BY CHAD DARE
DANVILLE =97 =
Introductions=20
were not needed on the opening day of football =
practice for=20
the Danville Vikings.
Unlike any other season =
in B.J.=20
Luke=92s coaching career, he starts the year with only =
two new=20
starters.
=93These kids have played a lot of =
games=20
already for us,=92=92 Luke said. =93You have a number =
of kids that=20
have started 20 football games already and they know =
what it=20
takes to compete in the Big 12.
=93They know we =
have the=20
ability to be in every game.=92=92
In all, =
Danville will=20
take the field this Friday night in Bloomington with =
eight=20
players that have either started or played in 20 =
varsity=20
football games leading into their senior =
year.
=93One of=20
our strengths is maturity,=92=92 said Danville senior =
guard Alex=20
Janssen, a three-year starter. =93 When we started =
out, we were=20
all just young kids. We had a bunch of sophomores =
starting on=20
varsity.
=93Now that we=92re seniors, we have =
matured into=20
leaders. We=92re trying to teach the young kids in the =
program=20
to do that as well.=92=92
Luke pointed out that =
those=20
players have taken ownership of the =
program.
=93When we=20
first started, it was more the coaches having to kick =
start=20
everything,=92=92 he said. =93Now, it is team driven. =
The players=20
drive each other to get on board and become=20
better.=92=92
One of the main leaders for the =
Vikings this=20
season is senior Mario Crosby.
=93When I was a =
sophomore,=20
we were young and we were in the learning =
process,=92=92 said=20
Crosby, an all-Big 12 first team selection a year ago. =
=93As the=20
years have gone on, we have learned how to communicate =
and=20
work hard.
=93Now that we are seniors and =
leaders, we are=20
letting the rest of the team know what we have gone =
through to=20
get to this point.=92=92
Crosby isn=92t the =
only first team=20
all-Big 12 player returning this year for=20
Danville.
Senior tight end Cameron Ford, senior =
wide=20
receiver Derrick Cunningham, junior defensive back =
Eddie Clark=20
and junior kick return MykeTez Forman were also =
first-team=20
selections in the league last year, giving the Vikings =
five=20
first teamers.
Decatur MacArthur and Normal =
Community=20
each return two, while Bloomington, Champaign Central =
and=20
Champaign Central each return one.
=93We have a =
lot of=20
veterans coming back and our goal is to win the Big 12 =
title,=92=92 Cunningham said. =93Our strength and =
conditioning=20
program from my sophomore year to now had made a =
dramatic=20
change in all of us.
=93We=92re a bigger and =
stronger=20
football team.=92=92
That=92s one thing that =
Luke believes=20
will surprise someone that hasn=92t seen the Viking =
program in=20
the past few years.
=93I think someone who =
hasn=92t seen=20
our program in a while will be excited with how hard =
the kids=20
play, how fast we are and we have a element of size of =
power,=20
that we haven=92t had for a while,=92=92 Luke said. =
=93They will also=20
be surprised to see the discipline that our kids live=20
by.=92=92
But winning a Big 12 title is =
something that=20
Danville hasn=92t done since 1996.
=93We have =
very high=20
expectations because the juniors and seniors on this =
team are=20
the two groups that went 9-0 as freshmen,=92=92 =
Janssen said. =93We=20
are supposed to be the conference =
champions.=92=92
It also=20
doesn=92t hurt that the Vikings have had a sour taste =
in their=20
mouths since the end of last season.
Danville =
lost a=20
hard-fought 7-0 contest to Normal Community in the =
Class 6A=20
playoffs where the Vikings dominated every part of the =
game=20
except the scoreboard.
=93I think about it =
every day,=92=92=20
Crosby said. =93It=92s always on my mind and it has =
made me work=20
harder during the offseason and it has made everyone =
on this=20
team work harder.
=93It gave us that extra =
motivation=20
that we needed.=92=92
Ford acknowledged that it =
was a=20
rallying cry during weight-lifting sessions during the =
offseason.
=93We found out last year that =
things don=92t=20
always go the way your want,=92=92 he said. =93We were =
an inch away=20
from scoring on three different plays in that =
game.
=93In=20
preparing for this season, every inch that we don=92t =
fight for=20
is that inch that we didn=92t get in the Normal=20
game.=92=92
Luke acknowledged that this group =
of young men=20
had a tremendous work ethic during the =
offseason.
=93The=20
key for our season is keeping that focus all of the =
time and=20
not resting on our laurels,=92=92 he said.
The =
Danville=20
offense will feature a balanced attack of run and pass =
led by=20
senior quarterback Malcolm Anderson.
While the =
defense=20
features 11 players that all started at least one game =
last=20
season.
Danville opens the year with =
back-to-back road=20
games at Bloomington and Mattoon.
=93I think =
we=92ve got=20
the type of team this year that people are going to be =
willing=20
to play a few extra bucks for gas to hit the road to =
follow=20
them,=92=92 Luke said.
The home opener for the =
Vikings is=20
set for Sept. 11 against the Champaign Centennial =
Chargers.=20
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