Minne, Grant look for way back to postseason
A smiling Leo Minne jogged off Grant's stadium turf, a bounce in his step, and pulled off his sweaty helmet.
The smile was probably similar to ones he flashed last year after scoring one of his dozen touchdowns.
"Amazing," Minne said after he and his teammates finished up practice in preparation for tonight's season opener against Crystal Lake South. "This is my favorite time of the year. I work all summer and all winter for this. It's the best."
Whether Minne's enthusiasm wavers during the season remains to be seen, but the 5-foot-10, 185-pound senior quarterback certainly seems up for the challenge of leading Grant back to the postseason after a year absence. The Bulldogs went 4-5 last year, missing the state playoffs for the first time since 2004.
They enter this season with the speedy Minne (pronounced Min-NAY) returning to a position he's played since seventh grade.
He started one game at quarterback on varsity as a sophomore - against then-defending Class 7A state champ Lake Zurich - after injuries to Izzy Rodriguez and Justin Cokefair. With Cokefair the starter last year, Minne played wingback and put together a strong season as the Bulldogs' outside threat in their option attack. He rushed for 810 yards and 12 touchdowns, and he also completed 9 of 20 passes, including 2 touchdown strikes. He made honorable mention all-conference.
Minne was Grant's starting QB in its season finale, against North Chicago, after Cokefair got injured in a Week 8 showdown against Vernon Hills.
Grant coach Kurt Rous knows he has a potential game-changer in his signal caller.
"With him being the quarterback, it's probably going to be easier for teams to try to contain him," Rous said. "I think the key to Leo's success is going to be our fullback and wings. If those guys can do a good job and occupy the linebackers, that's going to free up Leo."
The Bulldogs have no returning starters on the offensive line, although center Shane Wiker notched one start. The line has a mix of veterans (seniors Wiker and Zac Applehans) and youth (sophomores Dan Haeffele and Jared Lalanda, and junior Jake Mraz).
"Nobody's back, but it's OK because we got some size and they've been getting a little bit more confident ever since the summer finished," Minne said. "They're doing pretty well now. Our option's moving really well."
Added Rous: "I think our line is better than it was last year."
The offensive-backfield starters will be all seniors in Minne, fullback Steve Niewiedzial, and running backs Alex Cacchione and Adam Escobedo. Keion Miller, another sophomore, and senior Jason Capps are listed as the starters at wide receiver. Niewiedzial moves over from defense.
"I think we have track guys at every skill position," said Rous, the boys track coach. "So we definitely have some team speed."
A new addition to the program is 6-4 basketball star Jerry Gaylor, a junior who plays wide receiver and safety.
"He missed some of our summer camp stuff, but he's picking it up pretty quickly," Rous said. "He's a heck of an athlete."
The defense features experience with linemen David Gaghan (111/2 tackles for loss, honorable mention all-conference last year), Edgar Gomez and Quinton Quarles, cornerback Quinn Watters (2 interceptions in 2009) and strong safety Brian Maldonado.
Rous is cautiously optimistic.
"We're pretty much untested, unproven (on both defense and offense)," he said. "None of these kids have played together as a unit. It's going to be interested. I don't know what to expect."
The good news is, Rous doesn't expect any players to be playing on both sides of the ball. He attributes that to the quality of kids on varsity.
"Last year I think we had maybe one or two guys going both ways," Rous said. "Since I've been here, it's probably the first time that we don't have any going both ways."
GRANT
Probable starters
OFFENSE
Pos. Name Ht/Wt Yr.
QB Leo Minne 5-10/185 Sr.
FB Steven Niewiedzial 5-8/195 Sr.
RB Alex Cacchione 5-10/165 Sr.
RB Adam Escobedo 5-6/140 Sr.
RT Dan Haeffele 6-3/240 So.
RG Zac Applehans 6-0/180 Sr.
C Shane Wiker 5-11/250 Sr.
LG Jared Lalanda 5-9/200 So.
LT Jake Mraz 6-5/235 Jr.
WR Keion Miller 6-1/150 So.
WR Jason Capps 6-0/160 Sr.
DEFENSE
Pos. Name Ht/Wt Yr.
DE David Gaghan 6-0/220 Sr.
DT Edgar Gomez 6-0/240 Sr.
DT Quinton Quarles 6-3/225 Jr.
DT Nick Jones 6-2/205 Jr.
DE Charles Williams 5-7/165/ Jr.
LB Matt O'Donnell 5-11/180 Sr.
LB Joe Lofthouse 5-7/170 Sr.
LB Matt Conn 6-0/180 Jr.
CB Quinn Watters 5-11/160 Sr.
CB Dillon Watters 5-9/170 Jr.
SS Brian Maldonado 5-8/170 Sr.