Grayslake Central's campaign reaches maturity
Politicians aren't the only ones who operate on four-year timelines.
So do new high school and college coaches, who seem to look forward to their fourth year with even more anticipation than other years.
After all, four years in, your program is, well, yours. From top to bottom.
No wonder Grayslake Central coach Nick Goshe is anxious to get this season rolling. This is his fourth year at the school, which means that every single kid in the program has been trained under his system.
"I'm really excited this year because this is the first group of seniors I've had for four years, since they were freshmen," Goshe said. "It's been fun to see how their personalities have taken shape, how this program has come together. It's nice to have everyone on the same page from the very beginning, from when they first enter the program."
Goshe is hoping that continuity, not to mention the return of some talented veterans, will help his program take a big step forward.
Last year, the Rams won four games, by far the most since the 2003 team went 8-3 and earned a playoff berth for just the third time in school history.
The goal now is to get back to the playoffs, which would really require only a one-win swing from last year. Had the Rams won one more game last year, they could have qualified for the playoffs with five wins.
"These kids want to make the playoffs this year," said Goshe, whose Rams made a big leap last year from a 1-8 season in 2008 and an 0-9 campaign in 2007. "We lost to Johnsburg last year 12-7 and had we won that, we probably would have made the playoffs. We have enough kids back from that team who remember that. They got a taste of being so close and now they really want to get there.
"We've been through a lot in the last three years trying to get this program on track and we're hoping that it shows this year."
In Goshe tradition, Grayslake Central will make defense the top priority, to the point where the better players are often asked to play defense first and offense only if they have enough left in the tank.
That philosophy worked pretty well last season. The Rams gave up 17.2 points per game, the second lowest mark in the Fox Valley Fox Division.
Back to lead the charge is linebacker Kevin Hein, the top tackler on the team with 60-plus tackles last season. Fellow linebacker Lee Brown also returns to the starting lineup as does lineman Jimmy Soto and backs Cam Neely and Will Reed.
"Defense will continue to be our pillar," Goshe said. "We'll sacrifice practice time if we need to in order to get those guys the reps they need. No one can win a 0-0 game. If we can keep the points down for the other team, we feel like we'll have a great chance."
That sounds logical. But scoring points was easier said than done for the Rams, who managed just 13.8 points per game last season.
Goshe is hoping that a deeper and talented backfield will give this team a lot more scoring punch.
Back at running back is junior Joey Valdivia, who rolled up nearly 800 rushing yards last year as a sophomore. He'll be joined by Jahard Nelson, a speedy track sprinter, and Vinnie Culhane.
Goshe says that he'll need to find plenty of reps for all three backs.
"It's the best problem I've had in four years," Goshe said happily. "All three of those guys are good backs and they give us three different looks that we can throw at people."
The Rams might have the same thing going on at quarterback. A rotation.
Goshe says that Neely and Ray Beckman are both dueling for the spot.
"I've never had something like this before. They're both so different," Goshe said of his quarterbacks. "Ray is a really good thrower and Cam is a really good runner. We may go back and forth with them."
Meanwhile, the offensive line will be bolstered by 6-foot-6 tight end C.J. Stempeck, who is getting looks from MAC and Big Ten schools. He'll join returning starters Connor Hirt, Nick Celeslie and Chris Loeffl.
GRAYSLAKE CENTRAL
Probable starters
OFFENSE
Pos. Name Ht/Wt Yr.
QB Cam Neely 5-9/175 Sr.
QB Ray Beckman 6-4/185 Jr.
RB Joey Valdivia 5-10/195 Jr.
RB Jahard Nelson 5-8/160 Sr.
FB Vince Culhane 5-8/165 Sr.
WR Michael Sledz 5-10/150 Sr.
WR Devon Osburn 5-10/145 Jr.
WR Jordan Bustos 6-1/180 Sr.
TE CJ Stempeck 6-6/235 Sr.
TE Jimmy Molitor 6-4/180 Jr.
OL Chris Loeffl 6-2/210 Sr.
OL Conner Hirt 6-3/215 Sr.
OL Nick Celeslie 6-1/230 Sr.
OL Jon Sell 6-3/195 Sr.
OL Charlie Risinger 6-2/185 Jr.
OL Brandon Seiler 6-3/220 Jr.
OL John Curtis 6-0/195 Sr.
DEFENSE
Pos. Name Ht/Wt Yr.
DL Jimmy Soto 6-4/320 Sr.
DL Tyler Hanna 5-9/215 Sr.
DL Steven Moioffer 6-0/190 Jr.
DL Lee Brown 6-3/210 Sr.
LB Kristian Meehan 6-2/190 Jr.
LB Chris Loeffl 6-2/210 Sr.
LB Jake Paust 6-1/180 Jr.
LB Kyle Engdahl 5-10/180 Sr.
LB Deondre Nabriet 6-0/180 Jr.
DB Cam Neely 5-9/175 Sr.
DB Will Reed 5-11/165 Sr.
DB Bryant Jennings 5-10/170 Sr.
DB Stephen Burgess 5-10/180 Jr.
DB Kevin Hein 6-1/205 Sr.