Can Round Lake improve? Just weight and see

It's never easy to see bright spots during a winless season.

But Round Lake coach John Coursey, whose Panthers went 0-9 in 2008, got a major dose of encouragement this summer every time he walked into the weight room.

"Our off-season program went really well," Coursey said. "We had 27 kids lift every single day without a miss. That's big for us. We're making great strides."

Coursey is hoping it translates onto the field.

The Panthers are going to be young in spots, with even a sophomore or two starting, but there are also some skilled veterans back who have improved their games.

Nick Olson, Jacoby Griffin and Xavier Villa will all be back again in the Panthers' backfield. They'll be joined by junior Edgar Riviera.

Veteran John Strickland was also going to figure heavily into the mix, but he recently transferred to Glenbrook South.

"We are going to be run-oriented," Coursey said. "We have four guys who are all really good runners competing for those spots."

Coursey also has two players competing for the quarterback spot.

Mike Crews and Mike Arenas both return looking to fill the shoes of graduated quarterback Mike Ortiz.

"Both of those guys are outstanding kids," Coursey said of Crews and Arenas. "They're both so dedicated. They went through our entire winter workouts without missing a day. They've really improved."

Coursey says Crews might be a bit more confident with the offense while Arenas has shown a lot of promise within the passing game.

The offensive line will be anchored by returners Matt Novak and Zach Peterson. At 6-foot-2, 260 pounds, Peterson is one of the Panthers' biggest linemen. But his early season status is unclear.

"Zach got injured so he might be out for a little bit," Coursey said. "We're really hoping we can get him back for the second week because we're going to be really young on the offensive line otherwise. We might have to start a couple sophomores there."

Defensively, Round Lake will depend on quite a few crossovers from the offense.

Crews will start at cornerback, Olson will start at linebacker and Villa will start on the line. Beside them, there will be a lot of new faces.

"We have some good kids, but we're really having to work on everything here," said Coursey, who is embarking on his second season. "Since last year, we've talked a lot about commitment, responsibility and accountability and we're still working on some of those things.

"Last year was not a great year for us, but we're making improvements, we're making strides. We're heading in the right direction."