'12 Team Preview: Paint Valley Bearcats
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
In Bainbridge, the Paint Valley Bearcats are big on honoring their tradition. All anyone has to do is visit a football game and look at the large sign with all the championships hanging on the side of the football locker room.
This season, the 2012 Paint Valley Bearcats want to be the next team on that wall, and coming off a four-win season in 2011 (a two-game improvement from '10), the team seems to be headed in the right direction, as they will start a variety of youth and experience as the season begins on Friday, Aug. 24 at Belpre.
The Bearcats have six offensive players and seven players on the defense returning to the starting lineup from their 4-6 season one year ago. The Bearcats also have 13 seniors on the roster.
"We do return some pretty good experience, bringing in a crop of freshmen, probably one of the better freshman classes we've had in quite some time, so we're looking at possibly three of those guys who are going to see Friday night action," Paint Valley head coach Pete Hollon said. "It's a really nice blend of older kids and the young kids, and our experience we bring back should enable those freshmen just to play where they're not going to have to be the superstar, just be a role player and concentrate on one side of the ball. We're really excited where we're at right now."
Back on the offense are sophomore tight end Mason McCloy (6-3, 195), senior left guard Riley Markko (6-1, 185), senior right tackle Roddy Long (6-2, 220), senior receiver Dallas Immell (5-9, 170), senior fullback Kyle Kottenbrook (5-9, 185) and junior running back Mark Clifford (5-11, 205).
"Our entire back field returns with Mark Clifford, just under a 1,000-yard rusher as a sophomore, and Kyle Kottenbrook, our fullback, a little over 600 yards in just five games in the fullback position," Hollon said. "We made a transition from the full spread to a wing T spread about halfway through last year. We just felt it adapted our kids better than the full spread."
New to the offensive starting lineup is freshman quarterback Anthony McFadden (5-9, 160), freshman receiver Teagan McFadden (5-8, 165), senior receiver Michael McCloy (6-1, 170), junior Dakota Morgan (6-1, 195) and sophomore Gavin Carter (6-1, 190). Also on the offensive side are freshman running back Tony Hatfield (5-9, 155) and tight end Nate Yoakum (5-10, 180).
"With the kids that we return and are bringing into the lineup, we really feel good. We felt like we finished really strong offensively the last half of the season," Hollon said. "You're in the weight room with a little more physical maturity, and again, with the speed that this group of freshmen brings, we really like the things we can do at the offensive side."
Hollon talked about senior Quentin Tesi, who could also see some time at quarterback, but has been away this summer doing something more important than football.
"Quentin is doing a great thing right now as he's fulfilling his Army boot camp a summer early, so that way as soon as he graduates from high school, he can go right into his career," Hollon said. "It's one of those deals where as a football coach it hurts (having him gone all summer), but in the grand scheme of life, there's so much respect.
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"He's definitely our team leader. We'll definitely find a spot with him on the offensive side. His leadership, you can't measure it. It's just an incredible thing. He wasn't able to have his phone for the longest time, and I was the only one he had contact with up until last week. He sent a couple letters I read to the team. It's just so special. The entire Paint Valley community's extremely proud of the kid. It's just so much bigger than what we are here. It means so much more. From a football side, we can't wait to get him back. His leadership … this is my 17th year as head coach, and I can say this kid possesses the best leadership qualities I've ever been around."
Defensively for PV, the returning members are Markko (defensive end), Clifford (defensive tackle), Kottenbrook (defensive end), Morgan (linebacker), Yoakum (linebacker), Tesi (linebacker) and Immell (cornerback).
Added to the defense this year in a starting capacity are sophomore nose guard DeShawn Davis (5-6, 205), senior Logan McGraw (5-10, 195), Teagan McFadden at strong safety and Michael McCloy at free safety. Others looking to have playing time are senior defensive lineman Tyler Matthews (5-10, 265), Kottenbrook (5-9, 185), Long (6-1, 220) and Mason McCloy (6-3, 195).
With the players set into their roles, Coach Hollon said his team strengths are they are strong and fast, along with 18 returning lettermen, though the underclassmen gained experience last season with injuries to the team, and the third strength is depth.
With the strengths, the 17-year PV head coach said his team needs to improve on handling adversity as they must develop a tougher mentality earlier in the season, as well as they aren't big physically and need players to step up and be game-breakers.
"This is one of the bigger senior classes we've had in a while," Hollon said. "I think in any high school sport, you really lean on those guys, and a lot of times, leadership evolves from what your seniors do. They've been really good in the weight room the entire winter. We're pretty happy with that number."
Another part of the team the Bearcats want to fix is the special teams, if for the fact of playing the game of field position.
"We've spent about an hour and 15 minutes every day in the offseason work on special teams. That's been a huge emphasis for us," Hollon said. "We've traditionally been extremely strong at special teams … our coverage teams were really good last year, but it was our return game that kind of bit us quite a bit.
"We feel that we've got a lot more depth. The numbers are really good for our situation here, so we're able to rest a few kids and get a couple other kids who are really just concentrating on the special teams aspect of it now. Our first hour and 15 minutes in practice this summer, every day, has been nothing but special teams, just repetition, repetition."
Hollon just wants to take this season game-by-game and improve weekly.
