Line a strength, QB a mystery for Rockets
Jefferson-Morgan’s Ian Wolf holds the pad for Joe Confortini as he runs through a drill.
Jefferson-Morgan’s Jake Bissett catches the ball during a receiving drill in practice.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Jefferson-Morgan's Brennan Kozich sprints past Coach Dennis Garret during a drill.
JEFFERSON – One of the characteristics of Jefferson-Morgan teams over the years has been big, physical offensive lines who pave the way for a power running game.
That won’t be any different this year as the Rockets have some experience and plenty of talent on their line, led by massive right tackle Ian Wolf.
Wolf, a talented heavyweight wrestler, will be the cornerstone of the Rockets’ front line this season.
“I feel very good about Wolf at right tackle. I think he’s going to maul people this year,” said Rockets head coach Liam Ryan. “He’s a good heavyweight wrestler. He’s as strong as an ox and comes off the ball.”
Wolf isn’t the lone returnee on the line. Junior center Zach Shaffer (6-2, 228) also returns after starting every game in 2013 and gives the Rockets another good-sized athlete up front.
The line was bolstered by a shift in positions of junior Dalton Fowler (5-11, 217).
“Dalton Fowler is a kid who has started for us at middle linebacker and fullback last year,” Ryan said. “He volunteered to move to guard this season on the first day of practice because he knew our situation. He saw our numbers were short there.”
They’ll anchor a line that Ryan feels will help the Rockets be more unpredictable this season.
“We feel good about being able to do some different things with those guys,” Ryan said. “They run pretty well. That’s a pretty good group.”
They will need to be because the Rockets will be breaking in a new quarterback.
Logan Bowman did a little bit of everything for the Rockets last season, leading the team in rushing and receptions and also playing some quarterback.
Bowman was lost to graduation, and Rece Henneman, who split the quarterback duties, is not playing this season.
Senior Austin Clark was in line to handle the duties but suffered a wrist injury, leaving sophomores Joe Headlee and Eli Rafail to battle for the position.
“Joe’s probably had the best camp,” Ryan said. “It was hard on Austin being injured. In the early part of the season, I think we’re looking at Joe. But if you think one of the other guys will give you an advantage, maybe we’ll use Joe at another spot. I don’t have a problem doing that either.”
In the meantime, Clark will play receiver along with fellow senior Joe Confortini.
In the backfield, senior Kailan Foster returns and will be joined by senior Aaron Weaver and junior David Blaker.
“We’re trying to mix it up, stay balanced between the run game and the pass game,” Ryan said. “We didn’t throw it a ton last year. We were kind of run-heavy. That’s where the strength of our roster has been. We were a little bit bigger up front and we’ve had some good backs, so we tend to run the ball a little bit more.”
But in his third season with the Rockets, Ryan finds it’s easier to add to the team’s playbook than in his first two seasons, when everything was new.
“They know our system. We can put in some new stuff and practice that and still go back to stuff we put in last year,” Ryan said. “They still remember that. The older kids coach up the younger kids. That makes our jobs easier. It’s definitely easier putting in new stuff and being able to add. The guys are coaching each other and get better as a group.”
It adds up to a group that Ryan feels can make some noise this season in the Tri-County South.
“I feel pretty good about our team,” he said. “Offensive line-wise, we’re not as big as we’re used to, but they’re an athletic group. We feel good about our backs.
“We’ll see how it goes.”