SportsAugust 20, 2015
Football preview: St. Vincent hopes last year's strong finish leads to a better start this season
St. Vincent second-year coach Nathan Rowland hopes the gains continue after initial pains. The Indians lost their first five games last season as the new coach and a young group of Indians, heavy on sophomores, went through an adjustment period. "We had a bunch of guys playing varsity for the first time after having a very large senior class and losing people in starting positions," Rowland said. ...
By Jeff Breer and Trent Singer ~ Southeast Missourian
High school football has evolved over the years into a commitment that begins following the last game of one season and continues through opening night of the next when preparation collides with execution. This introduction and team breakdown are part of the Southeast Missourian high school football preview, which examines how teams spent the year preparing for Friday night's season openers.
Remember the offseason?
High school football teams across the country take the field for three to four months every year, but as the product has grown in popularity over time, preparation has redefined the rest of the year.
From the last game of the season to the start of opening night, high school football players hardly ever stop working.
It's a process that begins in the weight room and ends on the field, and Central coach Nathan Norman is one of many people who understands the demands of the yearlong grind.
"It's so demanding now for a high school student," said Norman, who guided the Tigers to their first-ever Class 4 state championship appearance last season. "You're asking a lot for them to be involved with a sport like that because it's year-round, and that's tough."
A 1996 graduate of Jackson High School, Norman helped lead the Indians to a pair of state title game appearances before competing at the college level with Arkansas. Bob Sink and Van Hitt both coached Norman in high school and now serve as assistant coaches on his current staff.
"We'll all tell you that it's definitely changed," Norman said. "We were encouraged to weight lift, condition and train, and we did. I feel like that aspect of it probably hasn't changed as much as the number of practices, obviously. I remember when I was in high school, you got two weeks to practice, and that was it."
Jackson coach Brent Eckley began his coaching career in 1995 at Hickman Mills High School, where he coached quarterbacks for two years before serving three years as offensive coordinator at Warrensburg High School. Eckley landed his first head coaching job in 2000 at Montgomery County High School before moving on to Union High School in 2005, and he amassed a 101-32 record during his time at the two schools.
Eckley has seen the demands of high school football evolve over the years and believes there have been a number of factors that have contributed to it.
"I think sometimes as a coach, you want to try to control as much as you can," he said. "You want to have an influence on as many things as possible. I think that's what happens is in us trying to make sure our team is as well prepared as they can be, we'll spend as much time in the offseason as we can getting them ready for their season so things move smoother."
There's also a demand that's required from coaches, one that Perryville coach Mike Wojtczuk understands.
"It's a grind, but you've got to love the game," Wojtczuk said. "It's like my dad told me a long time ago, 'If you find a job you love, then you never have to work another day for the rest of your life.' Being a football coach is like that."
As for the players, focus and commitment go hand in hand.
Teams tend to carry the mindset that games are won in the offseason, and execution is only a part of the arduous process of high school football.
"It's very important that they buy in and want to be a part of it," Norman said. "It's easy to give up on something that you don't invest much time in. That aspect of it helps. If we've got a kid who makes it with the football program, they're dedicated because they have to be. There are just too many days they're required to be here.
"It's got to mean something to them."
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St. Vincent Indians Preview
St. Vincent second-year coach Nathan Rowland hopes the gains continue after initial pains.
The Indians lost their first five games last season as the new coach and a young group of Indians, heavy on sophomores, went through an adjustment period.
"We had a bunch of guys playing varsity for the first time after having a very large senior class and losing people in starting positions," Rowland said. "After that, we knew there were going to be some growing pains, just getting used to the speed of varsity compared to the speed of JV. Of course we had some growing pains, but now we're reaping the benefit. We played a lot of underclassmen last year. We're a team of sophomores, and now they're juniors, and we're looking for some big things from them."
It's a group of 11 juniors -- not counting talented junior Tyler Monier who is not playing this year after suffering an ACL injury in basketball last season -- that lost one game on the JV level as freshmen, and that setback was a two-point loss to perennial Class 1 power Valle Catholic.
The potential began to show itself on the varsity level the second half of last season. After the 0-5 start, the Indians went 4-2 the rest of the way. The 4-7 campaign included a first-round playoff win at home over Barat Academy before running into Valle, which powered over the Indians for a second time -- the Warriors also prevailed in a Week 1 rout -- on its way to its fourth state title in five years.
"If you're going to end your season against the state champs, that's about the only way you want to go out -- against the best," Rowland said. "That's what we did. We went up against the best, and they showed us why they're the best."
Rowland, who got a late start going into his first year as coach, said his team showed well at a Southeast Missouri State contact camp this summer and has displayed the progress he had been hoping for after the strong second half to the 2014 season.
The team returns a three-year starting quarterback in Joe Whistler and lost only eight seniors from last year.
"We have nine returning contributors on offense and we have 10 returning contributors on defense," Rowland said. "These are guys that saw quite a bit, some started in spots, and they are all a big part of what we did last year."
