New look Warriors focused on the future

FRANKFORT – John Penwell has walked into a dream scenario.

As he enters his first year as Adena’s head football coach, he’s inherited a class of 17 determined seniors who still have a bad taste in their mouths after last season.

While the Warriors finished 2015 with a respectable 6-4 mark, they also missed the state playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. To add insult to injury, they couldn’t rise to the top of the Scioto Valley Conference standings — putting their title drought at five years.

But this year’s team doesn’t care. Nothing in the past matters now because it’s full steam ahead.

“When I first walked into this field house, the seniors already had goals written up on the board,” Penwell said. “That was awesome. One of them was an SVC championship, one was don’t lose in blue and win at home and the big one was to not lose any players due to ineligibility. So I’ve been reminding them about that every so often.”

Leading the charge will be senior quarterback Jake Dawson, who returns after passing for 517 yards on 35 completions a year ago. Now a captain, Dawson will be expected to take his Warriors to new heights.

“With Jake playing quarterback and being a captain, I expect him to step up,” Penwell said. “He’s going to take a leadership role on offense, and he’s picking up some of the new concepts really well. The way we call things is a little bit different this year, and he’s been asked to do a little bit more. But he’s learning quickly.”

Adena’s biggest loss from 2015 came in the form of running backs Cale Free and Isaac Thomas, who combined to rush for 2,050 yards and 22 touchdowns. Taking their place will be a three-headed backfield consisting of seniors Josh Morgan, Trent Sims and Hunter May.

On the edges, sophomore Chris Postage has emerged as Dawson’s number one receiving target while Russell Throckmorton and Tyrese Pettiford line up out wide as well. However, Dawson’s greatest offensive asset could be tight end Wyatt Shanton, a 6-foot-2, 265-pound senior.

Up front, the Warriors will rely on four returning lettermen to continue to do what they do best; dominate the trenches.

That group includes seniors Garrett Cornell, Zach Sevy, Bo Dratwa and Bret Lane while Waylon Proehl and junior Brad Oyer figure to be in the mix as well.

“The offensive line may be our strongpoint,” Penwell said. “We’re bringing back four of the five guys up front. If you watch film from last year, they did a great job of opening holes. We’re hoping for a lot of the same.”

On the defensive side of the football, Adena will try and focus on an imperative part of the game.

“We’re going to pride ourselves on taking care of the football offensively and taking the football away defensively,” Penwell said. “On special teams, we talk everyday about flipping the field and playing that special teams game. That’s what we’re going to focus on.”

Morgan, who led the team in tackles last season with 65, will be expected to head that turnover committee at his mike linebacker spot while Sims and May stand alongside him on the outside. Pettiford and freshman Dalton Metzger also will see time at the linebacker position.

A combination of Oyer, Dratwa and Sevy will line up over the center up while Shanton and junior JD Blevins chase the quarterback at the end positions. In the defensive secondary, Dawson will take over a safety role while Postage, Throckmorton, Joey Kellough and junior Silas Gray provide a helping hand.

What all of that equals out to is a lot of athletes playing both ways, which is why the Warriors had an extensive offseason conditioning program.

“I believe, being a smaller school, we have to be in condition to play a full game,” Penwell said. “We’ve got a lot of players who are going to play two ways. If you’re going to play Ironman football, you’ve got to be in Ironman shape.”

Adena will start its season in Frankfort against McClain before traveling to West Jefferson in Week 2. The Warriors then will return home, hosting Wellston in Week 3 to wrap up the nonconference slate.

“You’ve got to pull out positives and learn from your mistakes,” Penwell said. “That’s each game, and you’ve got to take it one game at a time. You take your positives, learn from the negatives and get better each week.”

2016 Adena Football Schedule

Aug. 26: vs. McClain

Sept. 2: at West Jefferson

Sept. 9: vs. Wellston

Sept. 16: vs. Westfall

Sept. 23: vs. Piketon

Sept. 30: at Huntington

Oct. 7: vs. Zane Trace

Oct. 14: at Southeastern

Oct. 21: at Paint Valley

Oct. 28: at Unioto

Senior Spotlight: Jake Dawson

• Favorite NFL Player: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

• Favorite Food: Pizza

• Favorite Song: Hungry by Rob Bailey

• Favorite School Subject: Math

• Favorite Coach: Coach Brian Grigsby

Last Year’s Breakdown:

• Record: 6-4 (5-2 SVC)

• Points Per Game: 22.2

• Points Allowed Per Game: 19.1

• Point Differential: +2.1

ADENA WARRIORS