DC Preps Football 2014

THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014 | DAILY-CHRONICLE.COM

TOUCHDOWN 2014SPECIAL HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW SECTION

Shoring up the defenseDeKalb looking for unit to lead Barbs’ resurgence this season / 4

I N S I D E

NI Big 12 East up for grabsAfter sending 5 teams to the playoffs in ’13, league could be tougher in ’14 / 8-9

Chip on their shoulderSycamore players, coaches do not feel like the NI Big 12 East favorite / 6

GENOA-KINGSTONCOGS

2

A knack for making plays

By EDDIE [email protected]

It’s not always pretty, Ge-noa-Kingston football coach Travis Frederick said.But quarterback Griffin McNeal

finds a way to make a play.McNeal returns under center for

the Cogs, hoping to power the team back to the playoffs after a 5-5 sea-son and first-round exit last year.

The senior play-caller took over late in his sophomore year. Last year, he completed 55.1 percent of his passes for 1,199 yards, 13 touch-downs and seven interceptions. He led the team to the postseason for the first time since 2010.

“He may not always be the sharpest and it may not always be the cleanest execution, but he has a

little bit of a knack for making big plays and getting us out of trou-ble,” Frederick said. “If we get in third-and-long, or we’re backed up against our own end zone, he just has a way of pulling things along and helping us move the ball.”

The fourth-year head coach said having a play-maker such as McNeal has its benefits.

“It takes pressure of everybody,” Frederick said. “The boys know if we just give a guy like that a chance that something special can happen at anytime. I try to tell the kids who make the plays, the backs and the receivers, you got to make the plays when he presents those to you.”

McNeal was battle-tested last year with five games decided by a touchdown or less. The Cogs went 2-3 in those contests. The toughest

of those losses was against eventual conference champ Harvard, 22-21, in which the Cogs missed a two-point conversion in the final 2 min-utes that would have given them their first league title since 1992.

“There’s a little bit of a sting right there,” Frederick said. “They’ve still got it on their minds.”

Frederick said only a handful of starters return from last year, but most of the players got playing time last year anyway. The team’s depth has gotten better over the past couple years, letting the coach go deeper and deeper on his bench. This year, he said there were 68 players out at the start of camp.

McNeal said the experience is a definite strength.

G-K hoping QB McNeal continues to evolve as a playmaker

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G-K senior quarterback

Griffin McNeal

Photo Illustration by Danielle Guerra – [email protected]

“He may not always be the sharpest and it may not always be the cleanest execution, but he has a little bit of a knack for mak-ing big plays and getting us out of trouble.”

Travis Frederick, G-K football coach, on QB Griffin McNeal See COGS, page 3

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“We don’t have a lot of returning starters, but we have a lot of guys who played a lot of time last year,” McNeal said. “Everybody knows the offense and is really familiar with it.

“We have a lot of depth on our team, offensively and defensively,” he said. “We have guys who can step up and know what they are doing.”

Frederick said his team reached the postseason last year but is looking for more this year – namely more than a one-and-done playoff trip. Last year, the Cogs lost 24-0 to eventual state runner-up Geneseo in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs.

“We’ve had a lot of playoff teams over the years,” Frederick said. “Even going back to the 1980s and ’90s. But only a couple of teams have gone beyond that second round. We certainly want to start making those quarterfinals, semifinals, hopefully state appearances.”

Coach: Travis Frederick (9-19, fourth season)

Last year: 5-5, 5-1 Big Northern Conference East Division; lost 24-0 to Geneseo in first round of Class 4A IHSA playoffs

Keep an eye on: Senior quarterback Griffin McNeal didn’t put up the gaudiest numbers – 1,199 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, seven touchdowns and a 55.1 completion percent-age. But Frederick said he just has a knack for coming up with a big play.

Also: Jesse Bade, sr., RB/LB; Hunter Rogers, sr., RB/DB; Anthony Lacko, sr., OL/LB

Frederick’s take: “We’re looking real good. We’ve got a ton of work done during the summer in camps and 7-on-7 and that kind of thing. It’s the most we’ve gotten done in my many years here.”

The big game: Last year, the Cogs lost 22-21 at home to Harvard, which was undefeat-ed at the time and made a run to the state quarterfinals. The Cogs missed a two-point conversion with 1:44 left in the game on a drive that lasted the entire fourth quarter. A win would have given the Cogs the confer-ence championship. The rematch is Oct. 17

at Harvard.The lowdown: The close loss to the

Hornets was nothing out of the ordinary for the Cogs, who also lost 29-27 at Rockford Lu-theran and 34-26 against Winnebago, not to mention close wins against Richmond-Bur-ton (29-28) and North Boone (28-23). Still, the team returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2010. ... Frederick said the team is looking to make a “nice, long, deep run in the playoffs.” ... Genoa-Kingston last won a conference title in 1992.

