Eagles looking to carry on tradition
NORTH ROBINSON – Last year’s Colonel Crawford Eagles made history.
They were the first team to piece together a 10-win season and win a playoff game. But the 2016 Eagles will look a lot different. That isn’t stopping them from wanting to keep tradition alive.
After losing the Northern 10 Conference offensive and defensive players of the year in Will Kirkpatrick and Owen Adams, the Eagles are looking to a good core of young players to step in and keep the ball rolling.
At the head of the offense is senior running back Blake Treisch. The bruiser ran for 1,053 yards and 16 scores as a junior. Coach Ryan Teglovic listed three running backs on the depth chart – a sure sign the Eagles are going to run the ball and try to grind teams.
Alongside Treisch, senior Michael Knisely and junior Trevor Shawber will likely see a lot of carries. Knisely ran the ball 23 times for 117 yards and three touchdowns last season and Shawber had 15 rushes for 76 yards. The three-headed monster of a backfield bring back 1,246 yards of experience.
“Running back will be one of our biggest strengths, but I also believe our offensive line is going to be really good,” Teglovic said. “I think those strengths will really help our inexperience at quarterback and wide receiver.”
The offensive line looks stacked. With four seniors and a junior, the Eagles return the most experience on the line out of any team in the county. Jacob Faulkner and Jaret Tinkey will occupy the left side with Jake Lohr at center and Caleb Sherman at right guard. Lone junior Austin Stevens is first on the depth chart at right tackle.
Junior Hayden Bute takes over under center for the Eagles after attempting just four passes last season. The 6-foot-3, 175 pounder impressed fans and coaches during the team’s first scrimmage against Tiffin Calvert in which he showed the ability to throw with accuracy.
Juniors Kaleb Landin and Kyle Shope will be Bute’s go-to targets. The duo have two catches of experience between them and are looking for a breakout year. Teglovic expects the team’s athleticism to show through at the position even though there is not a ton of experience there. Seniors Ethan Studer, Kaden Schell and Grant Carmen will be joined by sophomore Owen Severs to add depth to the position.
Senior Josh Leuthold and sophomores Jacob Makey and Jonah Studer add depth to an already stacked offensive line.
Defensively, the Eagles return just three starters. Schell and Tinkey will be the leaders of the defense after recording more than 50 tackles apiece last season. Tinkey headlines the defensive front while Schell mans the secondary.
Joining Tinkey on the defensive line is seniors Hunter Hall, Jacob Faulkner and Noah Thoman and sophomore Payton Chance. Lohr will also see time at defensive end.
Treisch, Shawber and Owen Kocher make up the linebacking corps. Treisch leads the group with 18 tackles last season.
Schell will be joined by Grant Carmen, Landon and Bute in the secondary. Carmen had 12 tackles as a junior. Studer, Clint Erwin, Kyle Shope and Severs add depth to the secondary and Dylan Knisely, Jacob Maley and Jarrod Furr add depth to the front seven.
After losing 16 seniors, Teglovic believes the Eagles can still compete in the N10.
“We want to compete and get better every week,” Teglovic said. “Wynford is still the team to beat, but Seneca East has a great team coming back and Carey has a lot of skilled players returning. The whole league should be very competitive.”
With a 53-31 record in eight seasons, Teglovic can hang his hat on one thing —tradition.
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Twitter: @JakeFurr11
2016 Schedule
8/28 Mt. Gilead, 7 p.m.
9/2 CAREY, 7 p.m.
9/9 Mohawk, 7 p.m.
9/16 WYNFORD, 7 p.m.
9/23 Seneca East, 7 p.m.
9/30 BUCYRUS. 7 p.m.
10/7 RIDGEDALE, 7 p.m.
10/14 Lucas, 7 p.m.
10/21 Buckeye Central, 7 p.m.
10/28 UPPER SANDUSKY, 7 p.m.
2015 Results (10-2, 7-1)
42 MT. GILEAD 21
27 MOHAWK 6
14 Wynford 41
42 SENECA EAST 18
43 Bucyrus 6
55 Ridgedale 0
42 MANCHESER 20
48 BUCKEYE CENTRAL 26
38 Upper Sandusky 20
48 Carey 14
42 Ayersville 10 (Regional Quarterfinal)
23 Tinora 28 Regional Semifinal)