Scouting the Jacobs Golden Eagles
Jacobs made a state quarterfinal appearance two years ago and three holdovers remember the route.
Linebacker Aidan Sproule, guard Nick Zonta and defensive end Cade Portell are three-year starters who, as sophomores, contributed to the deepest postseason incursion in school history. They now lead a 52-man varsity roster that includes 28 seniors and nine returning starters, all hungry for another long playoff run.
"They know what it takes to get there and they did a great job in the off-season as leaders," said Jacobs coach Bill Mitz, whose 247 career wins rank 26th all time. "It's a good core group of kids we have back."
It's a cohesive group, too, particularly the senior class. Of the 32 players who came out for football as freshmen, 28 still play, according to Mitz. That group includes returning starters like 6-foot-1 quarterback Anthony Wilson, 5-11 receiver Nick Desmond, all-Fox Valley Conference fullback Stephen Kavanaugh and two-way linemen Helios Martinez and Joey Price.
Price is a sought-after college recruit with a high ceiling. The 6-foot-8, 320-pound right tackle did not play football until Mitz convinced the basketball player to try the sport midway through high school. Price now sifts through scholarship offers from colleges like Illinois, Purdue, Minnesota, Iowa State and West Virginia.
Price, Zonta (6-1, 220) and Martinez (6-2, 220) give the line a veteran presence. Rounding out the unit are senior Brandon Barred (6-1, 215), who Mitz describes as one of Jacobs' strongest players, and senior Nic Caruso (6-4, 227), who did not play last season.
Wilson is coming off a junior campaign in which he completed 87 of 160 attempts for 1,497 yards. He threw 9 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.
Kavanaugh carried 121 times for 580 yards and 5 touchdowns last year. He was an effective change-of-pace back in tandem with graduated speedster Loren Strickland, who rushed for 18 touchdowns on 118 carries. Those handoffs will now go to seniors Jake Michels (5-7, 170) and Tommy Subaric (6-1, 195). The coaching staff moved Subaric to running back after his performance on the track last spring, when he qualified for the state meet in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.08 seconds.
"He's a question mark because he has not carried the mail in a game," Mitz said, "but he is 195 pounds and runs sub-11 seconds in the 100 meters so we'll see what happens."
Portell (6-2, 215) and Sproule (6-1, 200) lead a defense that also returns junior defensive back Travis Tanner. Price and Martinez will both play on the defensive line.
The senior-heavy Golden Eagles expect to be in the thick of the FVC race.
"We want to battle for the top spot, without a doubt," Mitz said. "We feel like we have a great group of kids."