Davis says Dundee-Crown will be improved
Seventh-year Dundee-Crown football coach Mike Davis said he hasn't had a team with this much talent returning at the skill positions since... well, ever.
With senior quarterback Tanner Kotlan, quick-cutting senior running back Danny Sharp and senior wide receiver Steve Schwartz returning to the no-huddle offense and the entire defensive secondary back, the Chargers have the potential to take a step forward in the Valley Division of the Fox Valley Conference this season.
D-C was outscored 231-65 in FVC games last year and finished 0-5 in league play, 1-8 overall.
"I definitely believe we'll be a lot better than last year," Davis said. "Whether or not that translates into wins I'm not sure, but we'll definitely be a lot better.
"I've been very happy with what these guys have done this summer, with the work they've put in. It's been really good. I think they've grown up a little bit. They still have an edge to them, though."
Speaking of the edge, Kotlan (5-10, 170) has the arm strength to throw to it. In seven games last season, he completed 93-of-224 attempts for 1,101 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was intercepted 13 times.
Sharp (5-8, 165) was a dynamic rushing and receiving threat. He led the Chargers with 525 yards and 4 touchdowns on 70 carries and finished as the team's second-leading receiver with 28 receptions for 360 yards and 3 scores. He has the cutback ability to make a bad play into a good one and will carry as much of the workload as he can handle.
"We're going to get him the ball as much as humanly possible," Davis said. "If I don't get him the ball 25-30 times a game, I'm not very smart."
Schwartz (5-7, 160) caught 20 passes for 307 yards and 4 touchdowns last year. He'll be joined by several talented juniors who give the wide receiver position depth, Davis said.
The offensive line is an unproven commodity. The Chargers return one lineman, senior tackle Matt Fisher (6-2, 210). Senior Josh Naber (6-0, 230) has solidified a position, and the rest of the line will be manned by juniors. "If the linemen do what they need to do by just making little holes, we'll be all right," Davis said.
The Chargers return five starters on defense, four in the backfield. Senior Miles Adkins (5-10, 185) and junior Julian Duarte (5-10, 175) played safety last year. Senior Brandon Stone (5-10, 170) and Schwartz will again patrol the corners.
Junior Erik Odden (6-2, 190) started at defensive end as a sophomore. He'll be joined in the trenches by seniors Eduardo Villanueva (6-0, 250) and Darnell Conley (6-2, 200), each of whom saw significant playing time as juniors.
At Davis' direction, new defensive coordinator Andy Lambert will institute a distinctly more aggressive style this season.
"I told Andy I didn't care what defense he ran, but he'd better blitz people," Davis said. "People may complain if we get beat on a blitz occasionally, but we're outsized by everyone we play and in the past we were usually out-skilled. We've got to be active."
The Dundee-Crown football program may be poised to make more than a small step in coming years. The school cleared 80 freshmen to play football this season.