and team offensive lineman of the year Mark McKee will be difficult holes to fill, along with team leadership award winner Nate Shull. Bailey's already had a handful of seniors decide that football is not as important as other things this fall.

But if the rest of those questions don't turn bad, if players stay eligible, if the remaining players stay healthy and hungry to play football, Manchester football could be strong.

#Bailey has at his disposal 10 seniors, most with plenty of experience and talent to keep this team competitive. He also has a spattering of juniors with varsity experience and two or three sophomores who will contribute.

"There's a lot of guys that played quite a bit last year," Bailey said. "Some of them started as sophomores and are seniors now. We're fortunate in that respect."

Offense may be the real strength for the Squires.

Senior Rex Reimer returns at quarterback for Manchester. Bailey experimented with Reimer at quarterback when he was a sophomore and then turned the reins over to him last year. He missed the first half of his junior season as the Squires opened the season 1-5, but led Manchester to wins in two of its final three games.

"It seems we've had problems in the past getting going," Bailey said. "We'd like to start at a higher notch. Last year, we didn't have a scrimmage and by the time we were playing our first game, they (the first opponent) already had a game under their belts. By the time we get into conference, hopefully we'll be in a little better shape."

Protecting Reimer will be an experienced offensive line. Nate Young, Jeff Daugherty and Eric Sommer have two years of varsity experience under their belts in the trenches. Brady Burgess and Kory Rupley also played some last year. One hole is the center position as McKee, who was named Times-Union All-Area last year, has graduated.

"We've got a couple of guys who, I think, can play center pretty well," Bailey said.

Tom Hardy will play in the tight end position and help on the offensive line. He caught 19 passes as a sophomore last year, five more than any other Manchester player.

C.J. Brown and Annon Gaerte will be catching Reimer's bullets in the wide receiver positions. Gaerte caught 14 passes last year and Brown had 12 more.

Greg Groombridge and David Barrett are slated to start in the running back positions. Barrett had the majority of the carries last year, rushing for 734 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns.

On the defensive side of the football, Bailey has a little more work to do in filling holes. Junior Chris Lochner and senior Steve Fawcett will probably play the defensive end spots, while Sommer and Young will play both tackles. Sophomore Jarred Kopkey will man the nose tackle position to round out the defensive line.

Barrett, Groombridge, Cassel and Kurt Briner will play in the linebacker positions, with C.J. Brown, Reimer and Gaerte in the secondary.

Groombridge and Sommer were both named to the Times-Union All-Area defensive team last year and will anchor that side of the ball.

"Cory Cassel, our inside linebacker, is back," Bailey said. "In the secondary, Reimer and C.J. Brown played most of the year. But probably the key to our defense is Sommer and Groombridge."

With that lineup, Bailey hopes to have a team that can finish in the top third in the Three Rivers Conference.

"Rochester lost a lot, but they'll be good," Bailey said. "Southwood is good year after year. Valley will be an awfully good team. Whitko will be good. I'd like to battle for the conference championship. We haven't won one since I've been here and I'd like to see us contend for one."

Whitko head coach Bryan Sprunger backs up Bailey's claims that Manchester could be near the top of the conference standings when the dust settles.

"I think people are missing it," Sprunger said. "I think Manchester's going to be right there. I think Manchester's got a good football team. If you overlook them in the conference, you make a big mistake."

Triton Coming Off Most Wins Since '80

BY JEFF HOLSINGER, Times-Union Sports Writer

BOURBON -ÊTriton's football team did something last season that coach Rod Wildman said it hadn't done in 17 years.

The Trojans won five games. They went 5-5, their most wins since 1980, when they finished 5-4.

They did this in Wildman's first year. Now the question asked is this: Where does Triton go after winning five games for the first time in 17 years?

"We've talked about this," Wildman says. "We would like to take the next step. The next step would be winning the games we should win. The next step would be being on the level with the (John) Glenns, the Bremens and the Jimtowns.

"I suppose the next step would be a 7-3 season."

This 7-3, Wildman acknowledges, is probably the "if-everything-fell-into-place-in-1998" record. Is it realistic? He hedges. He hopes so.

Right now, the number of reality for Triton is 28. This is how many players the Trojans have on their football team.

You raise your eyebrows. Even for a Class A school like Triton, this number seems small.

Then Wildman throws another curveball at you.

"Twenty-eight," he says, "counting freshmen through seniors."

The Trojans have 10 seniors, a number Wildman can live with. The number he thinks that could determine Triton's season is five - the number of juniors on the team.

"That's the thing really hurting us," he says, "having only five juniors. That's where the depth thing comes in. If we were 10-10-10-10 in each class, we'd be OK. We're very thin. With five juniors, we get into injuries, what's going to happen is sophomores will have to play."

Asked how many of his varsity players will have to play both offense and defense, Wildman cracks, "All 11. We'll just flip 'em over."

Seriously, not all 11, but he expects eight or nine will.

At least the players have spent a year with Wildman. Now they know what he expects.

The news out of Miami Dolphin football camp this off-season was how coach Jimmy Johnson, disgusted by an embarrassing playoff loss to New England where the Patriot defense knew the Dolphin audibles, threw out Don Shula's playbook.

Wildman did not get the fanfare Johnson did, but when asked the biggest change he made taking over for Brad Shields at Triton, his answer is paring down the playbook.

"I changed a little of the offense," he says. "We simplified a lot of the blocking schemes. I never saw a playbook, but they had a lot of plays.

"We made it about eight or 10 plays and decided we're gonna run those and run those well."

The play makers who helped Triton to its best season in years were Kyle Gould, Jack Hackworth and Nick Treber.

And now those three play makers are gone, graduated.

Asked how much offense the Trojans lost with those three, Wildman says: "Oh, boy. Most of it. I'd say 90 percent of our offense."

Gould, a fullback, and Hackworth, a wingback, were first team Northern State All-Conference selections. Hackworth rushed for 577 yards and eight touchdowns and led Triton in both categories. Gould rushed for 229 yards, third on the team.

Treber, a second team All-NSC selection, led Triton with 22 catches for 255 yards.

"Really, all the people who scored and did things, we lost," Wildman says. "We lost about our whole line. We lost about everything."

Triton has only one player back on offense who accounted for more than 200 yards, quarterback Nate Setser. Setser, who completed 36 percent of his passes, threw for 626 yards and five touchdowns. He rushed for 261 yards.

And he may not even be quarterback this year. He may move to fullback. Wildman is also looking at Kenny Miller, who played junior varsity last year, at quarterback.

Tad Hayes, the back who will replace Hackworth, rushed for eight yards on one carry a year ago.

Triton will run an offense filled with option and misdirection plays.

Inexperienced or not at the varsity level, Shields expects Hayes and Miller, among others, to contribute.

"I have a lot of confidence in the guys who are here," he says. "I think they can step in and be players for us right away. We have a lot of guys, even though they didn't start last year, they played last year. Our offensive line, guys like Derek Gross, Travis Ford, Lavon Miller, those guys are seniors who will be the main ones in there."

Wildman says this because he believes the mindset has changed at Triton. He preached "believing we can win" last year, and preaches it this year.

Mental toughness, coaches call it.

"That's what we talked about, not going back to the way it was before, just two or three wins," Wildman says. "We want to be confident enough that we know we're going to go out and get the job done and win this game, rather than 'I hope we win this game.'

"Since we're in a situation where we don't have a lot of guys, guys here have to work their tails off. We have to be in better shape than everyone else." [[In-content Ad]]