Taking steps forward

TC_Football_seniors2009.jpg
TC_Football_seniors2009.jpg

The seniors on this season?s Tabor College football team: (from left) Kaleb Sullivan, Drew Little, Aaron Munsch, Mario Nava, Tristan Burrow, Nick Brown, Jacob Sivells, Dustin Brooks, Jarvis Major.

Having defeated South?western and McPherson colleges in consecutive weeks at the end of last season, the Tabor College football team aims to show steady improvement, particularly on defense and special teams.

?You can point a finger at a lot of different things, but special teams caused us some momentum loss,? third-year head coach Mike Gottsch said. ?It?ll be a strength for us this year.?

Punting, field goals and points after touchdown caused glaring problems at times in 2008, and the Bluejays were at the bottom of the conference in return yards.

The look on defense

But for as much trouble as the special teams caused, opposing passing offenses were kryptonite to the scheme defensive coordinator Ed King designed to stop the run.

Six KCAC teams allowed more completions than the Bluejays, but just two allowed more passing yardage. Tabor allowed 27 passing touchdowns in nine conference games.

The defensive focus for 2009 will be developing an effective pass rush to take some of the heat off of what Gottsch hopes will be a much-improved defensive backfield.

?We?ve identified a problem and improved on it,? Gottsch said. ?Coach King has taken complete ownership of that.?

While no one player can make every play, the Bluejays hope that having a proven playmaker at defensive end can make a major contribution to the successfulness of the entire 11-man unit.

Artravious Addison?a junior transfer from Sterling?may be such a contributor.

?His track record is to cause problems for offenses,? Gottsch said. ?He showed up for test out and put up 400 pounds in the bench press, and his motor does not stop.?

In two years at Sterling, Addison posted 7.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss among 63 total tackles and was named to the all-KCAC honorable mention list.

He joins a defense anchored by stalwart middle linebacker Teal Stutzman, who led the conference with 61 solo tackles in 2008 and just missed finishing among the top-10 tacklers in the nation. He also received all-KCAC honorable mention.

While Gottsch insisted that it would be difficult to choose captains from among a large group of capable leaders and players who have shown strong commitment to the program, he said Stutzman is ?captain material.?

?He?s more complete this year,? Gottsch said. ?He?s always been dedicated and accountable and a team guy, and (linebackers coach Jake) Shenk has been working with him to get better drops in pass defense.

?He?s a downhill player at inside linebacker, and he?s very good at reading the run,? he added.

Other returning letter-winners on the defensive side include safety Nick Brown, ?stud? linebackers Mario Nava and J.J. Bean, inside linebackers Kaleb Sullivan and Sidney Childers, defensive ends Adam Dirks and Jarvis Major, and defensive tackle David Quarker.

Defensive letter-winners Aaron Munsch and Michael Henry will redshirt.

Gottsch expects Dirks and Quarker to contribute greatly to the pass rush.

?Dirks has quite an athletic body?he brings everything to the table,? Gottsch said. ?I think he?s going to make quarterbacks uncomfortable.

?Quarker has a lot of fun, and will be a solid interior lineman?and a guy that?s going to help our pass rush some,? he said.

The look on offense

On the offensive side, Gottsch noted that fullback Seth Ramsey has earned an increased number of carries and that the larger offensive scheme will include more ?triple option? plays than it has.

But the focal point of Tabor?s ground attack will be running back Derek Washington, who posted 881 yards on 134 carries to lead the conference in yards per attempt. He also tied with two others for the conference lead in rushing touchdowns. Washing?ton, Sterling?s Tyler Degenhardt and Ottawa?s Robbie DuBois each had 10 scores.

Washington was named to the all-KCAC second team offense and Gottsch believes he is among the fastest players in the conference.

?He?s a humble kid,? Gottsch said. ?He doesn?t say many words, but he?s quick to thank his offensive line and he?s becoming more vocal. He?s very gifted?his speed makes him a unique back.?

Gottsch said he would like to see Washington become a reliable pass-catcher out of the backfield.

Tabor will have two possibilities at quarterback: Marc Amos, who lettered last year and is ?blossoming,? according to Gottsch, and junior transfer Joey Erickson.

Erickson ?shows a lot of poise and an intriguing ability to lead,? Gottsch said. ?He?s gained the respect of our team in a short time.?

Splitting practice repetitions 50-50 with Amos, Erickson also ?throws well? and has ?good feet.?

Erickson posted 52-for-95 passing for 681 yards and six touchdowns in several games at Palomar State in 2007.

But Gottsch declined to name one or the other the frontrunner, in no small part because Amos has showns ?drastic improvement, not just in the weight room but also in character. He?s becoming a true leader.?

Amos threw for 989 yards on 82-for-165 passing last year. He threw for five touchdowns and ran for four more.

Gottsch said that both are ?highly competitive? and ?highly motivated? and however the position battle is resolved, the team will be better as a result of waiting to declare a starter.

He also said he hopes to see ?a concerted effort by everybody on this team working toward our group goals? and that the quarterbacks have set a goal of completing 65 percent of their passes. The team has set a larger goal of ?urgency with being united.?

The offensive backs will operate behind a line that includes letter-winning left tackle Jacob Sivells, letter-winning center Drew Little and massive transfer Jordan Hackerott.

Hackerott (6-7, 320 pounds) returns to Tabor after a season at Hutchinson Community College.

Combined with the contributions he expects from five freshmen, Gottsch believes the Bluejay offensive line has the potential to be a strength. But with little experience behind Sivells, Little and Hackerott, he also recognizes that the team has little depth up front.

And the injury bug has already bitten. Returning letter-winner Matt Stuck ?was going one-on-one practicing a ?kick slide? and his leg just gave out,? Gottsch said. He called it a ?freak injury? that will likely keep Stuck sidelined for months.

Newcomers

The most current Bluejays roster lists 83 players: 10 seniors, 20 juniors, 15 sophomores and 38 freshmen.

In addition to Hackerott and Erickson, the Bluejays have welcomed transfers Joachim Haywood and Marquis Lawrence to the fold.

Haywood will rotate with the inside linebackers and Lawrence will give Tabor a ?powerful, physical? change of pace running back to complement Washington?s speed.

Gottsch said transfer defensive backs David Coates and Caleb Washington have impressed him with their physical giftedness and confidence.

Among the large group of incoming freshmen are several potential impact players, including former Hillsboro High School standout Ishmael Morris, who projects to join the defensive backs corps.

Gottsch said he has not penciled Morris into a position yet, but that he will probably earn playing time as he adjusts to the college game.

?It?s a lot different than high school, and experience matters,? he said.

Other new arrivals from Marion County include HHS alumni Dan Jost, an all-state performer at wide receiver, and Ben Gottsch as well as Marion High School alum Chase Carlson.

Gottsch will redshirt at quarterback, while Jost is listed at wide receiver and Carlson at defensive back.

The Bluejays will host their annual Blue-Gold Scrimmage at 7 p.m. Saturday at Joel Wiens Stadium. Admission is free and the public is encouraged to attend.

The Bluejays? regular season begins at 7 p.m. Sept. 12 at Kansas Wesleyan in Salina. Tabor?s home opener is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 19 against Bethany College.

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