NEW LEXINGTON - Dave Rupe can rattle off the plays that led to a last season’s 3-7 mark for New Lexington.
Four
of those losses were by a touchdown or less. A blocked punt set up
Fairfield Union’s score in a 7-0 season-opening defeat; Coshocton used
an 80-yard kickoff return to down New Lex 14-7; a lost New Lex fumble
spurred John Glenn to a 22-21 comeback victory; and the Panthers missed
two potential game-winning field goals in a 20-14 triple-overtime loss
to rival Sheridan.
Those haunting near-misses provided motivation for the third-year head coach and his squad.
“Big
plays and missed opportunities cost us more wins,” Rupe said. “We
allowed six big plays in those losses, and the difference those make
have been stressed this offseason and in practice. Some inexperience led
to those, but we have to be more sound and disciplined.”
Having depth will help as does 12 letter winners returning. Rupe also took advantage of preseason conditioning.
“We
want to keep our guys on the field in crucial situations without
getting fatigued,” he said. “We did some things differently. This was
the hardest summer our players had because we want and need them to be
in shape.”
Experience will be key, as the Panthers bring back most of their starters.
Senior
quarterback Bradley Clapper totaled more than 1,500 yards of offense
and accounted for 14 touchdowns. However, he also threw 11
interceptions, while the Panthers were shut out in three of their first
five games.
Clapper will start this season after taking over near
midseason last year. Having the role from the beginning as well as
understanding the offense better should benefit the senior signal caller
and the offense.
“As a coach, you love it when you have
experience under center. You can’t put a price on it,” Rupe said. “He
gained good experience taking over into last season, and he’s in a
position to be a key leader.
“We also ratcheted down the playbook
and tried to simplify everything,” he added. “We wanted to go simple to
limit any issues and hopefully, get the offense off on the right foot.”
Four
starters back on the offensive line should aid the offense. Seniors
Brett Scott and Chase Sheppard and juniors Seth Russell and Luke Shively
are back and will be joined by sophomore Cooper Tharp.
Senior Dimitri Williams, juniors Kam Bowen and Aaron Foreman and sophomore Andrew Alfman will split carries in the backfield.
The
receivers and tight ends include Williams as well as seniors Dalton
Burton, Gage Morgan and Jared Wycinski, who Rupe noted has “great
hands.”
The offense will remain a run-first attack and will rely on its depth to control the clock.
“We
want to pound the ball and keep our defense off the field. It’s why we
shortened our play sheet so we can do what we want to do extremely
well,” Rupe said. “We’ve been able to rotate and get more reps at our
skill positions. We have guys owning some areas right now.”
Strength
up front also has the defensive line looking to cause havoc. Russell
and senior Antonio Villaloboz are the ends with Scott and Shively
highlighting the tackles on the 3-5 defense coached by Todd Brown.
Rupe also noted junior John Mautz can be “a fireplug” as a defensive end off the bench.
“Todd
knows that defense well, and he can put us in a good position to make
plays and keep teams out of the end zone,” Rupe said.
Russell has also impressed in camp, as Rupe expects big things from the junior.
“The
(defensive line) group put in great work this offseason, but Russell
has been a technician,” Rupe said. “(Seth’s) really smart and can do a
lot of good things for us.”
Wycinski and Williams will provide
athleticism at linebacker, and Bowen, Clapper, Burton, Foreman,
sophomore Ben Stenson and freshman Will Stenson will fill in the roles
in the secondary.
Using those athletes to cover the field should give the Panthers an edge on defense, which allowed just 18.5 points per game.
“We
had to play some younger guys in those spots last year,” Rupe said.
“I’m excited that we have a lot of experience back there as well as
several great athletes.”
Wycinski will handle the punting duties and is slated to share the kicking duties with Alfman.
Special teams remains a focal point, and Rupe won’t overlook that group.
“We’ve
had to play guys three ways in the past because of our lack of depth,”
Rupe said. “We want experience (on special teams) because it can lead to
game-changing plays. We must have better attention to detail and
experience will help. We will find blows for players in other places if
we need to.”
There is optimism surrounding the Panthers, but execution of all three phases will ultimately be the difference.
“We’ve
given the kids the blueprint to get the job done and put them in the
best position with film, walk-throughs and conditioning,” Rupe said. “I
know we have the potential to be in the top tier of the league, but it’s
up to our kids once they take the field.”