Marmion brings plenty of muscle, experience

A season removed from Marmion's first conference title since 1998, coach Dan Thorpe noted the Cadets won't be able to sneak up on anyone.

He's absolutely correct.

How, after all, does one hide right tackle Jake Winkel, standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 275 pounds? Or left-side siblings like 6-7, 295-pound tackle Graham Glasgow, who's been offered a full-ride to Eastern Michigan, and younger brother (we won't call him "little") Ryan, 6-3, 245.

Throw in the likes of Tyler Boyd, Brendan Bakala, Blake Mickey and Mike Eberth, all tilting the scale at 235-plus, and weight room-busting size is an obvious plus. That's a necessity in the rugged Suburban Christian Conference's Blue division, which produced four playoff teams and the defending Class 5A champion, Montini.

Thorpe hopes that after graduating a couple sprinter types plus battering ram Bobby Winkel the Cadets don't lack another essential.

"We're big and we don't have the speed that we had last year with (Matt) Pircon and (Adam) Andras," Thorpe said. "We're going to be more of a power football team. I don't know if we'll score 30-some points a game like we did last year."

Chances are they won't need to, though they just might. Experience counts for a lot. Graham Glasgow and Jake Winkel book-ending at offensive tackle will provide lanes for the returning trio of backs Mike Carbonara, Nick Scoliere and the 2009 SCC Blue player of the year, T.J. Lally.

Lally ran for 611 yards on an 8.2-yard average with 10 touchdowns and also led Marmion in tackles with 140, 14 for loss. Junior Garret Becker, son of assistant head coach Kurt Becker, arrives from a sophomore squad that romped through the SCC unbeaten.

Better still is Marmon returns quarterback Bobby Peters, who threw just 2 interceptions last year and figures to unleash a little more to the likes of Scoliere, incumbent split end Phil Kloc and 6-3 tight end Grant Wilson.

Special teams, also a positive, include kicker A.J. Friedman, who booted a 45-yard field goal last year and was 20 of 24 on extra-points.

Defensively Marmion should be fast and physical. Three starting defensive backs return including lockdown corner Mitch Loehmann. Defensive end Nate Pacer is back also, as are seniors David Garza and Mike Curries, both lost to injury in 2009.

Thorpe was asked if this team feels pressure or takes its status as SCC Blue champion as a challenge. Considering his players made a concerted effort to train together in the offseason rather than some here, some there, the answer was clear.

"We know the target's on us," Thorpe said, "and they are responding work-wise to the challenge."