Area
readies for some football
Until, that is, the Purple
Raiders hand him the ball.
Wade is then transformed
into one of the top players in The Pantagraph area. And with practice starting
throughout the state today, BHS coach Rigo Schmelzer is glad Wade has one more
season with the Raiders.
"He's been working
out. His strength has increased," Schmelzer said of Wade. "His speed
still seems to be good if not better. We just have to find linemen to get him a
seam and he should have another good year."
Wade, among just three
non-seniors on the 2002 Pantagraph All-Area team, rushed for 1,824 yards and 15
touchdowns while averaging 8.0 yards per carry.
Wade is far from alone when
it comes to speedy Raiders. BHS returns two more first team all-Big 12 West
Conference players in Justin Harrison and Rod Castillo.
Harrison, a powerfully
built 5-11, 205-pounder, has already received a scholarship offer from the
University of Illinois and has visited Iowa.
"They (the Illini) are
looking at him as a strong safety, which is where we played him last
year," Schmelzer said. "We'll probably move him to inside linebacker,
more in the middle so teams can't scheme to run away from him. He has good
speed and he's very strong. He's legitimate."
As a nose guard, Castillo
is a terror to opposing centers using his 5-6, 165-pound frame and lightning
quickness to make himself very difficult to find, let alone block.
"He's increased his
size and weight a little bit, but he showed last year he can play with
anybody," said Schmelzer. "If he still has that great first step,
he'll have another great year."
Wade has plenty of company
as returning standout running backs. Six other 1,000-yard rushers are back in
LeRoy's Justin Hubbart, Kyle W. Smith of PBL, Lexington's Evan McNamara, Ryan
Benning of Pontiac, Gridley's Joey Campbell and Cody Frietsch of Deer
Creek-Mackinaw.
Hubbart averaged 10.8 yards
per carry while rushing for 1,421 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Smith ran for 1,338 yards,
while McNamara had 1,130, Benning 1,086, Campbell 1,046 and Frietsch 1,034.
Campbell and Frietsch also
were all-conference linebackers in 2002, the only two-way first teamers
returning in the area.
Prairie Central's Dylan
Ward is the most accomplished returning quarterback.
Ward led the area with
2,100 yards passing while completing 119 of 240 passes and throwing for 21
touchdowns.
"His main strong point
obviously is his arm strength. We'll probably throw it a little more this
year," said Hawks' coach Brian Hassett. "He's being a great leader
like he has been. I think he's going to open some eyes."
Ward also will again have
the benefit of his favorite target. Will Barsema topped area receivers with 789
yards and 11 touchdowns. He averaged a whopping 24.7 yards on 32 receptions
while earning All-Area honors.
"The main thing for
Will is his size. He's 6-2, 195," Hassett said. "He doesn't have
great speed, but he does have good speed. He understands the game and what it
takes to get open."
Other top receivers figure
to be Iroquois West's Jason Thiele (57 receptions, 731 yards), Central
Catholic's William Brady (20, 456) and Jarrod Browning of Fieldcrest (24, 434).
"William is going to
be one of our go-to guys for sure," Saints' coach Bobby Moews said.
"We're going to move him out to split end (from tight end) and take advantage
of his height (6-4) and ability to catch the ball. We'll try to get him the
ball any way we can.'
The Saints have a different
kind of offensive weapon in All-Area kicker David Knippenberg, who connected on
8 of 9 field goals attempts last season.
"He has been doing
very well. He's putting a lot of work into it. He's been very religious in the
weight room," said Moews. "He's went to a couple (kicking) camps this
summer. He's really taken it very seriously."
Among the area's top
offensive linemen are Brock Weigelmann of Normal Community, Lexington's Jake
Johnson, Corey Marron of Tremont, Fisher's Ryan Gream and Cory Harbor of
Dwight.
"Brock is really
strong at the point of attack one on one. He does a good job moving his
feet," NCHS coach Hud Venerable said. "He's got good balance, good
upper body strength and a good base. He was a real effective run blocker for us
last year."
Returning defensive linemen
who earned first team all-league honors in 2002 include Normal West's Tarl
Mackenzie, Bob Magarity of Deer Creek-Mackinaw, Gridley's Isaac Taylor and the
LeRoy duo of Tim Jackson and Dane Halm.
Contact Randy Reinhardt at
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com