Blackhawks looking to take next step
Year three of Buck Drach's tenure at West Aurora is shaping up to be the best yet.
Not only do the Blackhawks have plenty of experience coming back, they have three years of understanding what Drach's system and style are all about.
"We had a lot better summer," Drach said. "They are starting to understand how we do things. The seniors have been practicing with us since their sophomore year. They are starting to pick it up."
Will that translate into West Aurora's first playoff berth since 1994? They went 4-5 last year and have the usual share of tough matchups against state-ranked Naperville North, Wheaton Warrenville South, Wheaton North and Glenbard North. It marked a 2-win improvement from Drach's first year.
"We have to find a way to get a couple of those guys," Drach said of the DVC slate.
Drach has some experience to work with, especially on offense where seven starters return. Quarterback John Nunnally leads the way. A DVC honorable mention all-conference pick a year ago, Nunnally completed 100 of 196 passes for 1,238 yards, and also ran for 3 scores. He'll try to improve on his 4 touchdowns and 9 interceptions totals last year.
"He's gotten stronger, increased his foot speed a little," Drach said. "He's got to make better decisions."
Garrett Rivers returns at fullback after totaling 409 rushing yards and 5 TDs last year. Kendall Velarde caught 16 passes in 2007, but he'll see most of his time at defensive end and outside linebacker.
The strength of the team could be in the trenches, where starters Jayson Eddy, Donnquell Davis, Dan Jackson and Matt Gorges return. Like Velarde, Jackson has moved to the defensive line.
"Defense always gets first pick," Drach explained in shifting a couple of his players from offense to defense. "I figure if you shut people out you can't lose. You can always find a way to score a point."
Defensively, linebacker Kevin Costin is a 3-year starter and two-time DuPage Valley all-conference special mention. He made 35 tackles last year.
Most of the experience lies in the secondary where Josh Zinzer, Markus Cocroft and Jesse Pena return. Zinzer is a 3-sport star and two-year starter who made the DVC's first team last year before becoming all-state in both wrestling and track, and making the football academic all-state team. He had 2 interceptions last year.
Cocroft is a two-way starter who had 12 catches. He scored on special teams and defense, returning a kickoff and interception, respectively, for touchdowns.