Pantagraph.com - Sports - Intercity football teams seek early edge

One game doesn't make a high school football season. It can set a tone, adding to an electrically charged atmosphere awaiting the Intercity teams tonight when they kick off their seasons with key conference battles.

"Both teams are going to be jacked up for the first game so getting momentum early in the game is going to be the key," said Central Catholic coach Bobby Moews. "If you can get off on a good note hopefully you can carry it all the way through."

Coaches are also hopeful they can answer the question marks remaining after summer camps and two weeks of practices.

"The kids are looking forward to doing something besides practicing," said Bloomington coach Rigo Schmelzer. "I think they are in need of a game as far as getting themselves focused. They've been through summer camp and our doubles without seeing an opponent, and we still have some questions that need to be answered.

"It's an unknown. There is some real potential on our squad, but our kids have to get a little more disciplined and focused and some young men are going to have to step up pretty quick (tonight)."

The race for the Big 12 Conference title will begin with BHS visiting Decatur MacArthur, Normal Community hosting Champaign Central and Normal West traveling to Champaign Centennial. All three games will begin at 7 p.m.

In the Corn Belt Conference, Central Catholic will entertain Eureka at 7 and University High will face Olympia at 7:45 at Illinois State's Hancock Stadium.

Bloomington

The Purple Raiders, ranked No. 9 in the Class 6A preseason state poll, are coming off a 9-2 season that would have been considered a rousing success at most schools. It ranked as a disappointment for BHS, which advanced to the Class 6A state title game the previous three years.

Schmelzer returns a solid nucleus, led by wide receivers Josh Mitchell and David Cook and all-Big 12 defensive lineman Rich Kwitkowski. BHS is eyeing its seventh straight league title after sharing the crown with NCHS last season.

The Generals are led by 6-foot-3, 220-pound tight end/wide receiver/linebacker McKenzie Goodman, who Schmelzer termed a "bonafide Division I athlete."

"I think they're going to be like last year and be a full option team, and it could be from the bone or the double-wing," Schmelzer said. "Either way, they're going to run the ball and have four kids in the backfield somehow including the QB.

"They have one of better athletes in the conference in Goodman, and they have four pretty good athletes in the backfield. Typically they have big lineman although it looks like they're young in the line. It's going to be a physical game."

Central Catholic

Moews, who returns his entire offensive line from last year's 9-3 squad led by blue-chip recruit Josh Brent, is wary of Eureka. The Hornets are expected to show continued improvement under second-year coach Kurt Barth.

"I think they're going to be better," Moews said. "They improved a lot last year from the year before. I know Kurt is a good young coach who has got them fired up and believing in themselves. I'm sure they're expecting a lot greater things for themselves, and I'm sure they're going to play hard."

Barth termed the Saints, who are ranked No. 7 in 4A, "an excellent challenge for us."

"Central Catholic is a great program," Barth said. "They're very well-coached and they have very good athletes. It's a good game to see where we stand with everybody else in the conference. It's important for us, especially for our kids' confidence, to get out there and mix it up and see what happens."

Both teams will feature new quarterbacks. Senior Ben Zobrist replaces graduated standout Nick Eeten at Eureka, while Kyle Hundman will move from wide receiver after backing up all-Corn Belt quarterback Matt Pelton last season.

"We don't know a lot about them," Moews said. "We know they've got the Zobrist kid at quarterback, and I'm sure he's going to be quite an athlete. I think their line should be one of their better areas because they have more of those kids back.

"There's going to be a little bit of a learning curve for us, especially early in the season with a new quarterback and some running backs. We'll just have to see whether we're better running it or passing it, and hopefully it will be a combination of both."

Normal Community

The Ironmen, ranked No. 2 in Class 6A, finished 12-2 last season after falling to Morris 14-9 in the state championship game. With seven starters returning on defense, NCHS is poised to make another long playoff run.

"We've been practicing for a long time and they're anxious to play a game," said NCHS coach Hud Venerable. "We've had a good week of practice, good leadership, good morale and good effort. I've been very pleased with those things. We know there are going to be first-game mistakes and we want to minimize those."

Champaign boasts a pair of all-Big 12 performers in running back/linebacker Cory Leman and 6-7 tight end Andrew Sharick. Leman is the younger brother of University of Illinois linebacker J Leman.

NCHS will counter with a pair of all-conference defensive performers in tackle Kirkland Grant and Sam Smith. Fullback-defensive tackle Cornell Caldwell won't play after undergoing abdominal surgery last week.

"They have two of the top players in the Big 12 so that gets your attention right away, and they were a playoff team a year ago," Venerable said. "They have a nice nucleus back. They probably have five or six back on defense and three or four on offense. This is a very, very stern test for us."

Normal West

The Wildcats return five starters on both sides of the line in their bid for a third straight playoff berth under fourth-year coach Darren Hess.

"Our biggest thing is we're so young in so many areas," Hess said. "We're just not game tested, but any game we play this year is going to be like that. With the quality of competition we face we have to come in ready to play. You hope we're at a point after the last couple of years where we just plug guys in and go."

Centennial will be led by standout running back Mikel Leshoure. The Chargers will have to contend with West senior tight end Cody White, who is being recruited by Illinois State and several Big Ten schools.

"The big component with Centennial is their offensive and defensive line is very big and physical," Hess said. "Offensively they have some quality receivers, and Leshoure will be one of the premier backs in the league. We have to do a really good job of stopping him.

"For us to be successful we're going to need to run the football and control the clock. We just want to keep their offense off the field and give our defense time to rest and be able to make plays. This is a big first game for us."

University High

U High coach Kurt Olson expects the unexpected against Olympia and first-year coach Matt Koeppel. The Pioneers finished 2-9 in 2005, while Olympia is riding a 15-game losing streak.

"We're not real confident of what they're going to be doing on both sides of the ball, and it will be the same thing for them," Olson said. "It will be like in the past when you opened the season with nonconference opponents."

Koeppel's main concern is how his Spartans deal with first-game jitters.

"Being my first head coaching job I'm anxious to get that first one going," Koeppel said. "The thing I have to watch with my kids is to keep the awe of being in a Division I stadium out of their mind, although I know some of them have played there before. I want them to feel like they're going out on our practice field."

Olson will be watching for similar things with his young team.

"We're playing a lot of young kids again this year and it will be interesting to see how they react to their first Friday night football experience," Olson said. "We're still making a lot of mistakes on both sides of the ball. If we can limit those mistakes I think we'll do fairly well."

Koeppel and the Spartans are eager to silence their doubters.

"Nobody expects anything from us," Koeppel said. "I'm trying to tell them let's prove everybody wrong."

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Bloomington blows wrote on August 25, 2006 9:24 AM:"I hope they go 2-9 this year."

RAIDERS! wrote on August 25, 2006 6:24 AM:"GO YOU RAIDERS!!! show 'em what youve been working on!!! good luck!!"

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