Young Whitko Team Hopes To Prove Itself In 2017 Season
August 11, 2017 at 4:02 p.m.
Young Whitko Team Hopes To Prove Itself In 2017 Season
By Dale [email protected]
Second-year coach Jeff Sprunger says that’s both good and bad.
“Our strength, but also our Achilles’ heel, this year is our youth,” said Sprunger. “We only have two players returning offensively from last year and one on defense.
“Our team is full of youth and players eager to fight for positions and challenge each other every day at practice. However, this also is going to lead to a lot of possible growing pains throughout the season.?It will be a fun season to watch Whitko football as this team finds its identity and what we can hang our hat on.”
Returning offensive starters include fullback Hunter Reed, who carried the ball 206 times last year for 1,152 yards and 13 touchdowns, and center Matt Smith.
Safety Kaleb Busz is the only returning starter on defense.
As a first-year head coach, Sprunger led the Wildcats to a 7-4 record, the program’s best season since an 8-2 mark in 2010.
With 19 starters gone from last year’s team, Sprunger has his work cut out for him.
“With anything, there is always a learning curve,” Sprunger said when asked what he takes from his first season as a head coach. “The biggest thing that I picked up from last year is that we are never as good as we think we are, and we are never as bad as we think we are.
“We just need to keep plugging away each week with the mindset that we need to get better. Also, that sometimes more isn’t always better. Keeping things simple and becoming really good at what we do is important and ultimately leads to success.”
Among Whitko’s graduated starters is Garrett Elder, the program’s all-time leading rusher.
Elder, who rushed for 3,589 yards and 49 touchdowns the past two seasons, will certainly be missed.
Sprunger said his team will throw the ball more than in seasons past, but as the Wildcats have been for years they will be a running team.
Reed is expected to shoulder the load.
“We will be a run-focused team,” said Sprunger. “We do recognize that we lost some very talented skilled-position players and speed, and because of that we have to find more creative ways to get out into the perimeter on teams. We are focusing more time at practice on throwing and pass blocking.
“This season will not be your typical Wildcat team as we will be throwing the football more than we have in the past. However, we are expecting Hunter Reed to carry the ball a lot this year, but who is going to help him carry this load we really don’t know yet.”
Whitko opens the season with a pair of road games against fellow Whitley County schools Churubusco (Aug. 18) and Columbia City (Aug. 25).
The Wildcats host Three Rivers Conference opponent Maconaquah on Sept. 1, and then travel to Rochester on Sept. 8 for their first game against a TRC North Division team.
Whitko was 3-1 in the TRC North Division standings last year, beating Rochester, Tippecanoe Valley and Manchester, and falling to Northfield.
The Wildcats fell 35-32 in a TRC playoff game at Peru.
“I like to believe that we are going to be a strong competitor again in the TRC,” said Sprunger. “However, teams like Southwood, Peru, Tippecanoe Valley, North Miami and Northfield should all be at the top of the conference again this year.”
Second-year coach Jeff Sprunger says that’s both good and bad.
“Our strength, but also our Achilles’ heel, this year is our youth,” said Sprunger. “We only have two players returning offensively from last year and one on defense.
“Our team is full of youth and players eager to fight for positions and challenge each other every day at practice. However, this also is going to lead to a lot of possible growing pains throughout the season.?It will be a fun season to watch Whitko football as this team finds its identity and what we can hang our hat on.”
Returning offensive starters include fullback Hunter Reed, who carried the ball 206 times last year for 1,152 yards and 13 touchdowns, and center Matt Smith.
Safety Kaleb Busz is the only returning starter on defense.
As a first-year head coach, Sprunger led the Wildcats to a 7-4 record, the program’s best season since an 8-2 mark in 2010.
With 19 starters gone from last year’s team, Sprunger has his work cut out for him.
“With anything, there is always a learning curve,” Sprunger said when asked what he takes from his first season as a head coach. “The biggest thing that I picked up from last year is that we are never as good as we think we are, and we are never as bad as we think we are.
“We just need to keep plugging away each week with the mindset that we need to get better. Also, that sometimes more isn’t always better. Keeping things simple and becoming really good at what we do is important and ultimately leads to success.”
Among Whitko’s graduated starters is Garrett Elder, the program’s all-time leading rusher.
Elder, who rushed for 3,589 yards and 49 touchdowns the past two seasons, will certainly be missed.
Sprunger said his team will throw the ball more than in seasons past, but as the Wildcats have been for years they will be a running team.
Reed is expected to shoulder the load.
“We will be a run-focused team,” said Sprunger. “We do recognize that we lost some very talented skilled-position players and speed, and because of that we have to find more creative ways to get out into the perimeter on teams. We are focusing more time at practice on throwing and pass blocking.
“This season will not be your typical Wildcat team as we will be throwing the football more than we have in the past. However, we are expecting Hunter Reed to carry the ball a lot this year, but who is going to help him carry this load we really don’t know yet.”
Whitko opens the season with a pair of road games against fellow Whitley County schools Churubusco (Aug. 18) and Columbia City (Aug. 25).
The Wildcats host Three Rivers Conference opponent Maconaquah on Sept. 1, and then travel to Rochester on Sept. 8 for their first game against a TRC North Division team.
Whitko was 3-1 in the TRC North Division standings last year, beating Rochester, Tippecanoe Valley and Manchester, and falling to Northfield.
The Wildcats fell 35-32 in a TRC playoff game at Peru.
“I like to believe that we are going to be a strong competitor again in the TRC,” said Sprunger. “However, teams like Southwood, Peru, Tippecanoe Valley, North Miami and Northfield should all be at the top of the conference again this year.”
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