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Hampshire has hopes to improve in FVC Fox

The move to the Fox Valley Conference from the Big Northern hasn't been an easy one for the Hampshire football program.

The Whip-Purs have yet to place higher than third in the FVC Fox Division since joining the league in 2011.

The 2015 squad offers hope, however.

Led by a big, veteran offensive line, a transfer quarterback who returns to play for his hometown team and some key returning defensive starters, Hampshire is poised to threaten for its second playoff berth in three years and its first conference title since it won the BNC East in 2008.

"Our kids have put in the hard work in the off-season," second-year coach Mike Brasile said. "If they can come together as a group, hold each other accountable and trust one another, we'll have a good year. If we play selfish and we have to spend time managing personalities, it could go the other way. We'll give them the tools to be successful and win. It's up to the motivation of the kids and what they want to do."

Hampshire's strength is its linemen, several of whom will see action on both sides of the ball.

The offensive line returns four starters, led by one of the most athletic big men in the area: left tackle Matt Kielbasa (6-foot-2, 304 pounds). A three-year starter, the senior missed the 2014 season opener while completing his recovery from a torn meniscus but quickly returned to all-conference form.

Also the team's place-kicker, his 41-yard free kick with 13 seconds left lifted the Whip-Purs to a 15-12 victory over Woodstock in the 2014 season finale.

Returning alongside Kielbasa is senior left tackle Bobby Pearson (6-3, 225), a versatile lineman who played center, guard and tackle in the same game last year.

Also back are senior right guard Eric Bajorek (6-2, 215) and senior Payton Mull (6-1, 190). Mull dropped some off-season weight and can use his increased speed as a pulling guard from the left side. Rounding out the unit is athletic junior Pawel Barnas (6-1, 265).

"Four of those guys had plenty of playing time last year," Brasile said. "Coming back, now they've been in the system for a year, they know the blocking scheme and they can make adjustments on the fly. The line is the strength of our team and since games are won and lost there, that's a good thing to have."

The spread offense gets a shot in the arm from the off-season transfer of strong-armed junior Jake Vincent (6-2, 160), who last year quarterbacked Marian Central's sophomores. Vincent has blended well with his new teammates, many of whom were junior high classmates and are still good friends, according to his coach.

Brasile said junior tailback Danny Tuzak is "deceptively fast" and will start behind Vincent in the one-back set. Seniors Jared Lund and Jeremy Curran will also take turns in the backfield, but the first priority for each is defense. Lund carried 30 times for 75 yards as a junior.

Hampshire hopes to improve on last year's total of 1,393 passing yards in its second season in the spread with the help of two experienced wide receivers: seniors Xavier Bennett (5-8, 152) and Jake Manning (5-11, 155). Bennett made 27 catches for 378 yards and 5 touchdowns last year; Manning had 32 receptions for 298 yards and 3 scores.

Other receivers Vincent can throw to include juniors Connor Burke (6-0, 160) and junior Jared Hornbeck (5-10, 155). Burke quarterbacked the sophomore team last year. Hornbeck will also play in the secondary.

Defensively, Kielbasa and Pearson play tackle in a rotation with senior Allen Schane (5-7, 235) while Bajorek and senior Tyler Petrey (6-1, 190) set the edges.

Senior Nick Seliga improved his speed enough in the off-season to drop from tackle to middle linebacker, the position he played as an underclassman. He'll line up next to Mull. Returning outside linebackers Lund and Curran played every down last season.

The secondary is boosted by the return of three-year starter Mike Kruse at safety and senior Logan Fleury at corner.

The Whips, with a varsity roster of 47 players, hope to avoid the trainer's table after an injury plagued season last fall.

"That injury bug just wouldn't go away," Brasile said. "At one point we were down to our fourth-string quarterback and our sixth-string tailback. But we've focused on building depth throughout the summer and in seven-on-sevens. If someone goes down, we won't be scrambling for someone that doesn't have the same amount of reps."

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