'14 Football Preview: Miami Trace Panthers
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
One season after reaching the Division IV OHSAA State Playoffs, the Miami Trace Panthers have aspirations to return to play in Week 11, but to get there, they will have to overcome a couple obstacles for this '14 season.
In the '13 playoffs, the Panthers had to face the Clinton-Massie Falcons in the first round, and even though they lost 35-21 to the eventual Division IV State Champions, the Panthers players may have played their best game of the year in that game.
For the '14 season, the Panthers have 14 seniors. MT has eight returning starters, and on the offensive side of the ball, they have six.
As for head coach Steve Bartlett, this is his third year at the helm of the Panthers and his 28th season overall as a head coach.
"They've worked hard," Bartlett said of his team this summer. "They just have to continue to get better. I told them, teams never stay the same … they get better or they get worse, and you just have to strive to make sure you are getting better every day."
As for the six returners on offense, they are Cedric Pettiford (WR), Dalton Hennes (OL), Matthew Hottinger (OL), Gage Baldwin (OL), Todd Foster (OL) and Jeremiah Jones (RB).
Having the offensive line back is huge for the Panthers, as the Panthers were 7-4 last season and 4-2 in the South Central Ohio League. MT scored 373 points one year ago in 11 games.
"You judge an offensive line by what the people behind them do," Bartlett said. "Having the line back should make us feel a little more at ease with protection. You just want the whole group to get better as you go."
If there is one way to describe the running backs of Miami Trace, it is they run the football hard. The main backs for MT this season will be Jones and Jon Campbell.
"They run the ball hard, and that's what we want out of our running backs," Bartlett said. "We like to play a physical style of football, so we want our line to play hard, and we want our running backs to run hard. We got that pretty well in our second scrimmage."
Then there is the QB situation for the Panthers. They have the task of filling in the void left by graduated three-year starter Jimmy Stroker, which won't be an easy task, as he was a QB who could run the ball and pass the ball as well. Stroker signed a National Letter of Intent to play football at Division I Toledo in February.
MT's three quarterbacks are Austin Lovett, Skylar McDonald and DeAndre Pettiford.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Bartlett said of the Panthers' QB situation. "We have three scrimmages, and we're starting all three guys battling for the position. Then we will go from there.
[[In-content Ad]]"Jimmy was a great player, and you know he was a good leader and will be very difficult to replace. You don't replace a player like Jimmy, you just try to find somebody who can do a good job."
The Panthers' defense has eight players back from the starting lineup last season, a defense that allowed 247 points in 11 games (22.5 points per game) in '13, including holding their opponent to 14 or fewer points on four occasions (two shutouts).
"We have quite a few kids back, especially on the front, and that's a good thing, a very good thing," Bartlett said. "If you can play good defense, you are going to be in about every game.
"We have six or seven defensive linemen we are rotating, and they do keep people fresh. We also have two- and three-year starters at linebacker and defensive end, so we do have some experience."
Speaking of the linebackers for MT, Bartlett said not only do they bring the experience, but they aren't afraid to hit their opponents.
"They aren't afraid to hit you," he said. "We expect them to call the defense, and they do it out on the field for us. That's what we expect of them, and again, they do a really good job of that."
Two defensive backs are back for MT in Derrick Marcum and Brad Warnock, who will be a three-year starter.
"We expect a lot out of those two, but we are going to have some young guys in there too, so the seniors are going to have to step up and make sure things get done the way we want them to get done," Bartlett said.
Coming off the playoff appearance and the seven wins of '14, MT is using that as momentum for '14.
"We've told them and we've talked about it … which team is going to be around? The team that played Clinton-Massie in the playoffs or a team that is an also-ran?" Bartlett said. "Our kids played really hard in that playoff game, and obviously Clinton-Massie are the state champs for two years.
"You always want to judge yourself by them. They are the key to this league and the key to this region, until somebody knocks them off."
The schedule of MT, both league and non-league, is tough, but it has made them a better football program.
"Playing the competition we play in the regular season, if you want to compete, you have to come out and get yourself physically and mentally ready," Bartlett said. "If you don't, you get left in the dust.
"The kids have to understand that, and they learn through that."
For Bartlett and his Panthers team, it is all about bringing the winning tradition back to the program on a consistent basis. In their history, MT has won 20 SCOL championships in the sport of football and qualified for the playoffs on numerous occasions.
