St. Edward not as deep, but still talented

Depth was St. Edward's ally last season.

Playing against unfamiliar opponents in the newly formed Metro Suburban Conference's East Division, the Green Wave rolled to an undefeated title and a 10-1 record, thanks to a talented roster that went two-deep at several positions.

Such depth is no longer a luxury. The program graduated 17 seniors, one of its largest classes in years.

That group is "replaced" by an incoming junior class of only five football players. It would have been four juniors had lineman AJ Salvadore not transferred from Prospect.

The sophomore and freshman classes boast healthy numbers, thus, the program should be fine in the long run. However, the situation leaves the defending champs a bit short-handed for the next two seasons. Several players will go both ways.

"Our depth is definitely in question, but our kids are in shape and they don't want to come off the field anyway," 11th-year St. Edward coach Mike Rolando said. "Luckily, some fringe and role players have stepped up, so we should be able to get some guys off the field now and then.

"Still, I think it's a very talented group and I think we can be very good this year. We just have to find ways to get our talent the ball."

What the Green Wave lack in depth they make up for in high-caliber talent. Unanimous MSC-East offensive player of the year Dwayne Allen returns at running back and unanimous MSC-East defensive player of the year Jake French is back at nose guard, where he made 77 tackles and sacked the quarterback 12 times.

A Class 4A All-State honorable mention selection, Allen carried 201 times for 1,573 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also made 6 catches for 104 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

"All he needs is a crease," Rolando said. "Some of his touchdowns last year were not on blocked plays. He created them. If we block, he can do well. If not, he can still make something out of nothing. He's a special runner with great vision and he's added a little beef since last year, so there's a little more of a power component to his game."

Sophomores replace graduated all-area quarterback Joe Mullen, now at Division-II Tiffin University in Ohio. Dylan Mlinarich (6-foot-1, 175 pounds) is a promising passer, Rolando said, and Saveon Smith will be under center in certain packages. Smith last year played in the secondary and defended 16 passes, 9 more than any of his teammates. He'll again start in the secondary and carry the ball occasionally.

Senior Patrick Brown (5-11, 165) lines up in the slot or in the backfield. Sophomore David Madden (5-11, 150) is the other slot receiver. Juniors Jimmy Harkins (5-11, 145) and Nolan Theriault (6-0, 180) are the wide receivers.

One starter returns along the offensive line: senior right tackle Haydn Hilton (6-3, 235). Salvadore will play center, seniors Will Stevens (6-1, 205) and Ruben Montiel (5-10, 202) can both play right guard and senior Michael Montes (6-2, 200) starts at left tackle. Though they didn't start last year, Stevens, Montiel and Montes saw regular playing time in the second half due to the lopsided nature of St. Edward's victories.

Joining the offensive line at left guard is French, who was able to play defense only in 2014. French plays nose in a five-man front and drops to linebacker in a four-man front.

A rare position with depth is defensive tackle, where Salvadore and Stevens will start and rotate with Montiel, Montes, junior Sam Reedy (5-11, 240) and senior Josh McFadden (6-1, 195).

Defensive ends Hilton and senior Joey Murray (5-5, 145) gained experience at that position a year ago.

Brown is the team's second-leading returning tackler. As a junior linebacker he contributed 52 tackles, a sack, 2 forced fumbles and a recovery.

Smith and Allen form one of the better pass-defending cornerback combinations in the area, giving defensive coordinator Marc Rusinko the flexibility to play man-to-man defense.

Keeping injuries to a minimum will be important with a 23-man roster.

"I love the kids that we have," Rolando said. "We have several tough, hard-nosed, coachable kids that have bought into the program and they expect to compete."