Andy Brown
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With 16 starters back, Gardner easy pick to win Frontier League
Choice Words
By Andy Brown
The one good thing about the preseason is the chance to take a stab at how you think a league or division will play out and how successful each team will be.
I do it before every sport season in an effort to gauge how I think each team will do and what the expectations are. Whether it is public or private, my predictions are always just for fun, so for the fans of these particular schools, please take it as such.
This may not be the best idea I have ever had, but I have decided to throw my Frontier League football picks out for public consumption. Since this is the first time Miami County Newspapers has done a Frontier League preview, I figured why not put this out there.
These picks are basically just educated guesses because I haven’t had the luxury to attend every team’s practice. So, here it goes.
1. Gardner-Edgerton: This pick was the easiest for me to make. The Blazers return 16 of their 22 starters from a year ago, and expectations are high over in Gardner. They finished second in the league just a season ago. On offense, the Blazers return nine starters. Throw in sophomore (and supposed stud) quarterback Bubba Starling, and they have all the makings to give nightmares to opposing defensive coordinators.
2. Eudora: After rolling opponents in the lower division of the league last season, the Cardinals will be forced to play with the big boys this year and will face five different teams from a year ago. However, Eudora has what it takes to finish in the top part of the league. The Cardinals return just eight starters, but they return key members on their offensive line and have possibly one of the best groups of defensive backs in the league. Coach Gregg Webb will look to senior running back Ryan Fisher to carry the load and help along sophomore quarterback Christian Richardson.
3. Baldwin: Whenever a team has the best running back in the league, it is hard to pick them too low. Even though the Bulldogs return just five starters off last season’s team that made it to sub-state, they return the league’s top running back in Sam Beecher. The returning first-team all-league player rushed for almost 1,500 yards last season, but he also did lose a lot of his offensive line.
4. Louisburg: This pick might get me in some hot water. As the sports editor for the Louisburg Herald, I am sure many people expected me to side with the coaches and pick them as the league runner-up. But losing 21 of 22 starters is tough for any team to recover from, no matter who they have waiting in the wings. The Wildcats will still be very good, however. There are just too many questions right now. They have the talent to finish higher than fourth, but the question is whether the chemistry is good enough and how big a factor that inexperience will be.
5. De Soto: This team has the potential to be the surprise of the league. After taking their lumps and being on the wrong side of several blowouts, the young Wildcats gained a lot of experience and return 16 starters from a team that finished 5-4 a year ago. They have depth at several positions, but their schedule to start is brutal. The Wildcats play Gardner, Eudora, Louisburg and Baldwin in their first four games. De Soto will find out in a hurry if they can be a player for a league title.
6. Paola: It is hard for me to pick my alma mater this low, but the Panthers are suffering through some injuries through the early stages in practice and have a lot of question marks. Paola has a young offensive line, and starting quarterback Adam Henn was out with an illness. Backup Dan Mawby is running the first team right now. First-team all-league senior Dave Renberg will anchor the defensive line, and the Panthers do have plenty of options at running back, including state sprinter Antonio Smith. The Panthers are also installing a new defensive system, so there are a lot of questions marks with the perennial power.
7. Spring Hill: Even though the Broncos finished with just one win a year ago, they return 10 starters, including six in their pass-happy offense. The main focus of the opposing defenses will be first-team all-league wide receiver James Beard. The Spring Hill senior caught everything in reach last season and will be the favorite target of returning quarterback Jordan Miller, who split time last year with Aaron Horan. The Broncos also return three key members of their offensive and defensive lines.
8. Ottawa: After finishing 0-9 a year ago, it is hard to think things will get much better for a Cyclone program that is under first-year coach Marc Bergan. It always takes a while for returning players to get used to a new coach, and with just seven starters coming back, Bergan will have his work cut out for him.
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I do it before every sport season in an effort to gauge how I think each team will do and what the expectations are. Whether it is public or private, my predictions are always just for fun, so for the fans of these particular schools, please take it as such.
This may not be the best idea I have ever had, but I have decided to throw my Frontier League football picks out for public consumption. Since this is the first time Miami County Newspapers has done a Frontier League preview, I figured why not put this out there.
These picks are basically just educated guesses because I haven’t had the luxury to attend every team’s practice. So, here it goes.
1. Gardner-Edgerton: This pick was the easiest for me to make. The Blazers return 16 of their 22 starters from a year ago, and expectations are high over in Gardner. They finished second in the league just a season ago. On offense, the Blazers return nine starters. Throw in sophomore (and supposed stud) quarterback Bubba Starling, and they have all the makings to give nightmares to opposing defensive coordinators.
2. Eudora: After rolling opponents in the lower division of the league last season, the Cardinals will be forced to play with the big boys this year and will face five different teams from a year ago. However, Eudora has what it takes to finish in the top part of the league. The Cardinals return just eight starters, but they return key members on their offensive line and have possibly one of the best groups of defensive backs in the league. Coach Gregg Webb will look to senior running back Ryan Fisher to carry the load and help along sophomore quarterback Christian Richardson.
3. Baldwin: Whenever a team has the best running back in the league, it is hard to pick them too low. Even though the Bulldogs return just five starters off last season’s team that made it to sub-state, they return the league’s top running back in Sam Beecher. The returning first-team all-league player rushed for almost 1,500 yards last season, but he also did lose a lot of his offensive line.
4. Louisburg: This pick might get me in some hot water. As the sports editor for the Louisburg Herald, I am sure many people expected me to side with the coaches and pick them as the league runner-up. But losing 21 of 22 starters is tough for any team to recover from, no matter who they have waiting in the wings. The Wildcats will still be very good, however. There are just too many questions right now. They have the talent to finish higher than fourth, but the question is whether the chemistry is good enough and how big a factor that inexperience will be.
5. De Soto: This team has the potential to be the surprise of the league. After taking their lumps and being on the wrong side of several blowouts, the young Wildcats gained a lot of experience and return 16 starters from a team that finished 5-4 a year ago. They have depth at several positions, but their schedule to start is brutal. The Wildcats play Gardner, Eudora, Louisburg and Baldwin in their first four games. De Soto will find out in a hurry if they can be a player for a league title.
6. Paola: It is hard for me to pick my alma mater this low, but the Panthers are suffering through some injuries through the early stages in practice and have a lot of question marks. Paola has a young offensive line, and starting quarterback Adam Henn was out with an illness. Backup Dan Mawby is running the first team right now. First-team all-league senior Dave Renberg will anchor the defensive line, and the Panthers do have plenty of options at running back, including state sprinter Antonio Smith. The Panthers are also installing a new defensive system, so there are a lot of questions marks with the perennial power.
7. Spring Hill: Even though the Broncos finished with just one win a year ago, they return 10 starters, including six in their pass-happy offense. The main focus of the opposing defenses will be first-team all-league wide receiver James Beard. The Spring Hill senior caught everything in reach last season and will be the favorite target of returning quarterback Jordan Miller, who split time last year with Aaron Horan. The Broncos also return three key members of their offensive and defensive lines.
8. Ottawa: After finishing 0-9 a year ago, it is hard to think things will get much better for a Cyclone program that is under first-year coach Marc Bergan. It always takes a while for returning players to get used to a new coach, and with just seven starters coming back, Bergan will have his work cut out for him.