'14 Football Preview: Fayetteville Rockets
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
One season following eight wins, the Fayetteville Rockets will have some changes to their program, with a new head coach and a new group of seniors looking to continue the building of their young football program.
The new head coach for the Rockets is Kevin Finch, replacing Nathan Geers, who led the Rockets to their best season as a football team last year at 8-2 in his lone season as the head coach.
Now with Finch at the helm, he is the one looking to help the Rockets take another step in the right direction this season, with the Rockets having seven seniors this year.
Finch previously was an assistant coach in Franklin County in Brookville, Ind. last season, and before that, Finch was the offensive coordinator at Greenon in Springfield, Ohio.
[[In-content Ad]]"I've been excited since day one, and since I've gotten to know the players here, I'm really getting excited about our potential," Finch said "The biggest thing is we have to stay healthy, and if we can do that, I really believe that we have some pieces of the puzzle we can put together and build the team."
He also spoke about the importance of having coaches from last season who have helped the program.
"It is very important to keep things going in a positive direction with a young program," Finch said. "Coach Lockhart and Coach Docter have stayed on and have done a great job of maintaining things throughout the summer. They've also kept that continuity from last year, especially with me coming in late, so that helps out a lot."
For the Rockets this year with their new head coach, it is about "continuity" in '14.
"They are getting to know me, and I'm getting to know them better," Finch said. "Obviously, they are getting more comfortable with our system, and they are working hard, so I can't complain about that.
"They are coachable, and we'll just keep correcting things, keep building and keep developing the program."
Players the Rockets are expecting big things from in '14 are Logan Wilson (TE/LB) and Jaxmanni Salas (OL/LB). Also for the Rockets, Justin Hart will be playing fullback, and Tim Crone is the QB this season. Caleb Dowers is running back/LB, as is Chase Jester (RB/DB).
In '13, the Rockets scored 279 points and allowed 139 points, as they ended the season with five straight wins.
Finch spoke about what he likes to run both on defense and offense.
"Defensively, I'm a 4-4 guy, but we are starting to get more to a 4-3 because of the personnel," he said. "Offensively, I like to tweak it each year to fit the personnel. I like to run a version on the Wing-T, and the passing game comes from my roots as an offensive coordinator of a spread philosophy.
"There is a little bit of a mix there of things that have worked throughout the years."
Some of the players on defense to keep an eye on are Aaron Allessi, Tyler King, Jester and Wilson.
"A lot of the team has been doing a good job so far," Finch said.
Looking back at last year, the Rockets opened with three wins in their first four games against Clermont Northeastern (20-12), Bethel-Tate (26-14) and Miami Valley Christian Academy (16-6).
They then ended the season with five consecutive wins against Dayton, Ky. (33-12), Aiken (45-12), Horizon Science Academy (68-0), Landmark Christian (36-0) and Batavia (15-7).
This season, the Rockets will host CNE to open the season on Friday, Aug. 29.
The new head coach for the Rockets is Kevin Finch, replacing Nathan Geers, who led the Rockets to their best season as a football team last year at 8-2 in his lone season as the head coach.
Now with Finch at the helm, he is the one looking to help the Rockets take another step in the right direction this season, with the Rockets having seven seniors this year.
Finch previously was an assistant coach in Franklin County in Brookville, Ind. last season, and before that, Finch was the offensive coordinator at Greenon in Springfield, Ohio.
[[In-content Ad]]"I've been excited since day one, and since I've gotten to know the players here, I'm really getting excited about our potential," Finch said "The biggest thing is we have to stay healthy, and if we can do that, I really believe that we have some pieces of the puzzle we can put together and build the team."
He also spoke about the importance of having coaches from last season who have helped the program.
"It is very important to keep things going in a positive direction with a young program," Finch said. "Coach Lockhart and Coach Docter have stayed on and have done a great job of maintaining things throughout the summer. They've also kept that continuity from last year, especially with me coming in late, so that helps out a lot."
For the Rockets this year with their new head coach, it is about "continuity" in '14.
"They are getting to know me, and I'm getting to know them better," Finch said. "Obviously, they are getting more comfortable with our system, and they are working hard, so I can't complain about that.
"They are coachable, and we'll just keep correcting things, keep building and keep developing the program."
Players the Rockets are expecting big things from in '14 are Logan Wilson (TE/LB) and Jaxmanni Salas (OL/LB). Also for the Rockets, Justin Hart will be playing fullback, and Tim Crone is the QB this season. Caleb Dowers is running back/LB, as is Chase Jester (RB/DB).
In '13, the Rockets scored 279 points and allowed 139 points, as they ended the season with five straight wins.
Finch spoke about what he likes to run both on defense and offense.
"Defensively, I'm a 4-4 guy, but we are starting to get more to a 4-3 because of the personnel," he said. "Offensively, I like to tweak it each year to fit the personnel. I like to run a version on the Wing-T, and the passing game comes from my roots as an offensive coordinator of a spread philosophy.
"There is a little bit of a mix there of things that have worked throughout the years."
Some of the players on defense to keep an eye on are Aaron Allessi, Tyler King, Jester and Wilson.
"A lot of the team has been doing a good job so far," Finch said.
Looking back at last year, the Rockets opened with three wins in their first four games against Clermont Northeastern (20-12), Bethel-Tate (26-14) and Miami Valley Christian Academy (16-6).
They then ended the season with five consecutive wins against Dayton, Ky. (33-12), Aiken (45-12), Horizon Science Academy (68-0), Landmark Christian (36-0) and Batavia (15-7).
This season, the Rockets will host CNE to open the season on Friday, Aug. 29.