Greencastle football ready to reload

Thursday, August 16, 2007
GHS football 2007

Every high school coach knows the story is the same every year -- you lose some old players and you gain some new ones. That's the nature of the beast.

But, some classes are harder to replace than others. For Greencastle football coach Mike Meyer, that's no excuse. The seniors who led the Tiger Cubs to a 7-4 record in 2006 are gone. It's time to get on with this year.

"We had a talented group of seniors last year," Meyer said. "They're gone, and now we have some guys who have to step up."

From what Meyer had seen through the end of two-a-days, he felt confident in his team's ability to meet the expectations.

"I think we're ahead of schedule. We're happy with the effort the kids have been giving," he said. "We feel pretty good."

As for the heat of these practices, Meyer feels his team has gotten acclimated to it pretty well, which is good because it will not be going away just because the regular season begins Friday night.

"It's going to be hot for the next couple of weeks," he said.

The key now is to take the promise the coach has seen in practice and put it to use on Friday nights. Meyer said there are good opponents around Putnam County and throughout the WCC.

"We'll see how we handle the pressure," Meyer said.

Chief among those asked to step up will be a group of nine seniors and a large junior class of 16.

We have a very strong junior class," Meyer said. "We have some quality seniors who are stepping up as leaders."

Among the seniors, Meyer cited running back/linebacker Kendall Faust and offensive/defensive linemen Blake Robinson and Ricky Robinson as three key returnees.

Returning for the juniors will be kicker Buzz Deer, wide receiver/defensive back Ashton Marshal and running back/defensive back Drew Evens.

However, the important contributors in these classes will not end with these few.

"There are other kids we are expecting big things from," Meyer said.

The Tiger Cubs also field 10 sophomores and a whopping 25 freshmen.

While Meyer, like any coach, wants to see his team do well in the county, conference and especially sectional, he also knows these goals come one step at a time.

"Our goal is we want to win the first one," Meyer said.

The first one comes in the form of the Monrovia Bulldogs. The Tiger Cubs travel to Monrovia for a 7 p.m. matchup this Friday.

"We have to worry about us," the coach said. "What are we going to do to make ourselves better?"

The first thing the Tiger Cubs did was come through camp healthy and in good condition. Next comes the regular season. Time will tell what it holds, but Meyer is not short on confidence.

"We feel very, very good with what we have," he said. "We're looking forward to having a good year."

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: