advertisement

Scouting the St. Francis Spartans

It all starts up front. For St. Francis that's a strength.

The Spartans move to the Metro Suburban Blue from the Chicago Catholic League Green. Moving with them are returning offensive line starters Connor Schmidt, Ryan Holleman, Jesse Gonzalez and Danny Skold, the last two drawing all-CCL Green honors as juniors. Skold interests Northern Illinois, Georgetown and others.

"That's huge for us," St. Francis coach Bob McMillen said of this group. "That's why we think we can come out and run the ball with our offensive line having a second year working together, having that camaraderie and knowing where they need to be."

It's good news after an injury-plagued 2017 squad ran for 544 yards, returner Henry Plamondon scoring a team-high 2 rushing touchdowns. Plamondon will get help from newcomer Jason Klank in the split-back scheme.

McMillen will get the ball to Joe Lang - "Mr. Everything" - as many ways as possible.

"If we had 22 kids like Joe Lang we'd compete for a state championship every year," he said.

Line experience makes McMillen feel more secure his quarterbacks will be protected. Junior Mike Baffa threw for 486 yards last season. Tommy Rittenhouse helped receivers Ryan French and Jake Tangorra to "monster" sophomore seasons.

Defensively six starters return. A question will be at linebacker, where solid but inexperienced players like sophomore middle linebacker Mike Bumpus have emerged.

But for a team outscored 295-90 last fall, scoring will be key. The Metro Suburban move can't hurt especially with this line.

"We're not playing the bigger schools right now," McMillen said. "I think that helps our kids out a lot."

One to watch: St. Francis' sole 2017 win came at Argo; they host Week 1 aiming to repeat.

The breakdown

Coach: Bob McMillen (second year, 1-8).

2017 record: 1-8, 0-4, fifth in the Chicago Catholic League Green.

Top players: Mike Bumpus (LB, 6-2, 225, so.), Ryan French (WR, 6-1, 170, jr.), Jesse Gonzalez (OL-DL, 5-9, 215, sr.), Joe Lang (WR-DB, 5-7, 150, sr.), Henry Plamondon (RB, 5-9, 180, sr.), Ben Radel (WR-DB, 5-11, 165, jr.), Tommy Rittenhouse (QB, 5-11, 160, so.), Noah Salinas (WR-DB, 5-11, 155, sr.), Connor Schmidt (OL-DL, 6-5, 240), Dan Skold (OL-DL, 6-2, 250, sr.).

- Dave Oberhelman

Schedule

St. Francis

Fri, 8/24, Argo at St. Francis, 7 p.m.

Fri, 8/31, St. Francis at Burlington Central, 7 p.m.

Fri, 9/7, St. Francis at Fenton, 7:15 p.m.

Fri, 9/14, St. Francis at Wheaton Academy, 7:15 p.m.

Fri, 9/21, Bishop McNamara at St. Francis, 7:30 p.m.

Fri, 9/28, Aurora Christian at St. Francis, 7 p.m.

Fri, 10/5, Riverside-Brookfield at St. Francis, 7:30 p.m.

Fri, 10/12, St. Francis at IC Catholic Prep, 7:15 p.m.

Fri, 10/19, St. Francis at Aurora Central Catholic, 7 p.m.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.