Warsaw Tigers Blessed With Tall Targets
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
If it were up to the veteran Warsaw football coach, he’d employ an offense centered around controlling the clock with a power running game.
The Tigers, however, aren’t built for that, and Jensen is going to play the hand he’s been dealt.
Or to be more accurate, the hands he’s been dealt.
Warsaw, which finished the 2014 campaign 5-5 overall and 4-3 in the Northern Lakes Conference, will use the spread offense again this season.
The Tigers graduated record-breaking quarterback Jake Mangas – and would-be junior receiver Kyle Mangas chose not to play football, most likely to focus on basketball – but the team is blessed with tall targets.
Headlining that list is 6-foot-4 senior receiver Riley Rhoades, who led Warsaw with 40 catches for 586 yards and three touchdowns last season, all the while missing two games.
Jeremy David, a 6-3 junior tight end, caught 25 passes for 319 yards and four scores last year.
Add to that list 6-4 senior Brock Riley, 6-3 seniors Thomas Hickerson and Sterling Hay, and 6-2 juniors D’Andre Street and Devin Street.
Whoever wins the quarterback battle between juniors Michael Jensen and Joseph Harness, neither of whom played last year, will have plenty of weapons to fire the ball to.
“That’s why we did this ... you know, three years ago after (record-breaking running back) Tristan (McClone) graduated, you looked at what we had coming down the road and there certainly wasn’t another Tristan McClone, but there’s plenty of 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 guys that can run and are pretty athletic and can catch,” said Jensen.
“And to be honest, as much as I’d like to think football is more important today than it was 20 years ago when I got here, basketball is still front and foremost to the kids. Basketball kids don’t wanna come out, and baseball kids don’t wanna come out, and block and tackle ... they wanna catch the football and get the ball in their hands and score points. Not that that’s the only reason to do it, but it fits us better. There’s more of those type of kids.”
Jensen said his son Michael, a 6-1, 175-pounder, is a little bit ahead of Harness for the starting job under center, but said both have done well in practice.
“We think so,” said Jensen when asked if he had a quarterback to get the ball to those tall targets. “Neither Michael or Joseph Harness played last year, for different reasons, but both of them went with us down to team camp at DePauw University. They’ve had good summers, they’re progressing along really well. Right now Michael is ahead of Joseph just a little bit, but yeah, I’ve been real pleased.”
Expected to play on the offensive line and protect Warsaw’s skill-position players are seniors Joe Jackson, Caleb Moore and Matt Anthony, and junior Aaron Lewis, as well as two or three others Jensen said were fighting for a starting spot.
While he has to replace the Mangas brothers and leading rusher Ethyn Bradley on offense, Jensen also has the task of replacing graduated defensive standouts Ben Plummer, Caleb Woolridge and Darren Schaefer.
“Ben Plummer and Caleb Woolridge are giant losses for us,” said Jensen. “Drew Brock, a senior, was a varsity wrestler and played some for us last year. He had a silly injury that kept him out for quite a bit, but he’s big and strong.
“Ross Armey played defensive end for us last year, he’s back. Keegan Bays is a sophomore who we feel like might be able to step in there and help us. Austin Ritenour has been at basic training all summer, but he’s definitely a guy that we’re looking for good things from. He’ll be in good shape I’d think after being at basic training all summer.”
The Tigers open the season Friday when they host Columbia City.
In Week 2, Warsaw travels to East Noble.
The Tigers open conference play Sept. 4 when they host the Plymouth Rockies, who were 11-1 last year, with the one loss being a 37-35 setback in the sectional final.
Jensen said Plymouth is once again the team to beat in the NLC, though he said the conference as a whole will be tough.
“As always, Plymouth is going to be good,” said Jensen. “(Coach John Barron’s) son is a third-year starting quarterback now running the option, and they run it really, really well. He’s a fierce competitor like his dad is, so obviously they’re the team to beat. And unfortunately for us, we play them the first game of the conference. You either beat the top dog and you’re in a good spot going forward or you’re trailing and hoping somebody else helps you. That’s not a good spot to be in, like we found out last year.
“After that ... (Nate Andrews) has done a good job at NorthWood. They hired an assistant at Concord (to take over for the retiring Tim Dawson), so you don’t expect Concord to miss a beat. To me, I think the team that could be a sleeper, the surprise guy, is Memorial. Their coach won a lot of games up in Three Rivers, Mich., went to (Fort Wayne) Wayne last year and had a great year with Wayne. Memorial hired him in the middle of the year and got him up there with those kids, and he knows how to coach those kids, he’s had success with it. They could be much-improved.
“Kyle Park’s in his second year at Goshen, I expect things from them. Even though Northridge graduated a great class, I know their freshman team was really good. I expect a change from them ... they’ll be shotgun spread because they had a big freshman quarterback that can sling the ball pretty good.
