Staff file photo / Neel Madhavan LaBrae’s Kenny Yoho (9) tries to shake off a Warren JFK defender during the Vikings’ victory over the Eagles last season in Liberty.

LEAVITTSBURG — Every season under Jon Elliot has been a step in the right direction for the LaBrae football team.

After amassing a 6-15 record in Elliot’s first three seasons, the Vikings had their best year yet under the current staff, going 7-4 last season.

“I just wanna take each game, win one at a time and move on,” Elliot said.

The Vikings started strong in 2024, winning their first three games before falling to Garfield. They won four of their next five before dropping their last two games, including a 20-13 loss to Smithville in the first round of the Division VI, Region 21 playoffs.

Elliot has seen the progress his program has made over the last four seasons, and he’s also well aware of what is necessary to get the Vikings back on top in the Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Grey Tier.

Garfield, Liberty and Crestview have been a thorn in the Vikings’ side the last few seasons, and LaBrae went 0-3 against the trio last year as well.

In order for the Vikings to contend for a MVAC Grey title, they need to start picking up wins against that group, according to Elliot.

“Hopefully we got a better chance at beating Garfield, and Liberty’s got a new coaching staff — they’ll be well-coached too — and Crestview,” Elliot said. “We’re kinda in the same position as last year, it’s can we maintain, execute when we have to and make plays enough to win those extra three games, or one or two of them.”

OFFENSE

LaBrae’s offense is run oriented, but they bring back one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the area.

Kenny Yoho returns for his senior season. He’s started the last couple years, and in 2024, he posted 544 yards passing after completing 37-of-58 passes for four touchdowns. Yoho will have plenty of options going into his final varsity season.

“We’re gonna put a lot more on his shoulders, as far as throwing the ball and operating the offense,” Elliot said. “He’s a smart kid, he works real hard, he’s competitive and he does a great job of directing everything. So we’re gonna do some more stuff in the passing game to open up the running game a little bit.”

The most talented portion of this year’s squad will be the skill-position weapons.

Easton Armstrong returns after getting the nod as an All-Inland District honorable mention last season after a 900-yard campaign. Jaime Faulkner is also expected to see an uptick in carries since he’s more of a “true fullback.”

Eric Reibold was a running back last season, but Elliot moved him to the wing. With the change in position, Elliot believes he can get Reibold a few more touches. Treyton Derry is also returning as a wing.

Eli Harper is back on the football team after a year away from LaBrae. He was in the program until he got hurt his sophomore season in 2023, but Elliot said that Harper could be used as an athlete and moved to multiple positions on the field.

“This is the most wide receiver skill I’ve had, and they all have to play defense, so we’re gonna try to put him in positions where we can get two-for-two on offense and defense,” Elliot said. “They can come off when they play series, and this way we can keep our skill pretty fresh.”

LaBrae’s offense will have one major question mark.

The Vikings had a veteran group along the offensive line last year. Officially, they only return two starters in Gage Hasler and Matt Kujala.

Hasler will move from right tackle to the blindside for his senior season, and Kujala was switched from right guard to left guard as a junior.

Mike Molnar got some experience last season and will be the starting center this season. Sophomore Noah Lipinski is penciled in to be the starting right guard, and junior Josh Frantz is expected to take over at right tackle. Joining the guys up front will be junior Zach Bartholomew, who was moved from the wing to tight end over the offseason, and senior Jace Rutherford, who transitioned from full back to tight end.

“Two starters on the line are back. Our issue is the other three spots,” Elliot said. “Now, we feel comfortable with two of them. They’re younger but got varsity reps in practice, a little bit in a game.”

DEFENSE

Elliot wants his defense to be strong up the middle.

The Vikings run a three-down front, and the team wants to be a little quicker with its linemen. Junior Jeremiah Henry-Poulson is penciled in at the nose tackle spot. Reibold returns at defensive end, and Lipinski or Rutherford will man the other end position.

Additionally, Kujala and Hasler will also see some time as part of a rotation up front.

Faulkner will be the man in the middle for the linebackers, and sophomore Max DeSmith was forced into the weak-side linebacker spot due to injuries in 2024 but he’s back with some experience under his belt.

Armstrong returns as the strong-side linebacker after leading the team in tackles last season, and Gabe Lofton and Bartholomew will also get time at outside linebacker.

“(DeSmith) is so good running to the ball. He played linebacker when he was younger, so we moved him there,” Elliot said.

In the secondary, Dillon Bate was moved from outside linebacker to safety to help with opposing running games. Seniors De’marriyae Jackson and Zack Freeman return after starting last season at cornerback, and Harper’s versatility will come into play defensively as well as he plays corner and safety.

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Vikings had a reliable kicker in Josh Biery last season, but he graduated this past spring.

For being a smaller school, LaBrae had the unusual luxury of having three players that specialized in kicking on their roster in 2024, so there were a couple kickers waiting for their shot.

Juniors Nate Huscroft and Christian Kerber were battling it out for the place kicking role over the summer.

Armstrong will handle the punting responsibilities again this season and he will be the short snapper. Yoho got time last season as the long snapper as well.