Friday, Aug. 22, 2008

Ravens move on minus a few stars

In the next four editions of The Olathe News, the sports staff will preview Olathe teams and their competition in the Sunflower League.

All of the biggest names in Olathe Northwest football graduated last May. Gone are CJ Krug, Nick Williams, Bryant Sanchez and Jarard Milo.

From outside the program, it looks like the Ravens will be hard-pressed to improve on last year’s 3-6 record without them. But coach Todd Dain encourages everyone to look a little deeper.

“I think it’s just the high-profile guys that are gone,” Dain said. “In the game of football you’re only as good as your worst player. I know this — I think our 11 on offense and our 11 on defense as a whole are much better than we were a year ago.”

Northwest’s roster has expanded to more than 90 players and is bolstered by the addition of a sophomore class that went 9-1 at Prairie Trail Junior High last year.

It’s no stretch to say this may be the deepest team Dain has fielded, but he faces a gigantic challenge in replacing the production of last year’s seniors, most notably Krug.

Taking on almost all the responsibility for moving the offense, Krug passed for 1,114 yards and rushed for 737 more.

The only other quarterback to take any varsity snaps, Harrison Lambert, decided not to come out for football this year. In his absence, Dain said junior Josh Lemke would be the starter, but wouldn’t be expected to put up Krug-like numbers right away.

“Obviously when you have a guy like CJ, you can do a lot of things with him,” Dain said. “We’re certainly not going to ask a junior quarterback to do everything that CJ did.”

Instead the Ravens will look for more production from their running backs, a group that includes juniors Devon Boyce and Shawn Smith. They’ll run behind a line anchored by 6-foot-3, 240-pound senior Hayden Maples.

“We’ve got a couple (linemen) back, we’ve got a lot that gained experience from last year’s JV team and we’ve got a new player moved in from Alabama, (Lorenza Strother), who’s looking pretty good so far,” Maples said of the offensive line. “I’m certainly optimistic. We’re looking strong this year.”

With an increased emphasis on the run, the Ravens may not miss Williams and his team-leading 38 catches for 513 yards. They figure to miss him more on the other side of the ball — where he was the leading tackler in school history — but Dain said that also might be a a mirage.

“Nick oftentimes didn’t play as much defense (last year), because we needed him so much on offense,” Dain said. “A lot of times he was getting a breather on defense. In actuality, we got a lot of other kids some playing time in place of him.”

One of those defensive fill-ins was Patrick Doran, who returns as a solid 6-foot-2, 195-pound junior. He and senior Sean Bova provide a solid linebacking duo that will be key to improving a defense that allowed nearly 30 points per game a season ago.

Bova said he expected senior Trevor Stepp to have a breakout season as well.

“We definitely have a good corps of linebackers this year,” Bova said. “Me, Doran and Stepp, we’re not going to let up much. ... We changed up our defensive scheme a little bit, so hopefully we’ll do better.”

Maples will be key to the defensive line and the secondary will benefit from the return of James Sanders, Tyler Bailey and Apollo McCullough.

With nine returners who had at least one start defensively last year, the personnel is in place for big improvement on that side of the ball. Whether it can offset the loss of the team’s top passer and rusher (Krug) and top two receivers (Williams and Sanchez) remains to be seen.

The Sunflower League coaches picked Northwest to finish tied for 10th with Leavenworth, so they obviously aren’t expecting much from the Ravens. But the team’s veterans are eager to change some minds.

“It seems like with this brand new school we’ve always had to prove ourselves,” Maples said. “I’m looking forward to doing it this year.”

Five Ravens to watch

LB Sean Bova, sr.

When the Ravens had success stopping the run last year it was often because Bova flew to the ball and made a play. He was one of the squad’s surest tacklers.

RB/KR Devon Boyce, jr.

Technically a slot back, Boyce will get some carries, but he’s also one of the favorites to take over for Nick Williams as the Ravens’ leading receiver. At 6-foot-1 he’s got good size, but also he runs a 4.5-second 40-yard dash.

QB Josh Lemke, jr.

CJ Krug ran the spread offense about as well as any coach could ask, but Lemke looks to have better physical tools. He’s taller and stronger, so if he learned from watching Krug’s heady decision-making, he could be in for a great career.

OL/DL Hayden Maples, sr.

Maples is being courted by several Ivy League schools, including Harvard, and he’s got the brawn to match the brains. A team captain who was All-Sunflower last year, he’ll have a lot of responsibility on his broad shoulders.

RB Shawn Smith, jr.

Smith made a name for himself last spring when he took third in the 100-meter dash at the state track meet, finishing in 11.04 seconds. With that kind of speed he should be deadly in the open field.

Telling number: 81 percent

The percentage of Northwest’s total offense that quarterback CJ Krug accounted for last year — an almost unheard-of ratio. Krug produced 1,851 of the Ravens’ 2,274 yards either with his arm or his legs and replacing that production will be a major challenge.

Circle your calendar for:

Oct. 24 vs. Leavenworth

Last year Northwest’s season ended with a frustrating 35-10 home loss to the Pioneers. If the Ravens have any pride, they’ll want to exact revenge and defend their home field in this game. Plus, they’ll probably have to win it to make the playoffs.

Reason to cheer

The Ravens started seven sophomores who will all be experienced juniors this year. The program continues to grow and more depth should lead to more competition for playing time and tougher battles in practice.

Reason to fear

The Ravens will be inexperienced at the skill positions and not particularly deep on the offensive and defensive lines.