Spring
Rowland sees it as a benefit that his players are able to participate in three sports.
"In the winter, they've got basketball. In the spring and summer, they'll be doing track or baseball, so right now they're staying occupied with other sports and staying in shape, conditioning and working out in those sports," Rowland said. "In their downtime, we have pretty intense weight lifting we're doing in addition to the other sports.
"It gives you a whole different skill set. It makes them more well-rounded athletes to play all the other sports. Basketball obviously will help with conditioning, leaping ability, building stronger legs. ... It's just a benefit to have them all year-round."
Rowland said his players work in small groups and also participate in an after-school program.
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"Our focus is to just get bigger overall and putting some more size and some more mass on," Rowland said. "Last year, we were heavily a sophomore team, so we were a lot smaller than most other teams. Now they're becoming juniors, so they're working into growing into their adult bodies and building some bulk."
Summer
The Indians competed in 7-on-7s throughout June and transitioned to football camp in July, during which they competed in scrimmages and focused on putting together new packages on offense and defense.
Rowland said his team also gained some valuable offseason work at the Southeast Missouri State Contact Camp in June.
"We reviewed the film to see what worked and what didn't work, and we're putting in some new plays for each of our formations and packages," Rowland said. "We're evaluating what we have from what we saw down there."
St. Vincent also went up against several area teams, including Perryville, in 7-on-7s.
"7-on-7s are all about building a relationship between the quarterback and the wide receivers. It's about getting the timing down and the patterns down," Rowland said. "Defensively, it teaches our guys all of the coverage concepts, and it allows them to get out there and mix it up with some other players to find out where they stack up with the local competition."
Rowland said the team hosts a tennis tournament and puts together several team picnics to encourage team bonding.
"We try to stay together all summer the best we can," he said.
Offense
The Indians' experience is most evident in a backfield that returns intact.
Rowland hopes to reap the benefits of a three-year starter in Whistler, who will direct an offense that will run pro and spread sets.
"He's one of the leaders, and we're looking for big things from him," Rowland said. "He had a very productive camp down there at SEMO."
A pair of juniors will lead the running attack in Riley Riehn and Tyler Unterreiner. Riehn was selected a first-team all-region running back by the Southeast Missouri Area Coaches' Association as a sophomore, and Unterreiner is a load as a lead blocker or rusher at 210 pounds.
They'll be lining up behind a line that features 220-pound Chase Schumer, who was first-team all-conference and all-region as a junior. He is among a group of linemen that contains four with starting experience and six more with playing time.
The group includes seniors Kyle Brown and Zach Johnson and juniors Luke Wibbenmeyer, Lane Hlavek and Ethan Pecaut. Wibbenmeyer is the only player to weigh less than 200 pounds in a group that tops out with the 260-pound Pecaut.
"We're looking for good things from that group," said Rowland, who noted that it's the first time in years the team has featured numerous players over 200 pounds.
Senior Trevor Leible, who played tight end last year in earning first-team all-region honors by area sportswriters, is expected to figure heavily in the passing game. Rowland said Leible has increased his weight and strength in the offseason.
"He's been exploding off the ground to go get some balls that are out of most people's catching radius," Rowland said.
Also in the mix at receiver is senior Nick Cissell, whose role on offense is expected to expand after playing primarily in the defensive secondary last year.
"He had a great camp down there at SEMO," Rowland said. "He caught about four or five TDs. He's shown that he's more than capable at wide receiver."
Defense
The squad has 32 members total -- freshman through senior -- and many of the main figures on offense will be required to pull double duty, something Rowland expects his players to be able to handle.
"Our guys are used to playing both ways. They did that as freshmen," Rowland said.
The Indians' good size on the offensive line will translate to the defensive side with the likes of Schumer, Brown, Johnson and Pecaut, and the Indians should have physical play at linebacker with Hlavek and Unterreiner leading a group that will include junior Gabe Naeger.
The secondary returns Cissell at cornerback and likely will include sophomore Austin Dauster at the position.
"We have a wide-open competition in the secondary," Rowland said. "We have a lot of players fighting for very few spots."
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Leible will play a big role on the defensive side, but Rowland is not looking to slot him for any one role.
"Trevor will be all over the field," Rowland said. "He might be at linebacker, he might be at safety. He might even line up on the defensive line. He's going to be our Swiss Army Knife."
Special teams
The Indians graduated all-state kicker and punter Cole Steinbecker, who also leaves big shoes to fill at receiver and linebacker.
Dauster is among the kicking candidates while Whistler and Wibbenmeyer are names mentioned among the punters.
Rowland is relying on the school's long history of strong legs to perpetuate. The position has yet to settle itself, but Rowland is not unsettled.
"We've been lucky and keep churning out kickers," Rowland said. "We have some guys out there kicking 40-yard field goals with ease."
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