Carterville, Fairfield Favored In BDC
Indeed, the Carterville Lions are the perennial choice to win the Black Diamond Conference football championship, but in 2008, league coaches are keeping a wary eye on Fairfield.
Dennis Drust’s Lions, who return seven starters on both sides of the ball, were tabbed as the team to beat in a Tuesday straw vote of league coaches, garnering seven first-place votes.
Carterville finished 11-1 last season and ran the tables in the league. Fairfield, a playoff qualifier from last year, earned two of nine first-place votes, as BDC coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.
Last season, the Lions were the conference’s best despite having just eight seniors on the roster. Now, the younger players Drust leaned on in 2007 and ready for bigger and better things this time around.
“The juniors last year got a lot of big-game experience,” Drust said. “The big concern is that on defense, we have to replace three of four players in the secondary.”
But Drust has experience everywhere else. On defense, the Lions welcome back ends Jeremy Rasor and Justin May, tackles Doug Suits and Sam Davis, linebackers David Khoshaba and Brad Drust and safety Stephen Bleyer.
On offense, Carterville returns its entire offensive line which helped generate 407 points. Drust will return as fullback, and Bleyer replaces graduated Tony Brown at quarterback.
Fairfield (6-4) lost twice inside the conference last year, and returns six starters on offense and seven on defense.
Mules coach Justin Townsend will look to three-way threat Cody Greifzu to spark the offense. An all-conference choice as kicker last season, Greifzu will move to quarterback and free safety as being a receiver/running back last year.
Top rusher Matthew Brown returns to the Fairfield backfield.
“We have three-year starters up front in Brandon Lee and Gabe Potter (all-BDC),” Townsend. “On offense, we feel as if we have some pretty good weapons, and we have a lot of two-year starters who are seniors.”
Townsend knows Carterville is the team to beat, but says his program is ready to step up.
“Everyone has one or two guys who can line up and run with Carterville’s fastest kids,” Townsend said, “but the difference is they have 15 or so kids that can fly.
“We feel we can compete with Carterville. We have been building the program for seven, eight seasons now, and we believe we are at the stage we can challenge.
“However, until someone knocks Carterville off, they’re the team to beat,” Townsend added.
Carmi-White County (8-2) was a third BDC playoff representative in 2007, and finished tied for third with Sesser-Valier in the preseason balloting.
The Bulldogs, seeking their ninth trip to the playoffs under head coach Kurt Simon, have their leading rusher and a strong-armed young, quarterback returning, but must replace four of five starting linemen, both receivers and their fullback.
Senior Ethan Healy, a two-way back, rushed for a team-high 669 yards last season, and is one of three key returnees. Juniors Logan Warren and Jade Money also played extensively last season. Warren will quarterback and play linebacker, and Money will return at linebacker.
CWC has four returning starters on defense: Healy, Warren, Money and 5-7, 220-pound senior nose tackle Anthony Wright. Entering his 12th season, Simon is the program’s all-time winningest coach with a 75-38 record (.664), eight playoff appearances and two trips to the state quarterfinals.
However, Simon’s numbers are low this year.
‘“We have just 26 sophomores, juniors and seniors,” Simon said. “We’re just so inexperienced.”
Sesser-Valier coach John Shadowens returns nine offensive players who saw extensive action last season. Tailback Tyler Rock was the Red Devils’ top rusher last season, and Shadowens said halfback Brock Wheatkey “was everywhere on the field.”
Junior Kendall Gibson will run the offense, and will have wideouts Jordan Kirk and Dane Eubanks to throw to.
Of the aforementioned players, only Kirk is a senior.
“Last year, we had a lot of kids get their feet wet as sophomores,” Shadowens said. “Yes, we are heavy at the skill positions, but we’re going to have to be more physical on defense. We allowed teams to run simple off-tackle and dive plays on us, and get six yards or more. That’ll have to change for us to be successful.”
Johnston City, which just missed the playoffs at 4-5 last year, will perform under the guidance of first-year coach Brian Beery.
Beery, the Indians’ defensive coordinator last year, has eight returning starters, a couple which went both ways.
JC’s top players are quarterback/defensive back Derek Solomon, defensive back/wide receiver Jake Hewlett, all-conference linebacker/running back Derek Johnson, running back Colton Johnson and Ashton McIntosh.
After being accustomed to Mike Rude’s single-wing offense a few years back, JC’s players are getting accustomed to a new offensive scheme.
“The kids are picking things up,” Beery said. “The greatest concern is depth. We have just six seniors and eight or nine juniors.”
Christopher-Ziegler Royalton went 3-6 under first-year coach Nick Batts, and the Benton native says his team can be any kind in 2008.
“We’ll be better, but the rest of the conference is going to be better, from top to bottom,” Batts said. “So far, we’ve had an enthusiastic start.”
Batts has thoughts of tinkering with the Bearcats’ backfield. Senior Hudson VanTreese, who played tight end and linebacker last year, may move into the C-ZR backfield.
Tyler Mitchell, a sophomore starter at quarterback, will be asked to do a bit more as a junior.
“He is one of our better athletes,” Batts said of Mitchell. “We’ll be having him to run with the ball a bit more this year.”
Derek Threadgill (6-1, 215), an honorable mention BDC pick as a junior, returns.
“He’s our primary ball carrier,” Batts said.
Batts says Chase Sann, a defensive end/linebacker, is one of the league’s better kickers.
Another 4-5 team of a year ago, Hamilton County, may be taking a step back this season.
“We’ve been competitive the last few seasons,” Foxes coach Jeff Rush said. “There are going to be big improvements from other teams in the conference, so we may be one of the teams that has something to prove.”
HamCo has just five seniors and three returning starters, those being fullback/linebacker Brandon Biggerstaff, wideout Kane Smith and lineman Cal Meulendine.
“We’ll be playing a lot of sophomores,” Rush predicted.
A pair of one-game winners in 2007 — Eldorado and Elverado — are expected to bring up the rear, but Eldorado’s Eagles appear to be in an upbeat mood under rookie head coach Brandon Hampton.
Hampton, a former Eagles standout, was hired in January, and used the time to recruit in the hallways.
So far, Hampton is impressed by seniors Dakota Creamer (quarterback) and Gabe Schimp, and juniors Nick Houseright and Tristan Monroe.
“Houseright is back out for the first time in two years,” Hampton said. “Monroe is out for the first time.”
Eldorado is co-opping once more with neighboring Galatia, and Hampton likes what he sees thus far with Ryan Augustiniak and Ryan Moore.
“They look like they can help us,” Hampton said. “So it’s a pretty good co-op for us.”
Hampton replaced Duffy Sanders, who ironically landed in Elverado after leaving the Eagles’ nest. Most of Elverado’s players will come from the school’s co-op with Trico.
“Our summer program didn’t go as well as I thought it might,” Sanders said. “The kids are relatively new to all of it.”
Sanders will greet 13 seniors. Among the Falcons’ top skill players are running back John Macaleb, fullbacks Kyle Easton and Mark Reynolds and quarterback Travis Carlock.
Mike Harbon, a freshman starter, and Zach Robertson are the Falcons’ top offensive linemen.
— Toby Brown of the Carmi Times contributed to this report
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