'13 Team Preview: Paint Valley Bearcats
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
Paint Valley was one spot away from reaching the Division V postseason last season, and this year, with a new division and a new desire, the Bearcats could get that one position needed to make the second season in '13.
The Bearcats have players who are seniors that have been playing full-time varsity since their freshman seasons. That experience will hopefully pay off for the Bearcats, as they will vie for not only the playoff berth, but a Scioto Valley Conference championship, a feat that hasn't been obtained since the '03 season.
To get the conference title, the Bearcats will have eight players returning to the starting lineup on offense and nine on defense. In all, PV will have 23 lettermen back this season.
One year ago, PV was third in the SVC, scoring 279 points while allowing 178, ending the '12 season with two consecutive wins.
"Obviously, we are coming off a really good season last year where we took our league championship run into week nine, and the playoff run was all the way into week 10," PV head coach Pete Hollon said. "The kids have had a really good offseason. They've fed off that (the '12 season), and our numbers are sky-high.
"We're at 51 kids right now, and with that, we're hoping we can create a lot of depth where we can minimize as many two-way players as possible. With a school our size at Div. VII, that's a huge, huge advantage for us."
That is one of the new differences in '13 … switching from Division V to the newly created Division VII, as the boys' enrollment of 111 put them two divisions lower than last year.
Even with the change of divisions, the goals are still the same for the team from Bainbridge … to win games. Last season, PV finished 6-3-1 (4-3 in the SVC), returning players who'll have three years of varsity experience.
Those three players are running back Mark Clifford, fullback Nate Yoakum and guard Dakota Morgan, as all three were selected captains. Last year, Clifford was third in rushing for the Bearcats with 545 yards, as he wasn't healthy all season.
"Some of the seniors have been starting since they were young, green freshmen, and they've grown up," Hollon said. "For their sake, I hope they have a great senior year. Three great kids were chosen as captains at the end of last season, and they did that for a reason."
As for the offense, the quarterback will be sophomore Anthony McFadden, who was the starting quarterback last season.
"Anthony is a kid that we just took a shot with last year as a freshman. We knew that he was going to be our quarterback at some point," Hollon said. "We didn't know how soon. We were forced to throw Anthony in a little bit before we wanted to. He ended up having a really good year.
"He's picked up about 20 pounds and grown four or five inches, and that's really all that I need to say. Maybe more so than the physical stature, his vocalization has picked up. Anthony's started to talk a little bit more. The kids are starting to understand that he is their quarterback, whether he's a freshman or senior, and we are going to listen to him."
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Another player the Bearcats are looking to this season is sophomore Tony Hatfield, who is a running back.
"Tony was the 100-meter track champion in the SVC, and with the kind of depth that we've got, we feel that we can run him at several different positions offensively," Hollon said. "We're really hoping he'll be a weapon on the special teams side of the ball for us as well."
Sophomore Teagan McFadden is also listed as a running back this season, as he too started the '12 season as a freshman.
"Teagan is going to bump up to strong safety or linebacker for us, and on offense, he's moving to tailback," Hollon said. "It's just a natural progression for him, as we were blessed to have Quentin Tesi at tailback last year."
Tesi was the Bearcats' leading rusher with 688 yards in '12, but he has since graduated.
The offensive line for PV is expected to be juniors Gavin Carter (LT) and Clay Archer (LG) and sophomore Austin Baker at center, and on the right side will be Morgan (G) and sophomore Josh Crech (T). Caleb Johnson, a sophomore, is the tight end, while the split ends will be Mason McCloy (a junior) and Dylan Estep, a senior.
"We need a little more offensive consistency [this year]," Hollon said. "There were times, knock on wood, we really didn't have an issue with turnovers, but there were times we weren't a real good red zone offensive team.
"We still averaged about 30 points a game. I believe in two of our losses, we only scored one touchdown, and those were 14-7 ball games. For a team that averages 30 points a game, you certainly don't want that to happen."
Again, depth for PV is key.
"We've really been preaching the depth this year," Hollon said. "We're trying to limit as many two-way players as we have to. Again, that's something that could be real pivotal for us, not necessarily right away, but as we get into the last part of the season."
The Bearcats' defense was solid, and this season, the expectations are just as high. On the defensive line, the starters are junior Mason McCloy (DE), Morgan (DT), Clifford (NG) and sophomore Dalton Waugh (DE).
At linebacker will be Yoakum, Johnson and Teagan McFadden. In the defensive backfield, at strong safety will be junior Chris Fellenstein, junior Corey Freeman (CB), Estep (CB) and Hatfield (FS).