– Eddie Carifio, [email protected]

Inside the Cogs

ScheduleAug. 29: vs. St. EdwardSept. 5: at ByronSept. 12: vs. Marengo*Sept. 19: vs. Rockford Christian*Sept. 26: at Burlington Central*Oct. 3: vs. Johnsburg*Oct. 10: vs. North Boone*Oct. 17: at Harvard*Oct. 24: at Richmond-Burton*

Note: All kickoffs are 7 p.m.* - Big Northern Conference

East Division

Cogs hoping to go further in playoffs • COGSContinued from page 2

Danielle Guerra – [email protected]

Genoa-Kingston tight end Marcus Holley makes a one-handed catch during practice Aug. 14 in Genoa.

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4 DeKALBBARBS

DeKalb linebackers Allen Letterer (left)

and Jake Kuykendall

Photo by Monica Maschak – [email protected]

Illustration by Danielle Guerra – [email protected]

Shoring up the defense

Unit hopes to lead DeKalb’s resurgenceBy EDDIE CARIFIO

[email protected]

With Illinois signee and reigning Daily Chronicle Male Athlete of the Year

Dre Brown anchoring a high-oc-tane pistol-option offense, the defense on the DeKalb football team can get overlooked.

It doesn’t help that the team gave up almost 29 points a game last season in coach Matt Weck-ler’s first year.

The players and coaches have

high expectations for this season after making the playoffs last year for only the second time since 1989. And although opponents might be focused on the offense, the defense is expecting to turn some heads.

“Defense is looking better and better each day,” senior lineback-er Jake Kuykendall said. “We’ve been doing real well lately. We kind of like being the underdog, flying under the radar so we can surprise teams.”

Even the offense has taken note. Receiver Rudy Lopez said a big

strength of the team is the defense.Weckler said the linebacking

corps is particularly strong, with four seniors in the five spots. Also playing there are seniors Allen Let-terer (a transfer from Hiawatha), Tony Ramos and Jonathan Vega, as well as junior Leif Williams.

Weckler said the team has shown improvements on both sides of the ball, mainly because the growing pains of learning the system mostly are out of the way.

“For us to be good we have to have a good defense and improve on what we did last year. I look at other teams across the state that are good and are pe-rennial title contenders, and they always have great defenses.”

Matt Weckler, DeKalb football coach See BARBS, page 5



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He said the plays and schemes, especially on defense, are much more intricate than last year.

“For us to be good, we have to have a good defense and improve on what we did last year,” Weck-ler said. “I look at other teams across the state that are good and are perennial title contend-ers, and they always have great defenses.”

With Brown and Eriq Torrey playing in the secondary more this year than last, Weckler said the backs will be greatly im-proved, as well.

On offense, the Barbs still will utilize the option, with Tony Tate and Torrey splitting time

in the backfield with Brown. Quarterback still isn’t settled yet as of Aug. 20 between junior Ethan Conroy and sophomore Derek Kyler.

“There’s still some stuff we don’t know, but we know most of the stuff,” Brown said. “We know how practice goes. We know how the games [are] going to go. We have an identity now of what we’re going to do and how we’re going to do it.”

Letterer said the team expects a lot out of the season – more than the 5-5 record, fourth-place Northern Illinois Big 12 East fin-ish and first-round playoff exit that 2013 brought.

“We’re capable of anything we put our mind to,” Letterer said. “We’ve got a hard-working team. We have a lot of big goals and big expectations for this season.”

• BARBSContinued from page 4

Coach: Matt Weckler (5-4, second season)Last year: 5-5 overall, 2-3 Northern Illinois

Big 12 East; lost 48-6 to Batavia in first round of Class 6A playoffs.

Keep an eye on: With his papers signed with Illinois, Dre Brown looks to have a sea-son full of success to cap his four-year Barbs career. Last year, he ran for more than 1,300 yards and scored 20 times.

Also: Rudy Lopez, sr., WR/DB; Jake Kuyken-dall, sr., LB; Aaron Letterer, sr., LB; Tony Tate, jr., RB/DB; Eriq Torrey sr., RB/DB

Weckler’s take: “This year, it’s more about

practicing what we already know instead of learning what we don’t. It’s allowed us to have a lot more intricate plays on offense and defense.”

The big game: The Barbs haven’t beaten archrival Sycamore since 2007. If they want to make a claim on the division crown, they’ll need a win in their Sept. 19 matchup, not to mention the next week against Kaneland – a team they haven’t beaten since they started playing annually in 2006.

