Triton Looks To Be Senior Strong This Season
August 13, 2018 at 3:33 p.m.
Triton Looks To Be Senior Strong This Season
By Aaron [email protected]
The Trojans snapped eight straight losing seasons with an 8-4 record and a trip to the sectional title game last year. Brown (12-21 in three seasons) attributes much of that success to week-to-week planning, a value he wants to carry into this season.
“I want to take teamwork, and I want to take just getting better from week to week as the main goal,” Brown said. “I think we did a great job last year of looking ahead to games, and getting better and preparing.”
Triton graduated a few key playmakers from 2017, including all-state tight end Drew Stichter, who also played linebacker, running back/safety Max Slusser, and center/defensive end Tristan Young.
Brown credited each and every senior from 2017 with strong leadership abilities. He noted that the new crop of seniors, including 11 starting seniors on offense and 10 on defense, will have to assume leading roles for Triton to succeed.
“It’s all going to come down to them stepping up and becoming leaders, and doing the little things that seniors did last year,” Brown said.
The Trojans will look to quarterback James Snyder and wide receiver Delano Shumpert, both of whom were all-state honorable mentions in 2017, to set the tone offensively.
Another all-state honorable mention selection, tackle Conner Ousley, will return to anchor the offensive line.
Snyder and Co. will be leading a balanced attack, which Brown called 51-percent passing and 49-percent running.
Much of that 49 percent will be carried by running back Hunter McIntyre, who racked up 800 yards of total offense last season.
The Trojans run several offensive sets, and Snyder will call audibles on the line based on what he sees in the defense.
The seniors are comfortable with this offense, as they learned it as freshmen when Brown took the helm in 2015.
“I think our biggest strengths will probably be our speed, and the fact that we’ve done the same offense now with these kids for the last three years,” Brown said.
Ty Orson will be vital in the secondary and will double as a wide receiver.
“(Orson is) one heck of a defensive player,” Brown said. “He’s just an awesome athlete.”
Nose tackle Billy Smith, who Brown described as “dominating,” will bolster the defensive line.
Even with all the seniors returning, one of Triton’s main focuses is on reliable depth. Brown said that, though it was kept under wraps last season, Snyder was injured going into the sectional title game against LaVille.
“(Snyder) couldn’t move on the field at all,” Brown said. “He gutted it out as far as I’m concerned.”
Brown also credited his entire coaching staff, including former Triton head coach and current offensive coordinator Rodney Younis, with running the team.
“It’s a ‘we’ thing,” Brown said. “Not anything I’ve done by myself. It takes all of us to work together to help build these players.”
Triton has a tall order with defending 1A state champion Pioneer in its conference, but Brown is viewing the Panthers as a way to gauge the Trojans’ abilities.
“We get the opportunity to play the state champ this year, so that’s great,” Brown said. “We don’t have to make it to the state game to experience that, so that’s going to be a great measuring stick to see where we are against them.”
Triton will open the season Friday in a game at South Central.
The Trojans open Hoosier North Conference play in Week 2 at Caston.
The game with Pioneer and all-state quarterback Jack Kizer, a Notre Dame recruit, is scheduled for Sept. 21 in Bourbon.
The Trojans snapped eight straight losing seasons with an 8-4 record and a trip to the sectional title game last year. Brown (12-21 in three seasons) attributes much of that success to week-to-week planning, a value he wants to carry into this season.
“I want to take teamwork, and I want to take just getting better from week to week as the main goal,” Brown said. “I think we did a great job last year of looking ahead to games, and getting better and preparing.”
Triton graduated a few key playmakers from 2017, including all-state tight end Drew Stichter, who also played linebacker, running back/safety Max Slusser, and center/defensive end Tristan Young.
Brown credited each and every senior from 2017 with strong leadership abilities. He noted that the new crop of seniors, including 11 starting seniors on offense and 10 on defense, will have to assume leading roles for Triton to succeed.
“It’s all going to come down to them stepping up and becoming leaders, and doing the little things that seniors did last year,” Brown said.
The Trojans will look to quarterback James Snyder and wide receiver Delano Shumpert, both of whom were all-state honorable mentions in 2017, to set the tone offensively.
Another all-state honorable mention selection, tackle Conner Ousley, will return to anchor the offensive line.
Snyder and Co. will be leading a balanced attack, which Brown called 51-percent passing and 49-percent running.
Much of that 49 percent will be carried by running back Hunter McIntyre, who racked up 800 yards of total offense last season.
The Trojans run several offensive sets, and Snyder will call audibles on the line based on what he sees in the defense.
The seniors are comfortable with this offense, as they learned it as freshmen when Brown took the helm in 2015.
“I think our biggest strengths will probably be our speed, and the fact that we’ve done the same offense now with these kids for the last three years,” Brown said.
Ty Orson will be vital in the secondary and will double as a wide receiver.
“(Orson is) one heck of a defensive player,” Brown said. “He’s just an awesome athlete.”
Nose tackle Billy Smith, who Brown described as “dominating,” will bolster the defensive line.
Even with all the seniors returning, one of Triton’s main focuses is on reliable depth. Brown said that, though it was kept under wraps last season, Snyder was injured going into the sectional title game against LaVille.
“(Snyder) couldn’t move on the field at all,” Brown said. “He gutted it out as far as I’m concerned.”
Brown also credited his entire coaching staff, including former Triton head coach and current offensive coordinator Rodney Younis, with running the team.
“It’s a ‘we’ thing,” Brown said. “Not anything I’ve done by myself. It takes all of us to work together to help build these players.”
Triton has a tall order with defending 1A state champion Pioneer in its conference, but Brown is viewing the Panthers as a way to gauge the Trojans’ abilities.
“We get the opportunity to play the state champ this year, so that’s great,” Brown said. “We don’t have to make it to the state game to experience that, so that’s going to be a great measuring stick to see where we are against them.”
Triton will open the season Friday in a game at South Central.
The Trojans open Hoosier North Conference play in Week 2 at Caston.
The game with Pioneer and all-state quarterback Jack Kizer, a Notre Dame recruit, is scheduled for Sept. 21 in Bourbon.
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