Ryan's first Kaneland team should be strong

Kaneland started strong in 2016, and the Knights are hoping to do that again while finishing better this fall.

After winning three of their first four last year including a last-second thriller over Geneva, a 4-game losing streak led to a 4-5 finish and rare playoff miss.

It also marked the end of Tom Fedderly's 10-year stint as coach. He went 73-33 including a 43-5 run from 2010-2013.

Pat Ryan was on the Knights' staff during that stretch, and now the Driscoll alum is a head coach for the first time.

"My first game as assistant coach at Driscoll was here," Ryan said. "My sophomore year in high school, Kaneland beat us in the first round of the playoffs for their first playoff win. My junior year we beat Kaneland. My last track meet in high school was here. It's weird how you have that connection."

Ryan will coach the special teams and offensive line. Ryan Gierke is back as the offensive coordinator, and Mike Thorgesen coordinates the defense.

Nine starters are back on offense including linemen Matt Payton - a 3-year starter - Drew Hahn and Robert Kruse, quarterback Jack Douglas, wide receiver Josh Marczuk, and running backs Jonathan Alstott, Chaz Shaw and Trevor Jones.

Ideally, Ryan would like a balance between the run and pass. He likes the team's experience in the trenches, and said senior Calvin McDonald will make that group even better.

"I'm really hanging my hat on our offensive line," Ryan said.

For all that experience on offense, only two starters are back on defense. Jacob Brown and Hahn give the Knights strength up front while Demetri Matarangas will be counted on in the secondary.

Some of the new players to watch for Kaneland include Calvin McDonald (OL/DL), linebacker Bryce Cohoon, defensive back Zach Denning, offensive lineman Jackson Clark, wide receiver Max Gagne, defensive back Kyle Augustine, defensive back Kyle Stuart and outside linebacker Robert Berrios.

"We have a lot of new bodies on defense. We're still figuring out some things," said Ryan, who will have a few two-way players. "We try to go 1 1/2-way players. Start on defense and get you in a personnel grouping on offense."

Kaneland's sophomores went 1-7 last year and the freshman class was 4-5, but Ryan said the record is deceiving.

"We struggled a little on the lower level," Ryan said. "Those kids were a little down, but we had Jonathan Alstott, Drew Hahn, Chaz Shaw playing varsity."

Kaneland faces plenty of challenges in a Northern Illinois Big XII East conference that sent three teams - Sycamore, Morris and DeKalb - to the state semifinals last year.

"Our schedule is a bear," Ryan said. "Our conference is as good as any in the state. There's no breathers."