The lowdown: The bad news is the Barbs have made the playoffs only twice since

1989. The good news is if the team makes it this year – and the players and coaches seem optimistic – it will be their third berth since 2010. The past two trips have been one-and-done after sneaking into the post-season with a 5-4 record. This year, DeKalb looks to improve on both the regular-season and playoff side of that, eyeing a conference title and playoff win. ... Weckler said Brown and Eriq Torrey will play more in the second-ary in hopes of adding some speed there.


Inside the Barbs

ScheduleAug. 29: vs. Vernon HillsSept. 5: at West ChicagoSept. 12: at McHenry, 7:15 p.m.Sept. 19: vs. Sycamore*, at NIUSept. 26: at Kaneland*Oct. 3: vs. Morris* (homecoming)Oct. 10: at RochelleOct. 17: vs. Yorkville*Oct. 24: vs. Geneseo

Note: All kickoffs are 7:30 p.m. unless noted

* - Northern Illinois Big 12 East

Plays, schemes more intricate

Monica Maschak – [email protected]

A DeKalb receiver catches a pass in the end zone during practice Aug. 15 in DeKalb.

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6 SYCAMORESPARTANS

Chip on their shoulder

Sycamore center Daniel Coovert (from left), linebacker Brett Weaver and running back Dion Hooker



“I think we still have a chip on our shoulder. I think we have a chip on our shoulder every year. ... You don’t want to bask in your glory, or keep thinking about how you won a confer-ence championship and stuff like that. It’s good when you’re in the moment, but once you get past that you want to go for bigger and better things.”

Brett Weaver, Sycamore senior linebacker

Defending champion Spartans say they’re not feeling like the favoriteBy EDDIE CARIFIO

[email protected]

They won the conference. They made the state semifinals.

Their victory against Kaneland in the regular season ended the Knights’ 35-game conference winning streak.

But despite their litany of accomplishments in 2013, Sycamore football players and coaches say they feel like underdogs this year.

“I think we still have a chip on our shoulder,” senior linebacker Brett Weaver said. “I think we have a chip on our shoulder every year. Coach (Joe) Ryan tells us to have a chip on our shoulder. You don’t

want to bask in your glory, or keep thinking about how you won a conference cham-pionship and stuff like that. It’s good when you’re in the moment, but once you get past that you want to go for bigger and better things.”

The team returns only four starters on each side of the ball this season, and Ryan, entering his 11th year as coach of the Spartans, said they don’t feel like this season’ favorites.

“The chip on the shoulder is they’ve heard since the end of the year last year, ‘Oh, all these guys they’re going to lose,’ ” Ryan said. “And we did. We lost some exceptional leaders, some great players, some great kids. But now they believe it is

their turn. ... They’re not sit-ting back listening to anybody tell them they’ve lost a bunch of guys.”

The Spartans didn’t lose a game until facing Montini in the Class 5A semifinals, losing to the Broncos in the postsea-son for the fourth time in five years. They were the only team to beat Lincoln-Way West last year, knocking off the Warriors in the first game of the year and then in the quarterfinals.

But they saved the best for Northern Illinois Big 12 East Division play, winning every game by double-digits in a league that sent five of its six teams to the postseason.

See SPARTANS, page 7



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“We’re going in to get better,” center Daniel Coovert said. “We’re going for another conference champion-ship, of course. We’re looking to make the state champi-onship this time, not come up one short.”

Ryan said the team boasts excellent depth this year to help soften the blow of 14 lost starters from last year. Speedy Dion Hooker is expected to take over at running back – he won a state title in the 200-meter dash in 2013 and was runner-up in the 100 and 200 last year.

Weaver, Coovert and Hooker all are three-year varsi-ty players and are providing leadership and experience, Ryan said.

At quarterback, Ryan said junior Brett Bemis is the starter.

Ryan said the team doesn’t “feel like we are on top of anything right now,” and the players said they are trying to earn that feeling again.

“You just have to go week by week,” Hooker said. “You can’t take any teams for granted and just focus on one team at a time and work our way to the postseason.”

Coach: Joe Ryan (62-42, 11th season)Last year: 12-1, 5-0 Northern Illinois Big

12 East; lost 42-20 to Montini in Class 5A semifinals

Keep an eye on: A 2013 state champion in the 200-meter dash, Dion Hooker ran for almost 500 yards in a loaded backfield last season. He is expected to take over as the starter this year.

