Marmion’s offense looks more explosive
Marmion football coach Dan Thorpe composes one of the most colorful and informative preseason prognoses in the business. In his 2013 version, the prose fairly jumps off the page revealing Thorpe’s excitement for the season and describing his team’s pluses and minuses.
The pluses appear to far outweigh the minuses.
Granted, playing Marian Central, Montini, Aurora Christian and St. Francis in a row on the Cadets’ schedule creates little room to slip and still hope to reach the postseason. Last season Marmion entered Suburban Christian Conference play 0-2 and despite winning its last three games couldn’t fully right itself at 4-5, missing the playoffs after three straight appearances.
“Last year we just didn’t score enough points,” Thorpe said during a phone call.
He doesn’t believe scoring will be a liability this season. Returning six starters on both sides of the ball, returning athleticism and a big-armed quarterback, Thorpe looks to get off to a faster start.
“I think we definitely have more potential to score a lot of points,” he said. “And for the first time we have some potential to have some quick scores.”
That’s because quarterback Brock Krueger, running backs Jordan Glasgow and Mike Montalbano and receiver Seth Sevenich can get the ball north and south.
Last season as a sophomore the rugged Glasgow led the Cadets with 736 yards rushing on 130 carries, with 7 touchdown runs and 5.7 yards per carry. He added 5 catches for 80 yards and 4 kick returns for 153 yards, an average of 38 yards per carry. A sophomore back with a senior body, 6-foot, 225 pound Lucas Warren, also figures to run the ball some.
Krueger, who’s been going to quarterback camps since he was in middle school, looks to have a breakout senior year. Last season he split the job with since-graduated Charlie Faunce but this year the job is his — though Thorpe is also enthusiastic about junior backup Rusty Joyce.
Combining Marmion stats and Daily Herald game summaries, Krueger in eight games last year (he did not play Week 6) completed 41 of 76 passes (54 percent) for 482 yards, 6 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
The 6-foot-2 slinger with Mid-America Conference interest also ran for 108 yards and 2 touchdowns. His best game came against Marian Central, 17-of-26 passing for 173 yards and a touchdown, and 50 yards rushing.
Like most coaches Thorpe’s concerned about experience on the offensive and defensive lines, but he does return three-year starting offensive tackle Oscar Garza as well as Zach Siwiec at guard. Thorpe liked the potential of senior Andy Matthews and three junior linemen: John Gauthier, Tim Clohecy and Luke Juriga, son of the Cadets assistant coach and former Denver Broncos lineman, Jim Juriga.
Defensively the unit is headed by returning All-Area linebacker Sam Breen. Not huge at 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds, the senior just attacks the ball. He made 68 tackles (Marmion’s defensive stats are always conservative), 4 for loss with 2 interceptions.
Marmion’s 4-3 defense returns both Breen’s linebacker pals, Josh Meyers and Montalbano, the only predicted 2-way starter on this team of 53. The Cadets return a pair of starting defensive backs in Tyler Eberth and Jordan Sullivan, plus defensive lineman Joe Talbot. Scrappy senior Dan Bicknell got good reps at tight end and linebacker and was the Cadets’ long-snapper.
Thorpe’s lengthy list of potential key contributors is a heavily senior-based group including linemen Paul Khoury, end Matt Fredericks, defensive back Jack Gallaher and linebacker Enzo Olabi. The coach identified only one real hole, the kicking game; sophomore Riley DeMoss is working at that.
Perhaps DeMoss can get plenty of live kickoff practice.
“We’ve got running backs, we’ve got wide receivers, we’ve got two very good quarterbacks,” Thorpe said. “We’ve just got to be able to execute on our offensive line and defensive line. We are excited.”