St. Vincent eyes longer playoff run

When St. Vincent football coach Keith Winkler walked into his first practice for football season, he had reason to be in a good mood.

He was surrounded by veterans. Returning players at running back. Returning players at receiver. Returning players on both lines. Returning players all over the field.

"You've got to feel good when you have returning players and experience," Winkler said.

Only one position provided a large question mark: Who will play quarterback?

It was still a question as of last week. It may no longer be a question after Friday's jamboree, but Winkler won't know for sure how his new quarterback will perform in a game situation until 7:30 p.m. Friday, when St. Vincent hosts Priory of St. Louis County.

"We have to find a guy who to step up in that role," Winkler said in a mid-August interview. "That's going to be key.

"If a kid steps to the forefront over the others, we'll play one," he added. "If one kid does something in one situation and another kid does well in another situation, we're not opposed to being in a committee. It just depends on how people react to the situation."

Whoever ends up running the Indians offense will have the luxury of being surrounded by experience -- beginning with an offensive line that returns four starters.

Guards Brian and Ben Buchheit return up front along with Mark Prost and Waylon Richardet. Prost, a senior tackle, is the big man on the roster at 6-foot-3, 289 pounds.

Richardet, an offensive lineman last year, is listed as a running back on the roster this year.

"We feel fortunate to have the line we have back," Winkler said. "It should help the running game and take some pressure off the quarterback."

The running game features Kyle Kline, a senior who rushed for more than 800 yards in nine games last year while splitting time with his brother, Chris. Anthony Brown also returns in the backfield.

The returning receiving corps includes tight end Danny Rellergert and wide receivers Joey Guilliams and Justin Ruessler.

All that returning experience on offense is complemented by eight returning players on defense: Richardet, Brian Buchheit and Patrick Siegmund up front; Kyle Kline, Justin Balsman and Tyler Lozier in the linebacking corps; and Guilliams and Ruessler in the secondary.

Considering St. Vincent was 7-4 last year and made its second playoff appearance in Winkler's four seasons, expectations are pretty high again this season. There's the usual --defending the conference and district crowns -- but the Indians also would like to take a few steps down the playoff path toward the state title.

St. Vincent, which last year won the MAFC Blue Division with a 4-0 record, lost its playoff opener 29-20 to Paris.

"I hate to put expectations too high," Winkler said, "but we want to accomplish big things."

The game experience and talent seems to be in place, but Winkler said the new group of seniors will be called upon to provide the type of leadership the team received last year from Chris Kline and quarterback Chad Lane.

"How will the senior class react and fill in for those players you lose?" he said. "You can have kids who are playmakers, but you never know how kids are going to react in game situations."