Post 15: Monday, Aug. 11: Camp visit with the Chillicothe Cavaliers
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
On Friday, my football travels took me to "Paper City" to meet with Hall of Fame head coach Ron Hinton and watch his Chillicothe Cavaliers team practice.
Though the Cavs were one day away from being able to hit when I made my visit, I did get to see the team put in some hard work in individual team drills on a Friday evening.
What I like when I visit the Cavaliers is not only getting to talk to a Hall of Fame coach who really knows the game of football, but seeing how this team and program has improved since I first started previewing the Cavaliers in '12.
[[In-content Ad]]Coach Hinton described this upcoming season as a "transition year" for the Cavs as they've lost 22 seniors from last year, including many three-year starters, especially a starting quarterback and basically their entire defensive line.
Remember, those players were a huge part of the Cavaliers' playoff berth in 2013, as they finished with a 9-2 record on the year.
In talking with Coach Hinton for the First and Ten Preview on Friday, he said of the 2013 senior class from last year:
"We were thankful to have a class for the length of time that we had them, because those guys came through the thin and thick," Hinton said of last year's seniors. "They took a royal beating their sophomore year, held their own as juniors and as seniors they were dominant players."
Those two spots, the QB position and the defensive line, will be "must-watch" spots in the scrimmages and early in the season for the Cavaliers.
The scrimmage schedule for the Cavaliers will be:
• Aug. 12 vs. Franklin Heights
• Aug. 16 at Wheelersburg
• Aug. 22 vs. Unioto
Those aren't easy scrimmages and should be a good test for the Cavaliers before their regular season begins on Friday, Aug. 29 vs. Johnstown-Monroe.
If they can fill in those spots vacated by the graduating senior class from '13 (which they have the real possibility of doing), then the Cavaliers will be a force yet again in the South Central Ohio League.
I can't wait to see how the Cavaliers round out their roster, and I have no doubt they will be a successful team in the SCOL again, but like I've stated, they are replacing a lot of starters and even subs from the playoff season of '13, and it will and has taken a lot of hard work to get back to where they were last season.
If any coaches can continue to build a program, it is Coach Hinton and defensive coordinator Jeff Arndt … no doubt about it.
Though the Cavs were one day away from being able to hit when I made my visit, I did get to see the team put in some hard work in individual team drills on a Friday evening.
What I like when I visit the Cavaliers is not only getting to talk to a Hall of Fame coach who really knows the game of football, but seeing how this team and program has improved since I first started previewing the Cavaliers in '12.
[[In-content Ad]]Coach Hinton described this upcoming season as a "transition year" for the Cavs as they've lost 22 seniors from last year, including many three-year starters, especially a starting quarterback and basically their entire defensive line.
Remember, those players were a huge part of the Cavaliers' playoff berth in 2013, as they finished with a 9-2 record on the year.
In talking with Coach Hinton for the First and Ten Preview on Friday, he said of the 2013 senior class from last year:
"We were thankful to have a class for the length of time that we had them, because those guys came through the thin and thick," Hinton said of last year's seniors. "They took a royal beating their sophomore year, held their own as juniors and as seniors they were dominant players."
Those two spots, the QB position and the defensive line, will be "must-watch" spots in the scrimmages and early in the season for the Cavaliers.
The scrimmage schedule for the Cavaliers will be:
• Aug. 12 vs. Franklin Heights
• Aug. 16 at Wheelersburg
• Aug. 22 vs. Unioto
Those aren't easy scrimmages and should be a good test for the Cavaliers before their regular season begins on Friday, Aug. 29 vs. Johnstown-Monroe.
If they can fill in those spots vacated by the graduating senior class from '13 (which they have the real possibility of doing), then the Cavaliers will be a force yet again in the South Central Ohio League.
I can't wait to see how the Cavaliers round out their roster, and I have no doubt they will be a successful team in the SCOL again, but like I've stated, they are replacing a lot of starters and even subs from the playoff season of '13, and it will and has taken a lot of hard work to get back to where they were last season.
If any coaches can continue to build a program, it is Coach Hinton and defensive coordinator Jeff Arndt … no doubt about it.