Marmion has playoff berth as its goal
Longtime Marmion Academy football coach Dan Thorpe doesn't sugarcoat things.
Thorpe, in his 12th season as the school's head coach and 29th overall, sees one major key to this year's season for his senior-laden group.
"We need to work on camaraderie and chemistry," he said. "Great teams are led by players, good teams are led by coaches and losing teams are led by neither. We have to get away from me saying everything and being rah-rah. If everything starts coming from these players, we can do some special things here."
Marmion is coming off a 2015 season where it went 3-6. However, that 3-6 occurred with a youth-filled roster that was hamstrung by lower numbers. Now a year older and with more names on the roster, Thorpe sees the potential to turn things around this fall.
"We have the experience now," he said. "Everybody got their butt kicked last year by Providence and Fenwick, but also experienced wins over Aurora Christian and Plainfield Central. To have this many seniors with playing experience is tremendous."
The Cadets return five offensive starters in seniors Nick Auriemma (5-11, 215, FB), Nick Sevenich (5-10, 190, HB), Jett Hass (5-11, 175, HB) and Weston Kramer (6-2, 270, G). Senior split ends Myles Schoonover (5-10, 175), Anthony Zolfo (5-9, 175) and junior Brandon McPherson (6-3, 205) all started at various junctures last year.
In addition to returning three running backs and both split-end positions, Thorpe has the luxury of having two strong quarterbacks in senior Collin Gibson (5-10, 165) and the above-mentioned McPherson.
"Both quarterbacks are very solid. We'll wait for one to step up," said Thorpe. "There might not be a true quarterback until halfway through the year. I've played seasons where we've played both quarterbacks. This isn't college or the pros. I've alternated quarterbacks each quarter and each play. It's not a concern of mine. Both are getting work and both will play on defense as well. It's a good situation to have."
Experience is even more plentiful on the defensive side of the ball where nine starters return, headlined by defensive tackle Kramer, who is headed to Northern Illinois University next year. Kramer was an all-conference pick a year ago.
"Wes is one of the most physical linemen I have coached in 29 years," said Thorpe. "He loves to practice, hit, lift weights and run down quarterbacks and running backs. He is old-school in that he is the first one to practice and the last to leave. He loves football. He will be in the backfield all night and he will run running backs down from behind. He plays hard all the time. He is a hard player to block and will require double teams all game."
Marmion, which has 37 players on the roster this year, returns all three linebackers and all four defensive backs.
Auriemma is one of those linebackers. He's back following an all-conference campaign in 2015. Sevenich (LB), Haas (LB), Gibson (DB), Schoonover (DB), Zolfo (DB), McPherson (DB) and junior defensive end Calvin McDonald (6-1, 245) also started last year.
"Calvin has taken himself from 200 pounds to 245 and will be very physical at end," said Thorpe.
Kicker and punter Connor Hoeft (6-2, 210) is getting college looks, Thorpe said, after a great showing at Kohl's kicking camps.
"He's an excellent punter and kicker," said Thorpe, who noted Hoeft missed the majority of last season after being injured in Week 3 and then undergoing shoulder surgery.
With more numbers and more experience, Thorpe sees plenty of potential to improve on last year's 3-win campaign.
"The expectations definitely are higher," he said. "The playoffs definitely are our goal. We know we play in an extremely tough conference (Chicago Catholic Green) with Fenwick and Montini. We need to make sure we are paying attention to detail and doing all the little things. We need to worry about the process and not the end result. We have the potential to do some good things."
Another positive for Marmion is the fact it has six home games this season. The Cadets will play their first three games on familiar ground against Chicago Ellison, Chicago DuSable and St. Francis.