Also: Daniel Coovert, sr., C; Brett Weaver, sr., LB; Colan Treml, sr., S/WR; Zach Kalk, jr., OT/DT; Tanner Watkins, sr., DB; Austin Kosusnik, sr., DE

Ryan’s take: “It’s tough when you come off the season we had and lose some of the players we had. I think these guys have the proverbial chip on their shoulder and came into camp doing really well.”

The big game: Although DeKalb has its sites on taking down the Spartans – the teams meet Sept. 19 at Huskie Stadium – Kanleand might be the biggest test for Sycamore. The Spartans’ 31-21 win over the Knights was their first since the 2009 playoffs.

The lowdown: They finally dethroned Kaneland from atop the conference, but have only four starters back on each side of the ball. Ryan said the team feels that people aren’t expecting a lot from the Spartans because of that. ... Ryan said at the center of the team is a trio of three-year starting seniors – Coovert, Weaver and Hooker – who provide experience and leadership. ... Junior Brett Bemis is expected to be the starting quarterback.


Inside the Spartans

ScheduleAug. 29: vs. Lincoln-Way WestSept. 6: at North Lawndale, 6 p.m.Sept. 12: vs. Crete-MoneeSept. 19: vs. DeKalb*, at NIU, 7:30 p.m.Sept. 26: at OttawaOct. 3: vs. Kaneland* (homecoming)Oct. 10: at Yorkville* Oct. 17: at Morris*Oct. 24: vs. Sterling

Note: All kickoffs are 7:15 p.m. unless noted


Spartans lost 14 starters• SPARTANSContinued from page 6


Sycamore players participate in a scrimmage during practice Aug 15 in Sycamore.


Sycamore players take a water break during practice Aug.15 in Sycamore.

Rochelle won only one game in the Northern Illinois Big 12 East Division last year.

Not only did the Hubs reach the IHSA Class 4A playoffs, they won a playoff game.

With five of the division’s six teams making the postseason last year, the league was a tough one. Even with Rochelle leaving the East Division for the West this year, coaches still expect the East to be even tougher.

“Kaneland only has one loss since we started this conference (in 2009), and we were fortunate enough to get them,” Sycamore coach Joe Ryan said. “Tom (Fedderly, Kaneland coach) does a really good job. DeKalb is going to be really good. Morris will be good. Top

to bottom, it’s going to be as good as it’s ever been. You can finish fifth and have a really good team in the league this year.”

DeKalb finished 2-7 two years ago but improved to 5-5 last year, tak-ing fourth in the conference. Behind running back Dre Brown, who has committed to play at Illinois next year, the Barbs hope instead of being in the middle of the pack with Yorkville and Rochelle, they will be in the conversa-tion with Sycamore and Kaneland for the league title.

“It’s going to be tough, but it’s basi-cally up for grabs,” Barbs senior line-backer Jake Kuykendall said. “We’re working hard. We want it.”

The league hasn’t always had much

parity. In fact, Kaneland dominated it from the inception of the NI Big 12 East until last year, going since 2009 without losing a regular-season game until the Spartans beat them. That launched Sycamore on a run into the state semifinals. Kaneland made the second round of the postseason, as did Rochelle. Yorkville and DeKalb each

were one-and-done.With Kaneland’s historical domi-

nance, and Sycamore’s dominance last year, Brown said all it shows is that any year can belong to any team.

“It doesn’t matter what you did last year. It’s about what you’re going to do now,” Brown said. “We don’t really look at their past success. We know they work hard, and we work hard, too.”

Matt Weckler, in his second year as coach at DeKalb, said the Barbs are ready to be considered contenders in the division.

“I think we have the opportunity to do so if we continue to improve week in and week out and stay healthy,” Weckler said. “On paper, I like the guys we have and the matchups versus the

other teams in the conference. But at the same time, we talk about the respect factors for these other teams. Kanlenad keeps reloading, Sycamore keeps get-ting better and Yorkville is right there all the time. ... It’s going to be tough, but we have to go in thinking we’re going to have the opportunity to win.”

Fedderly said the league will be really compeitive, and that anyone can beat anyone on any given night – a favorite line of coaches. He was asked whether that phrase carried more meaning for the division this year – if it truly is that balanced.

“It really is. It’s really even,” Fed-derly said. “There’s a lot of really good coaches and I think anybody can beat anybody.”

STORY: By EDDIE [email protected]

PHOTOS: By MONICA [email protected]

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: By DANIELLE [email protected]

UP FOR GRABS

THE NORTHERN ILLINOIS BIG 12 EAST IS ...

Coaches agree conference will be ‘as good as it’s ever been’



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8

Sycamore Spartans

Conference: 5-1Overall: 12-1

1. Kaneland Knights


2. Yorkville Foxes


3. DeKalb Barbs


4. Rochelle Hubs *


5. Morris Redskins


6.

