Gators have a huge O-line
The Crystal Lake South football program has been building momentum for nearly a decade.
Since 2001, the Gators have made eight straight playoff appearances while compiling a record of 63-25 (.716 winning percentage) under the direction of 10th-year coach Jim Stuglis. They reached the second round of the state playoffs twice (2003, 2006), the quarterfinals twice (2002, 2004) and the semifinals twice (2005, 2008).
CL South has been knocking on the door of a state title consistently. As graduated tight end Vince Benedetto said last November after the Gators lost 25-21 in a Class 7A semifinal thriller at Geneva, "I hope next year they won't just knock on that door but kick that door down and win a title."
Though the 2009 Gators have some question marks to be answered - most pointedly, replacing the 1,160 yards and 11 touchdowns of all-area running back Colin Masterson, who won't play his senior season due to athletic code violations - a talented group of senior leaders and yet another junior class that won the Valley Division of the Fox Valley Conference at the lower levels promises to ball their collective fist and give the state-title door another good rap.
"Obviously, there's pressure from what everybody thinks should happen because of what you did the year before," Stuglis said, "but we all know it's high school football and nobody has the same team. But we should be OK. A big factor is that we're going to have a much bigger offensive line than we had last year."
The line returns only one starter, senior right guard Archer Winberg (6-0, 255), but he'll be flanked by Grade-A Angus beef: senior left guard Trace Wingo (6-3, 250), senior center Jeremy Ransom (6-1, 235), junior left tackle Jake Berstein (6-4, 265) and junior right tackle Phil Hespen (6-4, 265). Rotating tight ends John Walsh (6-1, 220) and Kevin Rogers (6-3, 215) round out a formidable offensive front.
The mammoth line will make it easier for second-year quarterback, junior Drew Ormseth (5-10, 165), and the committee of Masterson's replacements to gain traction. Carrying the ball will be senior backs Alex Macaulay (5-11, 190) and Brandon Erickson (5-11, 170) alongside senior J.D. Barchard (6-2, 228) and junior John Sullivan (6-0, 170) at fullback. Senior Kameron Scott (5-10, 215) will eventually work his way back into the lineup after being slowed in the preseason by hamstring issues.
The hard-hitting Barchard is one of the Chicago area's top linebackers. Returning nose guard Sam McCole (6-3, 280) is a stout run-stopper, and Macaulay will move from his rover position to free safety. Sullivan, who played regularly at inside linebacker, moves to a rover spot in coordinator Chuck Ahsmann's 3-3-5 defense.
The only sophomore on the 63-man roster, Steve Forner (6-0, 210), will fill in for Scott at outside linebacker.
"We just don't have a lot of depth and we can't afford any injuries now that we've lost one of the better running backs in the area, and the Kameron Scott injury may affect some things," Stuglis said. "But overall, we think we have the potential to be a pretty solid football team."