"We are starting to get things turned around a little bit," he said. "Our practice jerseys this year say 'Take the Next Step,' and that's what we are hoping to do this season … taking the next step in putting Miami Trace back on a football map.”
In the '13 playoffs, the Panthers had to face the Clinton-Massie Falcons in the first round, and even though they lost 35-21 to the eventual Division IV State Champions, the Panthers players may have played their best game of the year in that game.
For the '14 season, the Panthers have 14 seniors. MT has eight returning starters, and on the offensive side of the ball, they have six.
As for head coach Steve Bartlett, this is his third year at the helm of the Panthers and his 28th season overall as a head coach.
"They've worked hard," Bartlett said of his team this summer. "They just have to continue to get better. I told them, teams never stay the same … they get better or they get worse, and you just have to strive to make sure you are getting better every day."
As for the six returners on offense, they are Cedric Pettiford (WR), Dalton Hennes (OL), Matthew Hottinger (OL), Gage Baldwin (OL), Todd Foster (OL) and Jeremiah Jones (RB).
Having the offensive line back is huge for the Panthers, as the Panthers were 7-4 last season and 4-2 in the South Central Ohio League. MT scored 373 points one year ago in 11 games.
"You judge an offensive line by what the people behind them do," Bartlett said. "Having the line back should make us feel a little more at ease with protection. You just want the whole group to get better as you go."
If there is one way to describe the running backs of Miami Trace, it is they run the football hard. The main backs for MT this season will be Jones and Jon Campbell.
"They run the ball hard, and that's what we want out of our running backs," Bartlett said. "We like to play a physical style of football, so we want our line to play hard, and we want our running backs to run hard. We got that pretty well in our second scrimmage."
Then there is the QB situation for the Panthers. They have the task of filling in the void left by graduated three-year starter Jimmy Stroker, which won't be an easy task, as he was a QB who could run the ball and pass the ball as well. Stroker signed a National Letter of Intent to play football at Division I Toledo in February.
MT's three quarterbacks are Austin Lovett, Skylar McDonald and DeAndre Pettiford.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Bartlett said of the Panthers' QB situation. "We have three scrimmages, and we're starting all three guys battling for the position. Then we will go from there.
[[In-content Ad]]"Jimmy was a great player, and you know he was a good leader and will be very difficult to replace. You don't replace a player like Jimmy, you just try to find somebody who can do a good job."
The Panthers' defense has eight players back from the starting lineup last season, a defense that allowed 247 points in 11 games (22.5 points per game) in '13, including holding their opponent to 14 or fewer points on four occasions (two shutouts).
"We have quite a few kids back, especially on the front, and that's a good thing, a very good thing," Bartlett said. "If you can play good defense, you are going to be in about every game.
"We have six or seven defensive linemen we are rotating, and they do keep people fresh. We also have two- and three-year starters at linebacker and defensive end, so we do have some experience."
Speaking of the linebackers for MT, Bartlett said not only do they bring the experience, but they aren't afraid to hit their opponents.
"They aren't afraid to hit you," he said. "We expect them to call the defense, and they do it out on the field for us. That's what we expect of them, and again, they do a really good job of that."
Two defensive backs are back for MT in Derrick Marcum and Brad Warnock, who will be a three-year starter.
"We expect a lot out of those two, but we are going to have some young guys in there too, so the seniors are going to have to step up and make sure things get done the way we want them to get done," Bartlett said.
Coming off the playoff appearance and the seven wins of '14, MT is using that as momentum for '14.
"We've told them and we've talked about it … which team is going to be around? The team that played Clinton-Massie in the playoffs or a team that is an also-ran?" Bartlett said. "Our kids played really hard in that playoff game, and obviously Clinton-Massie are the state champs for two years.
"You always want to judge yourself by them. They are the key to this league and the key to this region, until somebody knocks them off."
The schedule of MT, both league and non-league, is tough, but it has made them a better football program.
"Playing the competition we play in the regular season, if you want to compete, you have to come out and get yourself physically and mentally ready," Bartlett said. "If you don't, you get left in the dust.
"The kids have to understand that, and they learn through that."
For Bartlett and his Panthers team, it is all about bringing the winning tradition back to the program on a consistent basis. In their history, MT has won 20 SCOL championships in the sport of football and qualified for the playoffs on numerous occasions.
"We are starting to get things turned around a little bit," he said. "Our practice jerseys this year say 'Take the Next Step,' and that's what we are hoping to do this season … taking the next step in putting Miami Trace back on a football map.”