'14 Football Preview: East Clinton Astros
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
With 50 players in the roster this season, the East Clinton Astros are moving in the right direction in terms of adding players to their program, and now they want to focus on also improving their results on the field.
Of the 50 players on the roster of EC, 13 are seniors, along with 13 juniors, 12 sophomores and 12 freshmen.
Even with all of those players on the roster, one big change for EC football, which will be coached for the second year by Bill Hrabak, is the quarterback position with three-year starter Dalton Floyd gone due to graduation.
Hrabak spoke about not having Floyd on the roster this season and their plans to groom another QB for the Astros.
Taking over for Floyd is junior Eric Moore.
"Dalton was a special kid, but the nice thing is Eric is in that same category," Hrabak said. "When Eric did get the chance to come in last year, he had a couple touchdown passes. He didn't play much, but when he was in the games, he was productive.
"Last year, Eric was a slot back and defensive back, so he's played varsity football, but this will be his first full year under center."
Hrabak went on to describe Moore as a QB.
"He's going to be very good in controlled passing, and that will be good for him,” he said. “He's a pretty decent runner. While he and Dalton are similar in a lot of ways, they do have their differences. Dalton was more of a scrambler, get out of the pocket and make something out of nothing.
"Eric is going to be a by-design runner but will still be a double threat."
As for the summer of the Astros, it, too, was productive.
"We won the 7-on-7 we hosted, and Eric played really well there," Hrabak said. "We took second in Ashland and easily could have won that. We were excited about that."
Another offensive player to watch out for is Clyde Snow, who was first-team All-SCOL last season. Also back is the third-leading receiver in Jesse Livingston at tight end.
Others to watch out for are Caleb Caplinger and Jake Neanover (was injured half the season in '13), who are also going to have time on offense in the slot. The flanker position will be held by Brian Barnes, who Hrabak said has done a nice job during the summer.
Two of the faster players on the Astros this season will be senior Zac Hrabak and sophomore Anthony Osburn, described as "monsters in the weight room."
"They are our strongest two kids, and they both bring the ability to run inside, but they have the speed to get outside," Hrabak said. "They both start on defense, so we'll probably do a running back by committee, unless one has a hot hand.
"By design, we would like to rotate them to give each other a break, because they are starting on defense. What we would like to eventually do is move towards a two-platoon. I feel we're taking strides in that area with the numbers we have, and in this league, that is huge."
The offensive line starts with junior tackle D.J. Luttrell, who is 6-3, 315 pounds. Also on the o-line is sophomore guard Travis Knell (283 pounds), and the center spot is "up in the air," says Hrabak. Battling for that spot are junior Charlie Erdman, junior Peyton Vest and freshman Jaren Evans.
"All three are getting reps as the starting center right now," Hrabak said.
Also starting on the o-line are 270-pound freshman Noah Suiter at guard and junior tackle Tyler Stewart (6-3, 270 pounds).
Looking back at his defense of '13, Hrabak described it as "a work in progress," but he also said they played better late in the season compared to where they started.
[[In-content Ad]]"We played better as the year went on, and even though we were beaten soundly by Chillicothe and Clinton-Massie, we thought our defense played representative, and they stepped up their play," Hrabak said. "Our feeling is if our defense had played that way during the course of the year, our record would have not been 3-7."
Hrabak wants to see that same intensity from those games right now at the start of the season, as he said the players have matured, and they've made some changes in their defense as well.
Caleb Caplinger is the player to watch on the Astros' defense. He's also the punter for the Astros and has the possibility of being recruited by Div. I schools.
"He was a playmaker at defense end for us last season, and we expect the same thing from him this season," Hrabak said. "Jesse (Livingston) at linebacker was our leading tackler last year, so we have high expectations for him also."
Hrabak continued to talk about the punting abilities of Caplinger.
"We have some big schools looking at him as a punter," he said. "He's been a great punter for us. He's been to some camps. He turns the field over. There were times where we've been on the 20-yard line and he'll punt the ball 60-65 yards.
"We can flip the field with him. Whenever we can flip the field … that's a heck of a weapon."
At defensive line, Zac Hrabak only weighs 180 pounds, but Coach Hrabak said with his speed and strength, he plays like he's 220 pounds.
Junior Dakota Meyer started the '13 season on the JV team, but midway though the year landed at linebacker on the varsity team. On the secondary, Snow will lead the DBs as a senior. Moore will play his second year at DB.
Hrabak said to have success as a team, the Astros need to play tougher.
"We need to play tougher … by nature we are a passing team, but at the same time we've challenged them and told them that we need to run the football," Hrabak said. "We have to create some balance in the offense.
"If we can get to that point, we'll be a lot more dangerous. They know what to expect."
The Astros have high goals for '14.