“I think it’s gonna be a meat grinder of a conference.”[[In-content Ad]]
If it were up to the veteran Warsaw football coach, he’d employ an offense centered around controlling the clock with a power running game.
The Tigers, however, aren’t built for that, and Jensen is going to play the hand he’s been dealt.
Or to be more accurate, the hands he’s been dealt.
Warsaw, which finished the 2014 campaign 5-5 overall and 4-3 in the Northern Lakes Conference, will use the spread offense again this season.
The Tigers graduated record-breaking quarterback Jake Mangas – and would-be junior receiver Kyle Mangas chose not to play football, most likely to focus on basketball – but the team is blessed with tall targets.
Headlining that list is 6-foot-4 senior receiver Riley Rhoades, who led Warsaw with 40 catches for 586 yards and three touchdowns last season, all the while missing two games.
Jeremy David, a 6-3 junior tight end, caught 25 passes for 319 yards and four scores last year.
Add to that list 6-4 senior Brock Riley, 6-3 seniors Thomas Hickerson and Sterling Hay, and 6-2 juniors D’Andre Street and Devin Street.
Whoever wins the quarterback battle between juniors Michael Jensen and Joseph Harness, neither of whom played last year, will have plenty of weapons to fire the ball to.
“That’s why we did this ... you know, three years ago after (record-breaking running back) Tristan (McClone) graduated, you looked at what we had coming down the road and there certainly wasn’t another Tristan McClone, but there’s plenty of 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 guys that can run and are pretty athletic and can catch,” said Jensen.
“And to be honest, as much as I’d like to think football is more important today than it was 20 years ago when I got here, basketball is still front and foremost to the kids. Basketball kids don’t wanna come out, and baseball kids don’t wanna come out, and block and tackle ... they wanna catch the football and get the ball in their hands and score points. Not that that’s the only reason to do it, but it fits us better. There’s more of those type of kids.”
Jensen said his son Michael, a 6-1, 175-pounder, is a little bit ahead of Harness for the starting job under center, but said both have done well in practice.
“We think so,” said Jensen when asked if he had a quarterback to get the ball to those tall targets. “Neither Michael or Joseph Harness played last year, for different reasons, but both of them went with us down to team camp at DePauw University. They’ve had good summers, they’re progressing along really well. Right now Michael is ahead of Joseph just a little bit, but yeah, I’ve been real pleased.”
Expected to play on the offensive line and protect Warsaw’s skill-position players are seniors Joe Jackson, Caleb Moore and Matt Anthony, and junior Aaron Lewis, as well as two or three others Jensen said were fighting for a starting spot.
While he has to replace the Mangas brothers and leading rusher Ethyn Bradley on offense, Jensen also has the task of replacing graduated defensive standouts Ben Plummer, Caleb Woolridge and Darren Schaefer.
“Ben Plummer and Caleb Woolridge are giant losses for us,” said Jensen. “Drew Brock, a senior, was a varsity wrestler and played some for us last year. He had a silly injury that kept him out for quite a bit, but he’s big and strong.
“Ross Armey played defensive end for us last year, he’s back. Keegan Bays is a sophomore who we feel like might be able to step in there and help us. Austin Ritenour has been at basic training all summer, but he’s definitely a guy that we’re looking for good things from. He’ll be in good shape I’d think after being at basic training all summer.”
The Tigers open the season Friday when they host Columbia City.
In Week 2, Warsaw travels to East Noble.
The Tigers open conference play Sept. 4 when they host the Plymouth Rockies, who were 11-1 last year, with the one loss being a 37-35 setback in the sectional final.
Jensen said Plymouth is once again the team to beat in the NLC, though he said the conference as a whole will be tough.
“As always, Plymouth is going to be good,” said Jensen. “(Coach John Barron’s) son is a third-year starting quarterback now running the option, and they run it really, really well. He’s a fierce competitor like his dad is, so obviously they’re the team to beat. And unfortunately for us, we play them the first game of the conference. You either beat the top dog and you’re in a good spot going forward or you’re trailing and hoping somebody else helps you. That’s not a good spot to be in, like we found out last year.
“After that ... (Nate Andrews) has done a good job at NorthWood. They hired an assistant at Concord (to take over for the retiring Tim Dawson), so you don’t expect Concord to miss a beat. To me, I think the team that could be a sleeper, the surprise guy, is Memorial. Their coach won a lot of games up in Three Rivers, Mich., went to (Fort Wayne) Wayne last year and had a great year with Wayne. Memorial hired him in the middle of the year and got him up there with those kids, and he knows how to coach those kids, he’s had success with it. They could be much-improved.
“Kyle Park’s in his second year at Goshen, I expect things from them. Even though Northridge graduated a great class, I know their freshman team was really good. I expect a change from them ... they’ll be shotgun spread because they had a big freshman quarterback that can sling the ball pretty good.
“I think it’s gonna be a meat grinder of a conference.”[[In-content Ad]]
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092