2013 NORTHERN ILLINOIS BIG 12 EAST STANDINGS

DeKalb running back

Dre Brown

DeKalbreceiver

Rudy Lopez

DeKalb linebackers Allen Letterer (left) and Jake Kuykendall

* - Rochelle is moving from the NI Big 12 East to the West this season.

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10 HIAWATHA HAWKS

Hawks’centerpiece

Hiawatha running back and

safety Nick Doolittle

Photo Illustration by Danielle Guerra – [email protected]

Doolittle to carry the load for Hiawatha

“We feel we’re really going to be able to use Nick’s agility and cutting ability. We’re trying to find something that suits his best attributes that he has. I don’t want to say everything is on Nick’s back because it most definitely isn’t ... but he is going to be a major part of what we do offensively and defensively.”

Sean Donnelly, Hiawatha football coach


Sean Donnelly has a lot of faith in Nick Doolittle.

So much so that the ninth-year Hiawatha football coach is taking the tradition-ally pass-first Hawks, putting them into the I-formation, and letting Doolittle run behind a young offensive line.

“We feel we’re really going to be able to use Nick’s agility and cutting ability,” Donnelly said. “We’re trying to find something that suits his best attributes that he has. I don’t

want to say everything is on Nick’s back because it most definitely isn’t – there is al-ways going to be 10 other guys on the field – but he is going to be a major part of what we do offensively and defensively.”

The Hawks started the season 3-1 last year before losing their final five games, once again missing out on the postseason. Their last playoff trip was in 1987.

Doolittle, who ran for about 400 yards despite missing a big chunk of the season with an injury, said he’s optimistic this year.

“I expect nothing short of playoffs,” Doolittle said. “I think we have a good chance with the people we have.”

His coach shares that excite-ment.

“We’re capable of adding an-other two wins to what we did a year ago,” Donnelly said. “I think we have the capability to become a five-win team again, make a push for the playoffs. A bounce goes right here or there, I think we can get to six wins. I think that’s a realistic goal for our guys to have.”

See HAWKS, page 11

ScheduleAug. 29: vs. MooseheartSept. 6: at N. Shore Country Day, 1 p.m.Sept 13: at Christian Liberty Academy, 1 p.m.Sept. 19: vs. Westminster ChristianSept. 26: vs. Marquette AcademyOct. 4: at Luther North, 1 p.m.Oct. 10: vs. Alden HebronOct. 17: at Christian Life CenterOct. 24: at Hope Academy

Note: All kickoffs are 7 p.m. unless noted

Coach: Sean Donnelly (20-52, ninth season)

Last year: 3-6 overall and Northeastern Athletic

Keep an eye on: With a new quarter-back under center, the Hawks will switch to an I-formation this year to try to give every advantage to Nick Doolittle, who only played four games last year but still racked up 346 yards. Donnelly said Doolittle is expected to carry most of the load this year on offense.

Also: Alex Flores, sr., QB/S; Bart Hall,

jr., G/LBDonnelly’s take: “We are farther

along than we were in years past just because we had good numbers in the summer. That always helps. There’s more you can do so you don’t have to start everyone off on square one. We’re already a few steps ahead.”

The big game: The Hawks capped a three-game winning streak to open their schedule last year with a 40-27 win against Westminster Christian. The teams have a rematch set for Week 4,

Sept. 19 in Kirkland.The lowdown: Things started well

for the Hawks, going 3-1 after Week 4 but falling back to Earth. They were out-scored 206-29 in their final five games. Donnelly said injuries took their toll, including to Doolittle. The Hawks ended up losing five starters. ... Hiawatha last made the playoffs in 1987.– Eddie Carifio, [email protected]

Inside the Hawks



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Donnelly: Hawks are better this season

Doolittle said he’s making the most of his increased role.

“It makes me want to work harder now so it’s easier in the game,” Doolittle said. “Just trying to do good for my team, my school.”

Donnelly said he’s liked what he’s seen out of quarterback Alex Flores in camp, but wants to take pressure off an inexperienced re-ceiving corps by making Doolittle a focal point of the offense.

He also said he thinks the team has improved from last year.

“We’re going to be better defensively because we have more speed that can get to the ball and make tackles than we’ve had in the past,” Donnelly said.

“Offensively, it’s going to be a big change from wanting to throw the ball more like we did with Mike (Mercado). ... Our biggest strength is going to be being able to run the ball on offense.”

One of the biggest problems Donnelly sees is the team’s depth – something that never has been the best but really cost the Hawks last year. When the injury bug bit, he said, it derailed the team’s promising start.