"Our goal is to be a contender. We want to be a factor in the league race," Hrabak said. "We can't afford injuries. If we avoid serious injury, I believe we can be contenders."
Of the 50 players on the roster of EC, 13 are seniors, along with 13 juniors, 12 sophomores and 12 freshmen.
Even with all of those players on the roster, one big change for EC football, which will be coached for the second year by Bill Hrabak, is the quarterback position with three-year starter Dalton Floyd gone due to graduation.
Hrabak spoke about not having Floyd on the roster this season and their plans to groom another QB for the Astros.
Taking over for Floyd is junior Eric Moore.
"Dalton was a special kid, but the nice thing is Eric is in that same category," Hrabak said. "When Eric did get the chance to come in last year, he had a couple touchdown passes. He didn't play much, but when he was in the games, he was productive.
"Last year, Eric was a slot back and defensive back, so he's played varsity football, but this will be his first full year under center."
Hrabak went on to describe Moore as a QB.
"He's going to be very good in controlled passing, and that will be good for him,” he said. “He's a pretty decent runner. While he and Dalton are similar in a lot of ways, they do have their differences. Dalton was more of a scrambler, get out of the pocket and make something out of nothing.
"Eric is going to be a by-design runner but will still be a double threat."
As for the summer of the Astros, it, too, was productive.
"We won the 7-on-7 we hosted, and Eric played really well there," Hrabak said. "We took second in Ashland and easily could have won that. We were excited about that."
Another offensive player to watch out for is Clyde Snow, who was first-team All-SCOL last season. Also back is the third-leading receiver in Jesse Livingston at tight end.
Others to watch out for are Caleb Caplinger and Jake Neanover (was injured half the season in '13), who are also going to have time on offense in the slot. The flanker position will be held by Brian Barnes, who Hrabak said has done a nice job during the summer.
Two of the faster players on the Astros this season will be senior Zac Hrabak and sophomore Anthony Osburn, described as "monsters in the weight room."
"They are our strongest two kids, and they both bring the ability to run inside, but they have the speed to get outside," Hrabak said. "They both start on defense, so we'll probably do a running back by committee, unless one has a hot hand.
"By design, we would like to rotate them to give each other a break, because they are starting on defense. What we would like to eventually do is move towards a two-platoon. I feel we're taking strides in that area with the numbers we have, and in this league, that is huge."
The offensive line starts with junior tackle D.J. Luttrell, who is 6-3, 315 pounds. Also on the o-line is sophomore guard Travis Knell (283 pounds), and the center spot is "up in the air," says Hrabak. Battling for that spot are junior Charlie Erdman, junior Peyton Vest and freshman Jaren Evans.
"All three are getting reps as the starting center right now," Hrabak said.
Also starting on the o-line are 270-pound freshman Noah Suiter at guard and junior tackle Tyler Stewart (6-3, 270 pounds).
Looking back at his defense of '13, Hrabak described it as "a work in progress," but he also said they played better late in the season compared to where they started.
[[In-content Ad]]"We played better as the year went on, and even though we were beaten soundly by Chillicothe and Clinton-Massie, we thought our defense played representative, and they stepped up their play," Hrabak said. "Our feeling is if our defense had played that way during the course of the year, our record would have not been 3-7."
Hrabak wants to see that same intensity from those games right now at the start of the season, as he said the players have matured, and they've made some changes in their defense as well.
Caleb Caplinger is the player to watch on the Astros' defense. He's also the punter for the Astros and has the possibility of being recruited by Div. I schools.
"He was a playmaker at defense end for us last season, and we expect the same thing from him this season," Hrabak said. "Jesse (Livingston) at linebacker was our leading tackler last year, so we have high expectations for him also."
Hrabak continued to talk about the punting abilities of Caplinger.
"We have some big schools looking at him as a punter," he said. "He's been a great punter for us. He's been to some camps. He turns the field over. There were times where we've been on the 20-yard line and he'll punt the ball 60-65 yards.
"We can flip the field with him. Whenever we can flip the field … that's a heck of a weapon."
At defensive line, Zac Hrabak only weighs 180 pounds, but Coach Hrabak said with his speed and strength, he plays like he's 220 pounds.
Junior Dakota Meyer started the '13 season on the JV team, but midway though the year landed at linebacker on the varsity team. On the secondary, Snow will lead the DBs as a senior. Moore will play his second year at DB.
Hrabak said to have success as a team, the Astros need to play tougher.
"We need to play tougher … by nature we are a passing team, but at the same time we've challenged them and told them that we need to run the football," Hrabak said. "We have to create some balance in the offense.
"If we can get to that point, we'll be a lot more dangerous. They know what to expect."
The Astros have high goals for '14.
"Our goal is to be a contender. We want to be a factor in the league race," Hrabak said. "We can't afford injuries. If we avoid serious injury, I believe we can be contenders."