St. Charles East due some good health
A dyed-in-the-wool football guy like St. Charles East coach Mike Fields just can't wait.
"We're excited. It's football season. As they say, 'Are you ready for some football?' And we're ready," said the Saints' third-year head man.
St. Charles East was ready in 2010, too. Then, nearly as fast as you could say "Hut, hut, hike!" quarterbacks Charlie Fisher and Dean Bowen got injured and the Saints were literally sent scrambling.
"I've been talking to guys, they'd been coaching for 25, 30 years, and they never had that happen to them, to lose two guys in about four plays," Fields said.
He obviously hopes it never will happen again, and now has Fisher at receiver, Bowen starting at quarterback and last year's third-string reliever, Jake Mazanke, back at his natural position of receiver.
So, along with a varsity unit that's split about half-and-half between juniors and seniors, even some of the key seniors are relatively untested in their varsity roles.
Despite the inexperience, Fields remains optimistic about what the Saints have to offer.
One area in which Fields feels particularly good is his 4-3 defense, coordinated by Brian Teresinski. St. Charles East returns its top two tacklers from last season, junior all-Upstate Eight Conference River Division linebacker Joe Hoscheit (57 tackles, 3 sacks) and senior safety Tim Leibforth (59 tackles, 4 fumble recoveries), plus returning starting linebacker John Kelley.
Returning defensive back Nick Devor, moved to nose tackle, and juniors such as Andrew Szyman, Justin Cameron, Kyle Lanthier and Jake Sheley are part of a unit Fields hopes can set the tone while the offense jells.
The good-sized Bowen, for example, had only 7 pass attempts last season, all in the first two games before suffering a broken arm. The Saints mustered 824 yards and 4 touchdowns through the air in 2010. Without the 1,120 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns from since-graduate all-conference back Mike Brown, St. Charles East will find offensive balance.
So, Fields is tinkering. He's got Carter Reading switched from safety to tailback. Junior Jacob Bruce played defensive tackle as a sophomore; now he's a fullback and linebacker. Fisher, Mazanke and a few others have changed course.
"That's the fun stuff, is trying to figure it out," said Fields, who also returns a kicker he predicts has a collegiate future, Danny Muzzalupo. The senior handled most of the Saints' kickoff chores last year, and went 9-of-12 on extra-points and 4-of-7 on field goals including 3 in Week 9 to help knock St. Charles North out of the playoffs.
Fields hopes work ethic and conditioning trumps overall inexperience and lack of size to achieve the usual goal of a playoff berth.
"We're not as big but the old adage is, it's not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog," Fields said. "And I think we're going to surprise some people maybe with the expectations they have with our team."
The breakdown
Coach: Mike Fields (third year, 10-8).
2009 record: 3-6, 2-4, fifth place in conference.
Postseason: Last playoff appearance in 2009, qualified in five of the last six years.
Last five years (starting in 2006): 7-3, 8-3, 8-3, 7-3, 3-6
Total: 33-18
2011 Enrollment: 2297
Schedule
Date Opponent Time
8/26 Cary-Grove 7:30
9/2 at West Aurora 7:30
9/9 Geneva 7:30*
9/16 Larkin 7:30*
9/23 at Batavia 7:30*
10/1 at Streamwood 1:30*
10/7 at Lake Park 7:30
10/14 at Elgin 7:30*
10/21 St. Charles N. 7:30*
* denotes conference game
Probable starters
Offense (Pro I)
Pos. Name Ht/Wt Yr.
QB Dean Bowen 6-3/190 Sr.
FB Jacob Bruce 6-0/225 Jr.
TB Carter Reading 6-0/165 Sr.
WR Charlie Fisher 5-10/160 Sr.*
WR Jake Mazanke 6-2/185 Sr.*
TE Evan France 6-5/250 Sr.*
LT Trevor Ouimette 5-10/270 Jr.
LG Ian Crawford 5-11/190 Jr.
C Tommy Wilson 6-1/215 Jr.
RG Tyler Sullivan 6-0/210 Sr.*
RT Tom Doyle 6-1/230 Sr.
K Danny Muzzalupo 5-11/180 Sr.*
Defense (3-5)
Pos. Name Ht/Wt Yr.
DL Andrew Szyman 6-2/175 Jr.
NT Nick Devor 5-10/180 Sr.
DL Jeff Pierce 6-5/200 Sr.
LB Jake Sheley 6-1/210 Sr.*
LB John Kelley 6-1/215 Sr.*
LB Joe Hoscheit 6-1/205 Jr.*
LB Justin Cameron 5-10/190 Jr.
LB Tim Leibforth 6-1/205 Sr.*
S Brannon Barry 6-4/190 So.
CB Anthony Niemiec 5-10/165 Sr.
CB Tim Nolan 6-4/190 Sr.
P Chris Segretto 5-11/155 Jr.
* denotes returning starters