“We started off great but kind of fizzled as time went on, and a lot of it came from a lack of depth,” Donnelly said. “We haven’t fixed that lack-of-depth part, because we’re never going to have a lot of guys. ... Now we’re going to have to find a way to keep them off the training table. We were looking at Week 5, Week 6 and we had five starters out. And when you have

that, it’s more like having 10 start-ers out because you’re looking at it being both sides of the ball.”

With more and more teams switching to spread offenses, going back to a more classic formation might seem like something that will be unfamiliar to teams. But Donnelly said in the eclectic Northeast Athletic Conference, that’s not really the case.

“You look at Luther North, it almost looks like a rugby game,” Donnelly said. “They’re so tight on the line of scrimmage it’s hard to tell who has the ball and who comes out of the scrum. Then you go play teams that run a wing-T, like Christian Life, then you get Hebron, who just likes to spread you out. ... There’s so much dif-ferences in our conference I don’t think there is that surprise factor that you would think.”

• HAWKSContinued from page 10

Danielle Guerra – [email protected]

Hiawatha quarterback Alex Flores looks to pitch the ball to running back Nick Doolittle during practice Aug. 14 at the school in Kirkland.

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4 KANELANDKNIGHTS

Piecing it back together again

Kaneland receiver Connor Fedderly (left) and running back and free safety Isaac Swithers



Kaneland out to avenge loss, reclaim conference throne

“We, obviously, lost a lot of people, but that doesn’t change anything really,” Swithers said. “Coaches do a good job keeping us disci-plined. We have a really hard-working team and we actually do have a lot of good people com-ing back. It shouldn’t be any different from last year. Probably a little better than last year.”

Isaac Swithers, Kaneland running back and free safety


Tom Fedderly and the Kane-land football team aren’t going to let history get in the

way of appreciating a good season.The Knights went 9-2 last

year, reached the second round of the IHSA Class 5A playoffs and missed out on a Northern Illinois Big 12 East Division title because of a 31-21 loss at Sycamore.

The loss to the Spartans was the team’s first regular-season defeat since 2009, and kept them from a fifth consecutive NI Big 12 East title. Fedderly said given the injuries the team battled through last year, he’s happy with the outcome and thinks the team can get back on top.

“We’re really proud of what we did last year,” Fedderly said. “It was a great year. We had a lot of kids who were with us for a long time. Unfortunately, we had some key injuries that were hard for us

to overcome. But it’s a new year now and we’re looking to have a lot of fun this year.”

Fedderly said the team will depend a lot on receiver Connor Fedderly – Tom Fedderly’s son – and senior free safety and run-ning back Isaac Swithers. With a new quarterback and depleted receiving corps, he said those two will steer the spread offense early in the season.

Connor Fedderly said the team hasn’t forgotten about the loss to Sycamore last year.

“We knew that was going to be a big game against those guys,” he said. “They had a lot of good play-ers; we had a lot of good players. They came out and they beat us.”

Junior Jake Marczuk has the inside track at quarterback, coach Fedderly said.

“Jake’s a really good athlete,” he said. “He can run, he can pass, he’s a good kid. He had a good summer with our 7-on-7. He’s a really good athlete.”

Last year’s team was a se-nior-laden bunch, but Swithers said this group isn’t missing a beat.

“We, obviously, lost a lot of people, but that doesn’t change anything really,” Swithers said. “Coaches do a good job keeping us disciplined. We have a really hard-working team and we actu-ally do have a lot of good people coming back. It shouldn’t be any different from last year. Probably a little better than last year.”

Coach Fedderly said that mix, along with the team’s speed, are the two strongest points of the team.

“We’re pretty quick,” Tom Fed-derly said. “We’ve got some kids here that have some good experi-ence. There are six kids that we’re bringing back that played quite a bit. I think we’re going to have a good mix of some young kids with some experienced kids.”

See KNIGHTS, page 13



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Swithers will anchor the sec-ondary on defense, with a pair of standout junior linebackers help-ing out – Danny Hammeister, who Tom Fedderly called one of the best in the conference, and 6-foot-5, 235-pound Jake Gomes.

Although he said the confer-ence is super close this year, coach Fedderly said the pieces are in place for the team to be as good as it wants to be.

“We have our goals and that’s what we’re shooting for,” he said. “The kids take a lot of pride in what the program has accomplished and we don’t want any letdowns. We come out here and expect to win. We’ll compete. I know that.”

Coach: Tom Fedderly (58-19, eighth season at Kaneland)

Last year: 9-2 overall, 4-1 Northern Illinois Big 12 East; lost 45-8 to Joliet Catholic Acad-emy in second round of Class 5A playoffs.