"Last year, defensively, we were pretty darned good," Hollon said. "To stay that way and to be successful, we must develop good team chemistry, be physical enough to make our own breaks and stop the opponent's running game."
The Bearcats have players who are seniors that have been playing full-time varsity since their freshman seasons. That experience will hopefully pay off for the Bearcats, as they will vie for not only the playoff berth, but a Scioto Valley Conference championship, a feat that hasn't been obtained since the '03 season.
To get the conference title, the Bearcats will have eight players returning to the starting lineup on offense and nine on defense. In all, PV will have 23 lettermen back this season.
One year ago, PV was third in the SVC, scoring 279 points while allowing 178, ending the '12 season with two consecutive wins.
"Obviously, we are coming off a really good season last year where we took our league championship run into week nine, and the playoff run was all the way into week 10," PV head coach Pete Hollon said. "The kids have had a really good offseason. They've fed off that (the '12 season), and our numbers are sky-high.
"We're at 51 kids right now, and with that, we're hoping we can create a lot of depth where we can minimize as many two-way players as possible. With a school our size at Div. VII, that's a huge, huge advantage for us."
That is one of the new differences in '13 … switching from Division V to the newly created Division VII, as the boys' enrollment of 111 put them two divisions lower than last year.
Even with the change of divisions, the goals are still the same for the team from Bainbridge … to win games. Last season, PV finished 6-3-1 (4-3 in the SVC), returning players who'll have three years of varsity experience.
Those three players are running back Mark Clifford, fullback Nate Yoakum and guard Dakota Morgan, as all three were selected captains. Last year, Clifford was third in rushing for the Bearcats with 545 yards, as he wasn't healthy all season.
"Some of the seniors have been starting since they were young, green freshmen, and they've grown up," Hollon said. "For their sake, I hope they have a great senior year. Three great kids were chosen as captains at the end of last season, and they did that for a reason."
As for the offense, the quarterback will be sophomore Anthony McFadden, who was the starting quarterback last season.
"Anthony is a kid that we just took a shot with last year as a freshman. We knew that he was going to be our quarterback at some point," Hollon said. "We didn't know how soon. We were forced to throw Anthony in a little bit before we wanted to. He ended up having a really good year.
"He's picked up about 20 pounds and grown four or five inches, and that's really all that I need to say. Maybe more so than the physical stature, his vocalization has picked up. Anthony's started to talk a little bit more. The kids are starting to understand that he is their quarterback, whether he's a freshman or senior, and we are going to listen to him."
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Another player the Bearcats are looking to this season is sophomore Tony Hatfield, who is a running back.
"Tony was the 100-meter track champion in the SVC, and with the kind of depth that we've got, we feel that we can run him at several different positions offensively," Hollon said. "We're really hoping he'll be a weapon on the special teams side of the ball for us as well."
Sophomore Teagan McFadden is also listed as a running back this season, as he too started the '12 season as a freshman.
"Teagan is going to bump up to strong safety or linebacker for us, and on offense, he's moving to tailback," Hollon said. "It's just a natural progression for him, as we were blessed to have Quentin Tesi at tailback last year."
Tesi was the Bearcats' leading rusher with 688 yards in '12, but he has since graduated.
The offensive line for PV is expected to be juniors Gavin Carter (LT) and Clay Archer (LG) and sophomore Austin Baker at center, and on the right side will be Morgan (G) and sophomore Josh Crech (T). Caleb Johnson, a sophomore, is the tight end, while the split ends will be Mason McCloy (a junior) and Dylan Estep, a senior.
"We need a little more offensive consistency [this year]," Hollon said. "There were times, knock on wood, we really didn't have an issue with turnovers, but there were times we weren't a real good red zone offensive team.
"We still averaged about 30 points a game. I believe in two of our losses, we only scored one touchdown, and those were 14-7 ball games. For a team that averages 30 points a game, you certainly don't want that to happen."
Again, depth for PV is key.
"We've really been preaching the depth this year," Hollon said. "We're trying to limit as many two-way players as we have to. Again, that's something that could be real pivotal for us, not necessarily right away, but as we get into the last part of the season."
The Bearcats' defense was solid, and this season, the expectations are just as high. On the defensive line, the starters are junior Mason McCloy (DE), Morgan (DT), Clifford (NG) and sophomore Dalton Waugh (DE).
At linebacker will be Yoakum, Johnson and Teagan McFadden. In the defensive backfield, at strong safety will be junior Chris Fellenstein, junior Corey Freeman (CB), Estep (CB) and Hatfield (FS).
"Last year, defensively, we were pretty darned good," Hollon said. "To stay that way and to be successful, we must develop good team chemistry, be physical enough to make our own breaks and stop the opponent's running game."