Ken Roberts
For The New Era
The bar for Sweet Home football has been set high over the last few years.
Repeat Capital Conference championships. Trips to the state quarterfinals and semifinals, only to be beaten by the eventual state champions the last two years.
As a matter of fact, of the Huskies? four losses in those two years, three were to the state champs and one to a state runner-up.
And wouldn?t you know it, the Huskies meet up early with two of those three teams, Marist and University of Wilsonville, and the other state semifinalist from last year, Central, in the pre-season. Add a long drive to the coast to Taft High School in Lincoln City and you have a monster preseason schedule that will give Coach Rob Younger a chance to see who will be the new set of players to step up their development for this year?s run at a fourth straight league title.
Part of the Huskies? success last year occurred because they were able to keep players rested throughout the game. The linemen were often able to play on just one side of the ball, either offense or defense. At nearly every position, thequality of the depth chart was so overwhelming that Sweet Home dominated the league.
Where will that depth come from this year? That is where the strong preseason schedule comes into play. It will give the coaches a chance to develop the three- and four-man rotations that they will need to make another run at the state playoffs.
?In the first two games last year (Wilsonville and Sherwood), we took a beating,? said Younger, ?but it made us a better football team.?
Regarding depth, Younger actually draws a close comparison to last year when there were many question marks.
?We think we had a team with pretty good depth last year,? said Younger. ?But after looking at the depth chart after doubles last year, it wasn?t much different than the situation we have now.?
There were a number of position changes. Starters changed. Young players matured. The sheer quantity of the number of players who developed into quality players was the key.
?Right now, some guys are going to have to play a lot of football,? Younger said. ?It will be interesting to see who does step up and become good football players.?
The Offense
Sweet Home has been run-oriented throughout Younger?s tenure as head coach. This year?s roster may force some changes in the team?s modus operandi.
First of all, there is the quality arm of Kyle Pettit, a first team all-league quarterback as a sophomore. With the personnel he has, Younger expects to spread defenses out by using different formations and motion to prevent them from putting eight or nine men up front in the box to stop the run. So look for them to have single-back formations or a set without tight ends on occasion.
?We?re going to go with what?s successful,? Younger simply stated.
Offensive line
This is the first priority in developing depth. Right now, they have four solid returning linemen but they don?t have the size of last year?s mammoth linemen. Both guards received league recognition last year. Junior Nathan Whitfield was named first-team all-league and senior Joe Ellis earned second-team honors. Kris Schaeffer, another junior with good athleticism, takes over at center after being a pleasant surprise last year. Senior Phil DeLong should provide strong support as the left side tackle, but the right side tackle slot is still being determined. Ole Bond, an undersized but very quick senior without much game experience, is being challenged by sophomore Ben Brewer. Younger expects that position to be shared to start the season.
?We might not have the big boys that can just move anybody, any time, anywhere,? emphasized Younger. ?We are going to have to use a few more blocking schemes up front to give kids angles and allow them to use the athleticism they have.?
In the long run though, the Huskies will have to get some contribution from some junior linemen to keep players rested.
Receivers/Tight Ends
The receiving corps is one of the team?s strengths. Senior Tim Faulconer, an all-league wideout, caught 15 passes last year, six for touchdowns. He will be joined by senior Cody Shipp, a skilled athlete who will see much more time on the offensive side of the ball. The Huskies have quality back-ups in Derrick Ward, a senior who worked hard in the off-season, and fast-improving juniors Ridge McKinney and Steven Bergevin.
At tight end, another quality athlete, senior Charlie Fitzsimons, will also get a chance to produce in the offense after spending most of his time as a linebacker last year. Both he and junior Adam Hummer are quality receivers.
Running Backs
The Huskies have depth at this position, which bodes well because all of them will see extensive time defensively as well. Expect four of them to run by committee as interchangeable parts to start the season.
Senior Trevor Tagle is listed as the starting tailback after showing promise last year, averaging over six yards a carry in limited duty. Add to that the quickness of senior Shorty Weikel, last year?s starting JV tailback.
Senior Ryan Elliott returns as the team?s number one fullback. He gained close to 300 yards last year with a 5.6 yards-per-carry average. He will be pushed by junior Skyler Bascom, who has been impressive in camps and pre-season, largely due to his off-season work that has made him bigger and stronger. Don?t be surprised if either of these players earn work as the tailback or is the back in single-back formations.
Quarterback
Kyle Pettit is a primary reason why Younger may expand his passing game. He threw for 772 yards and eight touchdowns last with 51 percent completion rating. If the Huskies use spread offenses, Pettit also can make defenses pay with his ability to run the football.
?He gives us the dimensions that we are looking forward to using,? said Younger, who thinks Pettit, a junior, will also be a solid leader on the field. ?He is probably one of the best throwing quarterbacks we have ever had.?
Senior Kyle Aubert is the backup. He has good athleticism and started as the JV quarterback last year.
The Defense
Younger hopes the defense has the tools to carry the team while the offense is developing during the pre-season. The schemes will remain intact under returning Defensive Coordinator David Younger. Younger will get assistance from Dustin Nichol, the previous coordinator, who has taken a year off and will coach the linebackers and assist with the line this year.
?Due to our athleticism, we can fly around and hit people,? said Younger. ?With the experience in the secondary and linebacker positions, we should become a very good defensive team.?
Once again, the Huskies will have to find and develop quality depth. But their speed and ability to tackle should limit the big plays against them.
Defensive line
Coach Lynn Ellis has his work cut out for him once again: Find some more bodies and retrain a couple players who have changed positions to shore up the defensive front.
