Speed, experience among Cary-Grove’s strengths
The old saying that you can’t teach speed may not be true in the case of the Cary-Grove football team.
New coach Brad Seaburg, who takes the reins this fall from retired IHSFCA hall-of-famer Bruce Kay, says these Trojans have defensive speed to rival the 2009 state championship team. The reason, he says, is the 10 returning starters on defense who have been taught the scheme so well by defensive coordinator Don Sutherland they don’t hesitate to react.
“We’ve got a lot of kids back who have experience,” said Seaburg, whose first team opens the season tied for fourth in the Class 6A state rankings. “When you have so many players with that kind of confidence they just play faster.
“The difference between last year and this year is team speed. We’ve had some great defenses in recent years and the key ingredient has always been team speed. Last year guys played hard and did their best. Now, we have kids who are faster.”
The return of so many starters from a defense that held opponents to an average of 14.3 points per game isn’t the only Cary-Grove strength. The flexbone option attack returns its top two rushers in juniors Patrick O’Malley (5-8, 177) and Ryan Mahoney (5-10, 154).
Last season O’Malley, a fullback, led the team in rushing with 953 yards. He scored 11 touchdowns and averaged 5.4 yards per carry. Mahoney, a slashing playmaker apt to break long runs, rushed for 876 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 8.0 yards per rush.
Senior Andrew Sobeski (5-9, 176) ran for 269 yards and 3 touchdowns, but he moves to a linebacker spot, opening up a starting backfield position for fellow senior Connor Carlson (5-11, 170).
Also returning is senior quarterback Corey Laktas (5-7, 155) who rushed 106 times for 424 yards and 8 touchdowns. He has an able backup in junior Quinn Baker (5-11, 175), the younger brother of former center Hayden Baker. Quinn took most of the reps during summer camp while Laktas was sidelined with a hand injury.
“Our backfield is definitely another one of the strengths of this team,” Seaburg said. “When we came into camp we weren’t reteaching a lot of things.” Three experienced players return to the offensive front. Senior Sam Mago (5-10, 226) started on the defensive line last year but will now start at center. Senior Matt Gerebizza (6-3, 238) returns to play tight tackle, and senior Sean Gibbons (6-0, 202) will start at tight end after seeing time in double-tight formations last year.
Senior John Pearl (5-9, 165) switches this season from safety to wide receiver.
The 3-3-5 defense is loaded with returning talent. Junior linebacker Kyle Norberg (6-1, 198) played through a stress fracture in his back last season until it worsened at playoff time. He’s flanked by senior linebacker Sam Babick (5-11, 172), who led the Trojans last season in solo tackles (60) and assists (33). He also forced 5 fumbles and blocked 2 punts.
Senior Sean Keady (5-11, 167) returns in the pivotal free safety role. A smart, coachable player, according to his coach, Keady improved his speed by running track last spring.
He’ll be joined in the secondary by strong safety Tom Rohn (5-11, 171), who was part of a state-qualifying relay team during track season. Zach Marszal (5-11, 170) moves from inside linebacker to strong safety. Seniors Owen Carey (5-11, 162) and Josh Buckingham (5-10, 143) will play cornerback. Buckingham will also kick.
“With this defense we should be in every game,” Seaburg said. “Bruce left the program in good shape. There are a lot of factors driving and motivating our guys. We’ve all been around long enough to know the expectation is very high. This team wants to live up to those expectations.”