Line 'em up, knock 'em down
Edwardsville's offensive line is squad's playmaker
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| John Swistak Jr. photo - Though plenty of skilled starters return, the Edwardsville squad will be led by its offensive line. And with the top eight linemen averaging 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, they will be tough to move. |
Or, one that can steamroll through defensive fronts behind the skills of three-year starter, running back Darryl Hendricks.
In either case, it's all going to start with the big boys up front."So goes the offensive line, so goes our offense," said Edwardsville coach Tim Dougherty, whose squad has gone 128-35 (.735) over the last 15 years and has qualified for the state tournament in 11 of the last 12 seasons. "We've built some things up on offense, we have a group of (skill) guys returning, but the true playmaker will be the offensive line. We were subpar there last season. (This year) it will start and end with the offensive line."
Opponents will certainly take quick notice of the two highly touted recruits on the line - 6-foot-6, 235-pound tight end Nick Plato and 6-foot-5, 275-pound tackle David Young. After all, they're pretty hard to miss.
But the size, speed and ability don't diminish much beyond that. Center Garrett Shaffer (6-1, 215 pounds), tackles Casey Dinnius (6-4, 240), Jake Opel (6-4, 255) and Nicholas Bramhall (6-3, 255) and guards Ben Ellington (5-10, 215) and Kerry Guest (6-2, 235) round out the line.
Junior tight ends Joe Randazzo (6-2, 190) and Nick Griebel (6-1, 190) bring even more size in the Tigers' two tight end sets. In all, the top eight linemen average 6-3 and 240 pounds.
Hendricks is the leading returning rusher and receiver. He rushed for 756 yards on 111 carries and caught 26 passes for 353 yards. He scored 13 touchdowns.
"He has to be more consistent than he was last year," Dougherty said. "He has the ability, we've seen that, it's the desire that we need to see more of."
Junior Ismiah Roundtree steps into the quarterback position vacated by Joe Allaria. Roundtree saw time as a wide receiver last season. Dougherty is confident in his abilities leading the offense, particularly with the help of the line in front of him and Hendricks behind him.
As much talent as Edwardsville has on the offensive side of the ball, the defense could trump it. Dougherty has a wealth of depth to pull from.
"The secret is going to be putting them in the right spots," Dougherty said. "On defense, obviously, the key is playing to your strengths and doing your best at covering up your weaknesses."
The defensive line is led by a trio of returning starters - Young, Shaffer and Plato. But the linebacker corps could prove to be the strength of the defense, particularly working in tandem with the line in front of them.
Led by senior inside linebacker Tavon Ludy (6-0, 185) - who was tops on the squad with four sacks and was second with 83 tackles last year - and with inside help from juniors Connor Smith (5-10, 190) and Griebel, the middle of the defense looks to be in good hands.
Senior Reed Handlery (5-10, 175), juniors Robert Brueggemann (5-9, 160) and Henry Stolte (5-11, 165) and sophomore Blair Henry (6-1, 225) provide speed and strength on the outside.
"They should be a strength," Dougherty said. "And with our defensive line, those linebackers could be a big part of our defense."
The defensive secondary is led by three-year starter Hendricks (45 tackles, 3 interceptions).
Edwardsville starts the season Friday at home against Springfield Southeast. The squad then hits the road for games against Corliss and Alton, before returning to face Collinsville on Sept. 14.
"We have a lot of promise, a lot of potential," Dougherty said. "It's where we go with that potential that'll mean everything."
With another tough schedule on his hands, Dougherty doesn't circle or put any added importance on any one game; he expects 110 percent every game. And he knows it won't be tough to get his players pumped up come game time.
"It's really easy, because everybody gets up to play us," Dougherty said. "And all of these guys know that. They know they have a target on their backs. They grew up with it. They were either in the fire or near the frying pan."