Whitfield and Ellis have moved into the line after stints at linebacker last year, Ellis as a tackle and Whitfield as an end. Younger thinks DeLong can bring some consistency to the line play as the other tackle and Weikel, though small for a defensive end, showed last year that he had the quickness to put pressure on the quarterback.
Now players like Bond, Brewer and some other juniors are going to have to show that they can provide some quality minutes.
Linebackers
It is hard to replace a linebacker like all-everything Brandon Martin, but Bascom has shown so much improvement that he has allowed Elliott, an all-league inside linebacker, to stay at the Sam (right side) instead of moving over into the Moose (left side) inside slot. Schaeffer saw a lot of action last year as an inside backer which will allow all three to remain fresh.
On the outside, Fitzsimons, another all league defensive player, and Faulconer gives the Huskies two game-tested savvy athletes at this spot. McKinney, though he hasn?t played as an outside backer, has the athleticism to provide support there.
Secondary
After his all-league performance as a defensive halfback last year, who knows what Shipp is capable of after adding 20 pounds of muscle. Tagle, who also improved dramatically late last year, gives Sweet Home a solid 1-2 punch on the corners. Kyle Aubert, who has not seen a lot of action, showed his tackling ability as a premier special teams player last year, which has earned him the starting safety position. Ward, Bergevin and Hummer will help solidify the secondary.
Special Teams
Always strong advocates for the importance of special teams, the Huskies coaches will have to replace all-state punter Heath Belknap, who was probably even a better placekicker and named second-team all-state there.
They may try to repeat their success at finding a placekicker by dipping into the soccer talent. Isaac Villarreal may be the answer on extra points and field goals, though he has no experience. But then again, neither did Belknap, who came in at the end of a season two years ago to do what Villarreal is trying to accomplish. If that doesn?t work out, then sophomore Tyler Horner or freshman Brian Palkki may get an opportunity. Pettit will be inserted to handle the kickoff chores, but he must work on controlling the direction of the kick.
The holder will be backup quarterback Aubert. The long snapper is Bergevin with a pair of capable substitutes in Tagle and Blake Holder.
Younger believes the Huskies are solid in the punting game,with Bascom holding a slight edge over Elliott in that competition. In any case, Younger believes that their kick coverage will be excellent because of the number of quality athletes they can put on the field.
Intangibles
The Huskies have had the good fortune of having senior classes take on the mantle of leadership each year.
?I don?t think one or two guys can lead a team,? Younger emphasized. ?I have learned over the years that it depends on the senior class.?
He believes it requires the senior class as a unit to provide the commitment, work ethic, and example for the underclassmen. Still, the two players who shared the team?s inspirational award for last year, Elliott and Fitzsimons, both come back to lead that senior class in their duties.
?They have had two good classes in front of them,? said Younger, ?and so far, they have just carried that tradition along.?
Success Factors
The Huskies aren?t the clear-cut conference favorite as they have been the past two years. In fact, Younger doesn?t think there is a dominant team nor is there a weak opponent.
?There is more parity from top to bottom than there has been in some time,? he said. ?Every night there will be some upsets.?
For the Huskies to capture their fourth consecutive championship, they will have to develop that depth from unexpected sources. Enough so that a consistency will develop from play to play, series to series and game to game. The question marks are most obvious in the trenches, which will determine how much time is given for Pettit and the offense to run their offensive scheme and what their opponents can do with their offense.
The defense should be stout enough to keep the score down. But much will depend on the special teams units to maintain field position.
The Huskies only have four home games this year, punctuated by that murderous pre-season schedule. To complicate matters even more, after their trip to Taft, Sweet Home opens the league season with two away games, starting with North Marion and Sisters.
Yes, it is a season of punctuation. Which question marks will become exclamation points at the end of the season?
* * * *
Sweet Home High School
Football Schedule 2005
Sept. 8 Thursday, 6 p.m. JV at Marist
Sept. 9 Friday, 7 p.m. Varsity vs. Marist
Sept. 15 Thursday, 4:30 p.m. Freshmen at Wilsonville
Thursday, 6 p.m. JV vs Wilsonville
Sept. 16 Friday, 7 p.m. Varsity at Wilsonville
Sept. 20 Tuesday, 6 p.m. Freshmen vs Central
Sept. 22 Thursday, 6 p.m. JV at Central
Sept. 23 Friday, 7 p.m. Varsity vs. Central
Sept. 27 Tuesday, 6 p.m. Freshmen vs
Philomath
Sept. 29 Thursday, 6 p.m. JV vs Taft
Sept. 30 Friday, 7 p.m. Varsity at Taft
Oct. 4 Tuesday, 6 p.m. Freshmen vs N. Marion
Oct. 6 Thursday, 6 p.m. JV vs. North Marion
Oct. 7 Friday, 7 p.m. Varsity at North Marion
Oct. 11 Tuesday, 6 p.m. Freshmen at Sisters
Oct. 12 Thursday, 6 p.m. JV vs. Sisters
Oct. 13 Friday, 7 p.m. Varsity at Sisters
Oct. 18 Tuesday, 6 p.m. Freshmen vs. Molalla
Oct. 20 Thursday, 6 p.m. JV at Mollala
Oct. 21 Friday, 7 p.m. Varsity vs. Mollala
Oct. 25 Tuesday, 6 p.m. Freshmen at Cascade
Oct. 27 Thursday, 6 p.m. JV vs. Cascade
Oct. 28 Friday, 7 p.m. Varsity at Cascade
Nov. 1 Tuesday, 6 p.m. Freshmen vs. Stayton
Nov. 3 Thursday, 6 p.m. JV at Stayton
Nov. 4 Friday, 7 p.m. Varsity vs. Stayton