"Our kids have been tremendously dedicated in the offseason. That's one thing as a coach we've never had to worry about here," Hollon said.
This season, the 2012 Paint Valley Bearcats want to be the next team on that wall, and coming off a four-win season in 2011 (a two-game improvement from '10), the team seems to be headed in the right direction, as they will start a variety of youth and experience as the season begins on Friday, Aug. 24 at Belpre.
The Bearcats have six offensive players and seven players on the defense returning to the starting lineup from their 4-6 season one year ago. The Bearcats also have 13 seniors on the roster.
"We do return some pretty good experience, bringing in a crop of freshmen, probably one of the better freshman classes we've had in quite some time, so we're looking at possibly three of those guys who are going to see Friday night action," Paint Valley head coach Pete Hollon said. "It's a really nice blend of older kids and the young kids, and our experience we bring back should enable those freshmen just to play where they're not going to have to be the superstar, just be a role player and concentrate on one side of the ball. We're really excited where we're at right now."
Back on the offense are sophomore tight end Mason McCloy (6-3, 195), senior left guard Riley Markko (6-1, 185), senior right tackle Roddy Long (6-2, 220), senior receiver Dallas Immell (5-9, 170), senior fullback Kyle Kottenbrook (5-9, 185) and junior running back Mark Clifford (5-11, 205).
"Our entire back field returns with Mark Clifford, just under a 1,000-yard rusher as a sophomore, and Kyle Kottenbrook, our fullback, a little over 600 yards in just five games in the fullback position," Hollon said. "We made a transition from the full spread to a wing T spread about halfway through last year. We just felt it adapted our kids better than the full spread."
New to the offensive starting lineup is freshman quarterback Anthony McFadden (5-9, 160), freshman receiver Teagan McFadden (5-8, 165), senior receiver Michael McCloy (6-1, 170), junior Dakota Morgan (6-1, 195) and sophomore Gavin Carter (6-1, 190). Also on the offensive side are freshman running back Tony Hatfield (5-9, 155) and tight end Nate Yoakum (5-10, 180).
"With the kids that we return and are bringing into the lineup, we really feel good. We felt like we finished really strong offensively the last half of the season," Hollon said. "You're in the weight room with a little more physical maturity, and again, with the speed that this group of freshmen brings, we really like the things we can do at the offensive side."
Hollon talked about senior Quentin Tesi, who could also see some time at quarterback, but has been away this summer doing something more important than football.
"Quentin is doing a great thing right now as he's fulfilling his Army boot camp a summer early, so that way as soon as he graduates from high school, he can go right into his career," Hollon said. "It's one of those deals where as a football coach it hurts (having him gone all summer), but in the grand scheme of life, there's so much respect.
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"He's definitely our team leader. We'll definitely find a spot with him on the offensive side. His leadership, you can't measure it. It's just an incredible thing. He wasn't able to have his phone for the longest time, and I was the only one he had contact with up until last week. He sent a couple letters I read to the team. It's just so special. The entire Paint Valley community's extremely proud of the kid. It's just so much bigger than what we are here. It means so much more. From a football side, we can't wait to get him back. His leadership … this is my 17th year as head coach, and I can say this kid possesses the best leadership qualities I've ever been around."
Defensively for PV, the returning members are Markko (defensive end), Clifford (defensive tackle), Kottenbrook (defensive end), Morgan (linebacker), Yoakum (linebacker), Tesi (linebacker) and Immell (cornerback).
Added to the defense this year in a starting capacity are sophomore nose guard DeShawn Davis (5-6, 205), senior Logan McGraw (5-10, 195), Teagan McFadden at strong safety and Michael McCloy at free safety. Others looking to have playing time are senior defensive lineman Tyler Matthews (5-10, 265), Kottenbrook (5-9, 185), Long (6-1, 220) and Mason McCloy (6-3, 195).
With the players set into their roles, Coach Hollon said his team strengths are they are strong and fast, along with 18 returning lettermen, though the underclassmen gained experience last season with injuries to the team, and the third strength is depth.
With the strengths, the 17-year PV head coach said his team needs to improve on handling adversity as they must develop a tougher mentality earlier in the season, as well as they aren't big physically and need players to step up and be game-breakers.
"This is one of the bigger senior classes we've had in a while," Hollon said. "I think in any high school sport, you really lean on those guys, and a lot of times, leadership evolves from what your seniors do. They've been really good in the weight room the entire winter. We're pretty happy with that number."
Another part of the team the Bearcats want to fix is the special teams, if for the fact of playing the game of field position.
"We've spent about an hour and 15 minutes every day in the offseason work on special teams. That's been a huge emphasis for us," Hollon said. "We've traditionally been extremely strong at special teams … our coverage teams were really good last year, but it was our return game that kind of bit us quite a bit.
"We feel that we've got a lot more depth. The numbers are really good for our situation here, so we're able to rest a few kids and get a couple other kids who are really just concentrating on the special teams aspect of it now. Our first hour and 15 minutes in practice this summer, every day, has been nothing but special teams, just repetition, repetition."
Hollon just wants to take this season game-by-game and improve weekly.
"Our kids have been tremendously dedicated in the offseason. That's one thing as a coach we've never had to worry about here," Hollon said.