Galion ready to conquer hefty goals
GALION – The Galion Tigers have some hefty goals set for 2015. One is to finally put the distracting offseason behind them and get to playing football.
In July, coach Chris Hawkins was suspended by the Ohio High School Athletic Association for two games. As things with the situation still hang in the balance, the Galion Tigers have remain focused on their goals and intend to reach every one of them this season.
“We have had a good camp,” Hawkins said. “There were a lot of distractions but we have told the kids from Day 1 to stay focused on the goal at hand and to their credit they have. I am so proud of them and it has been complete chaos and these guys have kept their noses to the grind stone and not let it hurt them.”
The reason the Tigers have responded so well could be in huge thanks to a veteran group with great leadership. The Tigers bring back senior quarterback Jacob Fryer who was First Team All-MOAC a year ago. The senior ran for 1,412 yards and 18 scores during a stellar junior campaign. He should put up even better numbers this year with the return of what Hawkins is calling “potentially the best line” he has ever coached.
“I have had some great linemen in my coaching career but this may be the best group of linemen I have ever had. I would always have one or two great linemen but never a group of guys like this,” Hawkins said.
“They still have some work to do, but they are shaping up nice. We always had the skill to compete in all of our playoff games, but we were getting manhandled up front. The offensive line put the time in the weight room and I told them that if we were going to make any run at all, it was going to start with them up front and I think they took that to heart.”
The line is stacked with talent and is really big. Senior left guard Jacob Staiger is 6-foot-5 and comes in at 330 pounds. Left tackle Zach Throckmorton, right guard Paul Keller and right tackle Isaiah Davis are all 6-foot and average about 250 pounds each and all are seniors. Senior center Zach Deibig stands at 5-10 but looks tiny next to Staiger.
Hawkins is looking to his big men up front to take leadership and help the Tigers win games. Davis is a First Team All-MOAC lineman and Throckmorton was an honorable mention last season.
Hawkins has remained concerned about one thing throughout the offseason, but has found some comfort after seeing kids come out for the team that may have taken a year off.
“The biggest pleasant surprise so far is that we do have a little more depth than we thought we would have,” Hawkins said. “We always talk as a coaching staff about kids that either took a year off or have not played since middle school and they come out and we always call them pleasant surprises. One of our major concerns was depth, when we get these pleasant surprises coming out again, it is huge for our depth and they can help us be successful.”
Harrison and Caleb Ivy will be taking on the wide receiver duties along with seniors Colton Moore and Tyler Castline. The Tigers also return Second Team All-MOAC kicker Conner Moreton.
Even with a tremendous offseason, Hawkins still sees some area to improve.
“Like any coach, we are not where we need to be, but we are on schedule to getting there. We have more practices and a preview game to get there and these guys are going to work hard to get where we want to be for Week 1. I would have to say there is a mark that if we do not reach that we consider it a lost season. I do not want to put any pressure on the kids,” Hawkins said.
The Tigers have some high expectations for the season and team goals that should help the group leave their mark on the program.
“We never won an MOAC title and that is always goal No. 1. We want to be the first team to ever win an MOAC Red Division title. Any time you can say you were the first to do something it is pretty cool,” Hawkins said.
“Goal No. 2 is to get in to the state playoffs. From there, we have not won a playoff game since the 1985 State Championship Team. So, we want to break that streak and win some playoff games. We think we can win a couple of games pending our match ups in the playoffs. In the past, we have just been happy to get there.”
jfurr@gannett.com
419-610-5034
Twitter: @JakeFurr11
2015 Schedule:
Aug 28 Bucyrus
Sept 4 COLUMBUS CRUSADERS
Sept 11 KEYSTONE
Sept 18 BUCKEYE VALLEY
Sept 25 Jonathan Alder
Oct 2 Marion Harding
Oct 9 RIVER VALLEY
Oct 16 Fairbanks
OCT 23 NORTH UNION
Oct 30 Marion Pleasant
2014 Results: (6-5, 4-3)
29 Bucyrus 22
3 Madison Comprehensive 37
14 Keystone 0
32 Buckeye Valley 0
24 Jonathan Alder 41
21 Upper Sandusky 14
17 River Valley 21
41 Fairbanks 0
50 North Union 33
21 Marion Pleasant 40
7 Wooster Triway 35