Keep an eye on: Connor Fedderly had 20 catches last year and will be the top target among a young receiving group.

Also: Isaac Swithers, sr., FS/RB; Jake Marczuk, jr., QB; Danny Hammeister, sr., LB/OL; Jake Gomes, jr., LB/OL; Andrew Kray, jr., DL

Fedderly’s take: “We’re pretty excited. We had a good summer. ... We say what we

want to do is go 1-0. Concentrate on that first game.”

The big game: When Sycamore beat the Knights, 31-21, at Engh Field last year, it was the Knights’ first regular-season loss since Oct. 16, 2009.

The lowdown: Under normal circumstanc-es it’s hard to call a 9-2 season with a playoff win a down year, but given the decade the team has had – again, no regular-season losses until the Oct. 18 loss at Sycamore – it has the team looking to go even further. The Knights were bounced in the second round

of the playoffs for the second straight year after semifinal runs in 2010 and 2011. ... Swithers took over at running back last year when the starter went down with an injury, pulling double duty – he plays free safety, too. Tom Fedderly said Swithers will be back at RB this year, and will be the No. 2 option behind Connor Fedderly at receiver until the young corps establishes itself in the Knights’ spread offense. ... Fedderly said the starting QB job is Marczuk’s to lose. Senior Owen Kopela is pushing him.


Inside the Knights

ScheduleAug. 29: vs. Brooks College PrepSept. 5: vs. MarshallSept. 12: vs. Rich CentralSept. 19: at Yorkville*Sept. 26: vs. DeKalb*Oct. 3: at Sycamore*Oct. 10: vs. Morris* (homecoming)Oct. 17: at LaSalle-PeruOct. 24: at Rochelle

Note: All kickoffs are 7:15 p.m. unless noted.


Swithers will anchor secondary• KNIGHTSContinued from page 12


Kaneland football coach Tom Fedderly gives direction during practice Aug.13 in Maple Park.


Kaneland linemen work on blocking during a practice Aug. 13 in Maple Park.

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2014 ROSTERSDeKalb Barbs

No. Name Pos. Yr.1 Tony Tate HB Jr.2 Thomas Lowie DB Jr.4 Kadarian Nellem SE Jr.5 Zuerek Day HB So.6 Markeatis Jackson HB Jr.8 TJ Anthenat WR/DB Jr.10 Ethan Conroy QB/K/P Jr.11 Rudy Lopez DB/SE Sr.12 Derek Kyler QB So.15 Cole Tucker SE So.17 John Koach LB/SE Jr.22 Eriq Torrey HB Sr.24 Tyler Geiseman DB Jr.25 Keion Wright HB Jr.26 Jarius Tarver DB Jr.27 Jake Neidel DB So.28 James Robinson HB Jr.32 Jake Kuykendall LB Sr.33 Dre Brown HB/DB Sr.34 Chauncey Perkins DB Sr.35 Jonathan Vega LB Sr.40 Allen Letterer III LB Sr.43 James Corralejo LB Jr.45 David Long LB Jr.50 Rodney Wilson DL Sr.51 Robert Searls LB Sr.52 Zac Stepanski OL Sr.53 Ben Roelfsema LB So.54 Dustin Larson LB Jr.55 Hayden LaPointe OL Jr.58 Caleb DeWeese OL/DL Jr.59 Leif Williams LB Jr.63 Ian Kowalski OL Jr.

64 Malik Pringle DL Sr.66 Matt West OL Jr.68 Kevin Hernandez DL Jr.69 Riley Brown LB Sr.73 Logan Chase DL Jr.74 Andrew Elder OL Jr.75 Matt Petersen DL Jr.77 Damon Dombek DL Jr.79 DeVonte Thompson OL Sr.81 Willis Brei TE Jr.85 Luke Davis Ill TE Jr.92 Tony Ramos LB Sr.98 Giovanni De Los Reyes DL Jr.99 Dwayne Lacey DL So.

Genoa-Kingston Cogs

No. Name Yr.3 Steve Orozco Sr.4 Jared Barton Jr.6 Hunter Rogers Sr.8 Griffin McNeal Sr.9 Keegan Cline Sr.11 Marcus Holley Sr.15 Jesse Bade Sr.16 Brady Huffman Jr.20 Keegan Shannon Jr.21 Marcelo Ruiz Jr.23 Ian Fell Jr.24 Zach Butler So.28 Brenton Cleveland Jr.33 Chase Roger Sr.34 Chance Franckowiak Jr.42 Jordan Bennett Sr.45 Cody Beeman Jr.

