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With impressive group in place, Wauconda reloads

David Starkey started wearing his new uniform last fall, and it came with a helmet and pads.

He’s now ready for his first full season as a Wauconda Bulldog football player, but the senior knows one soldier doesn’t win a fight.

“Individually, I’m not setting too many goals because it’s just about being part of the team,” said Starkey, who transferred in from St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy in Delafield, Wis., early last season but wasn’t ruled eligible by the IHSA until Week 5. “That’s what matters to me.”

The return of the strapping Starkey has Wauconda coach Dave Mills smiling and so does the return of 13 other starters who are trying to prove that the team is better than the one that won only twice last season.

“We have tremendous athletes coming back,” Mills said.

Wauconda gave Round Lake its only win in Week 3, but the Bulldogs nearly pulled off what would have been the biggest upset of the season in Week 8, as they failed to hold a second-half lead and lost to playoff-bound Stevenson 13-12. Last season’s frustration also included a 44-41 loss to Grant, which earned a share of the North Suburban Prairie Division title.

So maybe the Bulldogs weren’t as bad as their record indicated.

“That’s what we’re trying to tell the kids,” Mills said. “We were one play away from a lot of stuff.”

Gone are veteran wide receiver Jake Ziolkowski (Brigham Young) and quarterback Branden Rowe (1,734 passing yards, 15 touchdowns last season). The Bulldogs will still throw the ball but are committed to running the ball with Starkey. After his arrival last fall, he played mainly rush end.

“David is going to touch the ball 25 times in a game, whether it’s toss, dive, lead, catching it out of the backfield,” Mills said. “And then we got some other kids that will get the ball.”

Starkey stands 6 feet 1 and weighs 220 pounds. He played tight end as a freshman and sophomore at the military academy.

“He runs a legit 4.6 (40 yards),” Mills said. “He’s got great speed. ... He’s got great hands, so he’ll get the ball out of the backfield, too.”

Seniors Pat Kane and Bruce Pearl each rushed the ball nearly 30 times last season. They aren’t the biggest guys, but Mills has confidence in them.

Senior Austin Swenson will start at quarterback, replacing Rowe. Swenson got some playing-time last season at both QB and wide receiver.

“I talked to him about it last year,” Mills said. “I said, ‘Just because you’re a backup, doesn’t mean you’re not going to play. You’re a good athlete. I’m not going to sit you on the sideline.’ ”

Look for Swenson to throw to 6-foot Austin Piekarski (11 receptions in 2011), who will also punt again this season. Nate Magiera, who played on varsity as a sophomore last year, and rugged tight end Erik Fuller (6-3, 225) are also targets for Swenson.

Mills said he’s gone back to his roots and will run a West Coast, offset, I-back offense.

“We’re more of an I-back, West Coast team this year than we’ve been in a long time,” Mills said.

The other returnees include two-way linemen Jack Weber (6-4, 285) and Will Danner (5-11, 265), who is a three-year varsity starter. Guard Anthony Mowry and tackle David Lowe also return on the offensive line. Magiera and Fuller are back on the defensive line. The Bulldogs’ starting linebackers last season all graduated, but the entire secondary is back.

“We feel like we’ve got as good as skill kids as we’ve ever had,” Mills said. “We feel like we have as good a line as we’ve ever had. Our biggest problem on the line is depth. I’ll take our front five and our front three on offense and defense. After those eight, we drop off.”

WAUCONDA

HEAD COACH: Dave Mills (fourth season, 9-18)

LAST SEASON: 2-7, 1-5 in North Suburban Prairie Division

HOMECOMING: Saturday, Sept. 22 vs. North Chicago, 1 p.m.

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