Increased maturity, growth to benefit Warriors
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BROOKFIELD -- A year removed from starting a handful of freshmen all over the field in key positions, Brookfield football is counting on the lessons learned from the 5-6 overall record last season to propel the Warriors as the new season begins.
For head coach Randy Clark, entering his 19th season at the helm of the program, those lessons should translate to wins.
Clark noted two back-to-back games last season, Crestview and LaBrae in weeks six and seven, respectively, which ended in heartbreaking fashion as his squad was up big at intermission.
"Those were two games we should have won," Clark said. "We were leading by 20 at the half and bonehead mistakes came into effect and we ended up losing the games. It's very critical that these younger guys realize that the maturity level is much different at this level of football than any other level they played."
Clark also added that those losses served a purpose in terms of maturity for the team. The ability to bounce back from such losses can really make those formerly inexperienced players grow.
"I've always said you learn more from losses than any victories you'll have. Last year, we let a few games get away and our kids were able to grow from that," Clark said. "Our goal (this year) is to make sure we execute. We know last year we weren't a very physical team. Two things we need to work on is our physicality and we need to compete -- that comes with maturity. We're working our tails off in order to achieve that, but I'm proud of our kids and I think they'll be fine. For being freshmen last year, they stepped up to the plate and did what was expected of them."
A season ago, two key positions were fielded by freshmen. Quarterback Josh Rankin and running back Rico Smith were both starters and, in Clark's mind, the duo performed well. Rankin ended the season tossing for over 1,200 yards and Smith tallied over 1,700 yards on the ground, Clark said.
"I think we're a lot more stable this year with what we want to do, who we have and where we have them," Clark added.
Smith's prowess running the ball, however, translated to more carries and a lot of offense being centered around his ability as a running back last season. While Rankin threw the ball well, much of the offensive output came from Smith on the ground. This season, Clark said with Rankin having a full year under his belt, as well as some versatile weapons at the receiver and tight end positions, passing the ball will be an explored avenue as well.
"We plan on doing a lot of play-action passes and drop back passes with Rankin this year because we want him to mature more, and he's gotten a lot better at the mental side of the game like reading defenses. We plan on having a good year out of him and I'd like to see him throw for 1,200-1,500 yards again this year," Clark said. "He's done a great job in the weight room this offseason. ... He's had a good summer and just needs to continue to grow."
OFFENSE
Speaking on the growth of the underclassman signal caller, Clark is confident that Rankin will take the experience from last year and use it to his advantage.
"We expect him to grow into the position and get through those freshman mistakes and move forward," Clark said. "Quarterback isn't like any other position. You've got to have game reps."
The supporting cast surrounding Rankin also featured a host of other freshmen last season.
"Our center and running back were freshmen, one of our receivers was a freshman and one of our guards was a freshman also, so he had a lot on him," Clark said.
Thankfully, the running back Clark alluded to turned out to be a pivotal role in the Brookfield offense. The run game for the Warriors last season turned out to be one of the team's strengths, according to Clark.
"We were pretty dang good at running the football last year with Smith. Our strength on offense was running the football," he said.
Before the season last year, Clark said to the Tribune Chronicle that Smith would be "a name you'll be hearing for a long time... He's very good. He's not built like a freshman, doesn't play like a freshman and doesn't act like a freshman. He's strong and fast."
That prediction turned out to be a reality as a bulk of the offense last year, and a good chunk of the offense this year, is planned to center around the now-sophomore running back. Clark said he's unsure of how large of a percentage will be focused on Smith handling the ball, but it's not going to be minimal.
"I think up front, blocking-wise, we're going to be better than we were last year. With Smith in the backfield, our offense is going to revolve around him," Clark added.
Leading the blocking efforts this season will be Devin Reardon, Japer Malufau, Brady Hiner and Jacob Hodge. The latter of which was praised by Clark for his transformation as the season waned on last year.
"(Hodge) played all of last year and was one of our better linemen by the end of the year. So with all of those guys back, we should be pretty decent up front," Clark said. "I have a lot of faith in the guys up front. Other than Smith, I think the strength of our offense is up front. As long as they stay healthy and we can get them in shape, since most of them play both ways, we're going to depend on those guys a lot."
To add to the offensive weapons, senior wide receiver Christian Davis will be tapped for his ability to create big plays, if given the opportunity.
Clark commended Davis on his speed, above all else. Davis boasted over 900 yards receiving last year and his speed can make what appears to be a short pass turn into a long touchdown.
"He can catch the ball a yard past the line of scrimmage and take it 90 yards," Clark said.
Complementing Davis will be senior Deegan Hunkus, who Clark said saw a lot of playing time last season. Rounding out the hands team is a good blocking tight end with "a decent set of hands," according to Clark and the team's wing back.
"Those four are all good receivers, but with our offense, all of them have to be able to block," Clark added.
DEFENSE
As is custom for most schools in the Mahoning Valley, Brookfield's defense will feature many two-way players.
Unique to Clark's squad, however, is the loss of Kaiden Kirila and Brett Carsone. Both played crucial roles in the defense scheme last year so those spots, and the defense as a whole, will need to step up and make big plays, Clark said.
The loss of Kirila at linebacker is a sizable loss.
"He was someone who had 160 tackles and is hard to replace," Clark said. "The defense last year revolved around him. He pretty much made every tackle and other teams knew that. We need some younger guys, and some of the older guys, to step up and work through that."
As for Carsone's departure, that leaves a hole at the cornerback position. Clark noted a few of his players are working to fill that role. Across the field at the other cornerback slot is Davis, which Clark said is "locked down." At safety, Clark added both spots are filled with returning players.
The linebacker group will be comprised of Malufau, Smith, CJ Campana and Mathews High School transfer Timothy Gregorino.
Speaking of Gregorino, Clark said the senior linebacker spent his middle school years at Brookfield before taking his talents to Mathews. For his senior season, however, Clark said Gregorino has returned home to round out his high school career.
"We're expecting big things out of him at the position, too," he said.
As for filling Kirila's slot, Clark is hoping Malufau will pick up the torch and run with it, also saying he has high hopes for the senior.
Brookfield runs an odd front with three down linemen. With that, Clark is looking at Brady Hiner and Hodge to be the two up front that can get in the backfield and cause mayhem. He also explained the defensive end position has some depth, so he's anticipating a few of his players to be able to get in the game and be playmakers.
SPECIAL TEAMS
For the special teams side of things, handling kickoff and extra point attempts will be a recruit from the soccer team, Brandon Evans. Punting duties will fall to Davis.
Brookfield opens the season Aug. 23 at home against Hubbard.
Have an interesting story? Contact Nathanael Hawthorne by email at nhawthorne@tribtoday.com.