ACC's attack revolves around Adams

A year after the Mike and Mark Adams brother duo stared at Aurora Central, leading the Chargers to an upset win over rival Marmion that highlighted their season, it's a glass half-full outlook for 2008.

Or glass half-empty. It all depends on your take.

The half-empty crowd points to one half of the Adams duo leaving, Mark, who is playing basketball at North Central College.

The half-full crowd points to the other half of that duo returning, quarterback Mike Adams. Now a senior, the 6-foot-3, 225-pounder will have to find a new favorite target.

"He doesn't have that comfort zone anymore," Aurora Central coach Mike Curry said. "He's got to spread the ball out more, looking over defenses and locating the seems. We've been working at that."

Adams, after throwing for 2,000 yards, has a college future ahead of him, either at quarterback or possibly linebacker where he'll also see action this year alongside the Scott brothers (Tyler and Andrew).

"The biggest thing for us is we have to protect him," Curry said. "If we can't protect him it doesn't matter how good he is. The other thing we have to do is catch the ball."

Six-foot-3 Mark Brauweiler, Tom Barkei and Matt Wagner are all candidates to emerge as Adams' favorite target.

Curry said he has four players vying for time at running back. The offensive line will be a question mark early, a unit where graduation losses hit the Chargers the hardest.

Defensively, Curry is looking for big seasons from linebackers Tyler and Andrew Scott, who both started as sophomores a year ago.

"We do have a nice mixture on defense," Curry said. "A better blend than last year. The sophomores we played all last year are going to be juniors who have been tested. We have to get a lot out of those kids right off the bat. They can't play like untested juniors because they have been tested."

You can add Curry to those trying to decide if he's got the glass half full outlook.

"I don't know how this team will play," Curry said. "We've got so many untested people on the varsity level."