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Soup Scrimmage Review/Football Preview – Analysis

 by Anthony Robinson

The Trojan football team held their annual soup scrimmage Friday, Aug. 19. According to head coach Tim Duff, the Trojans would not have been ready for a real game. “Hopefully our seniors can get us focused before next week [this Friday].”

 The one word coach Duff used to sum up  Friday night’s was “inconsistency.” According to coach Duff, the Trojans were not consistent in all aspects of the game.

If one thing positive came out of the Trojans scrimmage, it was the play of the  running backs. “A couple of our younger running backs ran the ball well,” said Duff.

This is the first year that the Atlantic and Walnut football teams are combined as one team. Two Walnut seniors are projected to make an immediate impact on the varsity squad. Seniors Zach Hemmingson and Austen Stevens are expected to be on the top of the depth chart for week one.

Offense Preview:

Junior Harrison Hoegh comes into the 2011 season as the number-one quarterback on the depth chart. Hoegh received much needed experience for the Trojans last season throwing four touchdowns and four interceptions in 67 pass attempts. 

Senior Christain Holzapfel returns as the leading rusher from last year’s team. Holzapfel ran the ball for 213 yards on 72 carries (2.6 yards per rush). The Trojans will be deep at the running back position with a group of running backs fighting for the top spot on the roster. Sophomore Jacob Dvorak ran for 346 yards on 28 carries (12.4 yards per rush) with seven touchdowns as a freshman at Griswold last season. Senior Gunnar Blum and sophomore Logan Steffens (neither with varsity rushes last season) will also fight for carries on Friday nights.

At the receiver position junior Dalton Franken returns as the leading ball catcher. Franken caught 20 passes for 280 yards and four touchdowns in 2010. Other receivers who made an impact last season are junior Sam Markham (16 catches, 278 yards, 1 TD; last season) and senior Derek Stork (17 catches, 179 yards) who has moved into the Trojans’ backfield.  Both Stork and Markham will be top targets for Hoegh. Senior tight-end Ethan Westering may also emerge as a key wideout this season. 

The Trojans return three starting offensive lineman from last season: junior Jordan Mauk and seniors Austin Conrad and Tyler Hovey.  Senior Robert Nichols and Hemmingsen are expected to fill the gaps on the line.

Defense:

The defensive line for the Trojans will feature two two-way players, Hovey and Conrad. Senior Paul Honke returns to the defensive line as last year’s starting nose tackle with 31 tackles (three for loss) and one interception.  Senior Gunnar Blum (who did not play last year) will start at defensive end for the Trojans. 

At the linebacker position, Hemmingsen will start at weak-side linebacker. Last season at Walnut, Hemmingsen recorded 117 tackles (77 solo), one interception, and five fumble recoveries. Senior Derek Stork will start at the middle linebacker. Stork recorded 41 tackles (two for loss) as a starter on the defense last year.  Junior Stuart Hoegh is slated to start at strong-side linebacker. 

In the secondary, juniors Sam Markham and Kray Lukehart are expected to start at the cornerback  positions. Markham had 40 tackles and one interception last season as a part of the Trojans defense.  Senior Ethan Westering, one of the leading defensive players from last season, starts at the rover position for the Trojans defense. Westering was second on the team in tackles with 97 (54 solo) last season. He also had two tackles for loss, two interceptiona, and two fumble recoveries. Junior Chad Christensen will start at free safety for the Trojans. Christensen did not participate last season due to a collar bone injury.

Special Teams:

The special teams department may be the biggest question mark for the Trojans. Replacing Andrew Poore at returner will be no small task. Poore racked up 730 returning yards on 49 returns in two years as the Trojans main kick and punt returner. Stork and Lukehart are expected to step in as the returners for AHS. Blum who punted as a sophomore will step back into his role as a senior. Last season, foreign exchange student Franceso Castellani was the place kicker for the Trojans. This year  the place kicking  job is up for grabs. Markham is expected to be week-one’s place kicker. Stevens, from Walnut is expected to kickoff for the Trojans. 

Overall review:

Last season the Trojans were only able to pick up two wins (2-9) in coach Duff’s first season. The second season under Duff has no where to go but up. If the Trojans can be consistent in all aspects of the game, they will be fighting for a playoff birth come October. 

For a complete schedule for the 2011 football season, click here.

 
 
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