52 Austin Ruchti Jr.54 Anthony Lacko Sr.55 Jake McMackin Jr.56 Mitchell Rausch Jr.59 Daniel Russell Jr.61 Andy Walker Jr.64 Marck Cardoso Jr.66 Dale Warren Jr.68 Justin Mousser Jr.69 Joe Murray Sr.70 Arnold Martinez Jr.71 Tyler Bennett Sr.74 Luke Miller So.75 Justin Johnson Sr.76 Matt Beaulieu Sr.77 Nicholas Cotham Jr.82 Cole Blank Jr.88 Jason Bray Jr.

Hiawatha Hawks

No. Name Pos. Yr. Erick Powell RB/DB Fr.2 Alex Flores QB/S Sr.3 Chris Schuck WR/LB/DB Sr.6 Riley O’Hern K/P Fr.11 Levi Novotny RB/DB Sr.18 Evan Williams TE/DE, QB Jr.21 Braden Watson RB/DB, QB So.22 Harry Barrett WR/DB Fr.24 Jonnie Moore WR/DB Fr.26 Tyler Hamrick RB/DB Sr.40 Sean Hines OG/LB So.42 Michael Speer FB/LB/RB Sr.48 Jacob Edwards OL/DL Fr.

50 Joey Hessing OL/LB So.54 Bart Hall G/LB Jr.56 Edwin Yockey OL/DL So.57 Abe Gonzalez OL/LB/DL Fr.58 Trevor Heiman OL/DL Sr.61 Cole Dunbar C/DL Fr.63 Dan White RB/LB Sr.64 Justin Parisot OL/DL Fr.65 Corey Thompson OL/LB Fr.74 Juan Gonzalez OL/DL Sr.79 Nathan Taylor OT/DL So.80 Josh Hakes WR/DB So.87 Nick Doolittle RB/S Sr.88 Brandon Phelps RB/DB Sr.

Sycamore Spartans

No. Name Pos. Yr. Mickey Mathey RB/CB Sr.1 Austin Jacox QB Sr.2 Justin Otte SB/CB Sr.2 Trace Hefler WR/CB Sr.3 Edgar Garcia SS Sr.4 Brett Weaver MLB/TE Sr.5 Nick Niemann TE/OLB Jr.6 Dion Hooker RB/CB Sr.7 Brett Bemis QB/FS Jr.8 Bryce Hansen SB/FS Jr.9 Jackson Ryan QB/WR/CB Jr.11 Matt Coovert WR/CB Sr.14 Colan Treml WR/MLB Sr.17 Tyler Sulaver QB/FS So.18 Dominic Lesniewski WR/FS Sr.20 Michael Gulley RB/SS Sr.22 Michael Brons WR/CB Sr.

23 Tyler Maveus K Jr.24 Tanner Watkins WR/CB Sr.26 Michael Beaudoin TE/OLB Jr.28 Zach Versluys FB/MLB Sr.30 Dylan Lee WR/FS Sr.32 Nick Dearborn WR/CB Sr.33 Chris Malone FB/DT Sr.36 Massier Derek RB/OLB Sr.40 Luke Burns WR/C Sr.42 Jacob Sherlock SB/MLB Sr.45 Kevin Tyrrell WR/MLB Sr.48 Justin Groble FB/OLB Sr.50 Austin Kosusnik DE/C Sr.51 Devin Knight NG Sr.54 Vincent Pattalio G/DE Jr.55 Ryan Grant C/MLB Sr.57 Alex Guerrettaz G/DT Sr.58 Phillip Wilson T/DE Jr.60 Kevin Dwyer T/DE Sr.62 Daniel Coovert C/MLB Sr.63 Jesse Hendrickson T/DT64 Jarrod Holtz G, NG Sr.66 Michael Mathey G/DT Sr.67 Hunter Munch G/DT Sr.68 Isaac Evans T/DT Sr.69 Zach Kalk T/DT Jr.74 Sean Brinkman G/NG Jr.76 Bailey Hunt T/DE Jr.77 Jack Majerus T/DT Sr.79 Ethan Baxa T/DT Jr.80 Liam Sullivan CB Sr.84 John Harnden WR/CB Sr.85 Travis Carter CB Sr.

Note to readers: Kaneland did not provide its roster.

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Tickets available at DeKalb & Sycamore High Schools & Middle Schools, Castle Bank, DeKalb and Sycamore Chambers, Kishwaukee Family YMCA,and by student athletes throughout both communities. Includes admission to football game, tailgate party activities and Hy-Vee pork chop meal.

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DATEFriday, September 19NIU Huskie Stadium

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Sophomore Game...4:45 pm

Varsity Game...........7:30 pm

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DC Preps Football 2014