Fast Facts

Coach: Todd Dain (fifth season at ONW and ninth overall, 33-44) 2007: 3-6 (no playoffs)

Returning offensive starters: 7

Returning defensive starters: 9

Number of seniors: 18

2008 schedule (All games Friday at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted)

Sept. 5 Olathe South (CBAC)

Sept. 12 at SM North (SM North)

Sept. 19 at Olathe North (ODAC)

Sept. 25 SM West (CBAC) (Thurs.)

Oct. 3 Olathe East (CBAC)

Oct. 10 SM Northwest (CBAC)

Oct. 17 at Lawrence (Haskell) (7:30)

Oct. 24 Leavenworth (CBAC)

Oct. 31 at Free State (Haskell)

In league competition:

Shawnee Mission North At-A-Glance

Fast facts

Coach: Ryan Majors (third season at SMN and overall, 4-23) 2007: 1-8 (failed to reach playoffs)

Returning offensive starters: 6

Returning defensive starters: 6

Preseason league rank: 12th

2008 schedule*

Sept. 5 vs. Lawrence

Sept. 12 vs. SM North

Sept. 19 at Leavenworth

Sept. 26 at Olathe East (CBAC)

Oct. 3 vs. Olathe South

Oct. 10 at SM South

Oct. 17 at SM East

Oct. 24 vs. SM West

Oct. 31 vs. SM Northwest

* Home games played at SM North District Stadium

Five Indians to watch

QB Arthur Rucker, jr.

Thrown into the fire as a sophomore, Rucker showed flashes of brilliance and ought to emerge as one of the league’s top signal-callers — assuming he gets adequate protection.

RB/WR/CB Owola (OJ) Shields, sr.

Shields does it all for the Indians, playing multiple positions on offense as well as starting at corner. Some of his greatest contributions come on special teams, where he was fourth in the league in kickoff returns and also scored a touchdown.

OL/DL Richard Pearson, sr.

The anchor of both Indians lines, Pearson hopes to lead a couple of units that must improve greatly for SM North to succeed.

LB Zack Latham, sr.

Must continue to emerge as a leader for the Indians’ defense as the returning elder statesman in the middle.

DB Josh Bernal, sr.

Along with Shields, Bernal brings athleticism and experience to a secondary that improved as the defense steadily improved last season.

Telling number: 4

SM North lost eight games last season, but half of those losses were by 10 points or less. There’s still plenty of work needed to get over the hump, but the Indians have been more competitive than their recent record might indicate.

Turning gut-wrenching losses into victories is the next step in the program’s rebuilding process.

Circle your calendar for:

Oct. 17 at SM East

The Lancers will be celebrating 50 years of football that night with the Indians hoping to play spoiler. The game also serves as the district opener, making it a must-win with SM West and SM Northwest also in the newly aligned district.

Reason to cheer

Rucker threw as many touchdowns as any other returning signal-caller, finishing the season tied for SM South’s Dustin King and Olathe East’s Rick Settle, who both also return. That experience under center ought to translate to a more settled and polished offense — an area in which the Indians struggled last season.

Reason to fear

Who will replace Aaron Sawyer? The top athlete and biggest game-breaker for SM North last year is now suiting up at Pittsburg State University. Finding explosiveness and productivity elsewhere will be a challenge for an Indians squad that already had issues in those areas.

Leavenworth At-A-Glance

Fast facts

Coach: Chad Speer (second season at LHS and overall, 2-7)

2007: 2-7 (failed to reach the playoffs)

Returning offensive starters: 7

Returning defensive starters: 9

Preseason league rank: Tied for 10th

2008 schedule*

Sept. 5 vs. SM East

Sept. 12 at Olathe North (ODAC)

Sept. 19 vs. SM North

Sept. 26 at SM South

Oct. 3 vs. SM Northwest

Oct. 11 at SM West (SM South)

Oct. 17 vs. Free State

Oct. 24 at Olathe Northwest (CBAC)

Oct. 31 vs. Lawrence

* Home games played at Abeles Field

Five Pioneers to watch

RB Storm Sadler, sr.

One of two running backs who will carry the load for Leavenworth, Sadler’s balance and power make him a tough ball-carrier to tackle.

RB Warren Brown, jr.

One of two running backs who will carry the load for the Pioneers, Brown brings explosiveness and game-breaking ability to every carry.

MLB Justin Colver, sr.

The anchor of the defense, Colver is the on-field quarterback, making calls and adjustments and ensuring that his teammates line up properly. His improved understanding of the scheme should help the Pioneers improve substantially.

FS Justin Eldridge, sr.

A hard-hitter with good speed and a nonstop motor, Eldridge loves to fly around and lay the wood to opposing players.

OL/DL Ben Melick, sr.

One of Leavenworth’s small stable of returning linemen, Melick anchors the offensive and defensive lines with fellow senior Aaron Johannes.

Telling number: 34

That’s how many points the Pioneers allowed on average in Speer’s first season. Without drastic improvement, it will be hard for Leavenworth significantly to increase its win total.

Circle your calendar for:

Oct. 31 vs. Lawrence at Abeles Field

Thanks to the new district alignment, there’s a good chance the Pioneers will be hosting the Chesty Lions with a playoff berth on the line. For a program trying to turn the corner under a second-year coach, it could be a watershed moment.

Reason to cheer

Under first-year coach Chad Speer, the program surged forward and won two games last year. Leavenworth served notice it is no longer the league’s doormat. That helped energize the program from the junior high level through the returning varsity starters, giving the Pioneers a positive launching pad into the 2008 season.

Reason to fear

Leavenworth was a more formidable opponent in 2007, but still struggled against the Sunflower League’s upper-echelon teams. Outside of the running back tandem, the Pioneers return little experience on offense, which could prevent the program from surging forward again.

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