Staff file photo / Brian Yauger Chalker’s Ethan Bosch brings down a Sebring runner during the team’s meeting last season. Chalker won that game 40-8.

Chalker’s first season with some stability set the bar high.

The Wildcats reached the state semifinals in their first year as a full-time 8-man program and the success has only made them hungry for more.

Coming off a 5-4 season where Chalker scored at least 40 points in each of those wins, the Wildcats hope to use last season’s success as a base and grow from there in 2025.

“The kids are hungry. They’re ready to go,” Chalker coach Justin Kren said. “That’s pretty much all they talk about. That’s the fuel right now. It’s getting them going. They’re feeding off of that. That last game, coming up short. They’ve still got that bitter taste in their mouth. They want to make it to the state championship. They fell a game short last year. That’s their goal. Our goal, and my goal as a coach is, we stay healthy, we compete every game, and these kids succeed. That’s my main goal, just to watch them succeed in life.”

Last season’s success has already left a ripple effect in the program. It’s allowed the newer players to buy in easier, and the veteran players know what needs to be done to sustain the team.

“It gives them a little bit of that more motivation that they’re a winning team,” Kren said. “They can win. They compete and they can win. I think it’s exciting for them to help them put in a little extra every day, knowing that, ‘Hey, we got to stay on top of our games. We want to continue on this route.’

Entering year two of the program’s 8-man era has the added benefit of spending less time explaining the minutiae of each difference between 8 and 11-man football.

“(It’s helped) especially the younger classes,” Kren said. “The upperclassmen already having 8-man experience now that we got a whole season under our belt, helping those guys adjust to it is a big help. But also having the film on it is a big help, also, to the younger classmen. The upperclassmen have a pretty good grasp on what’s going on. So we’re hoping to expand on that more and get a little better at it.”

While state champion Toledo Christian has a target on its back, the Wildcats are also gunning for St. Mary Central Catholic, who upended Chalker twice last season. The 41-6 defeat in the state semifinals is still lingering in their minds. That game left a lot of lessons on the table for the Wildcats, but chief among them according to Kren is just execution.

“You can’t overlook anything in the game. St Mary’s is a very good team. They’re not going to give you very many opportunities to stay in the game,” Kren said. “If you make a mistake, you’re going to pay for it against a team like that. Just getting these guys to execute muscle memory, knowing what their job is on defense, what’s our gap responsibility, making the right calls, communication in our calls, things of that nature. That’s going to help us succeed as a team overall.”

Chalker opens the season on the road against Hermitage Kennedy Catholic.

OFFENSE

Senior Tanner Kelson returns under center for the Wildcats this season after starting last year for the first time.

“He did well last year in his first year, stepping into the role and having the keys to the offense, he did very well,” Kren said. “He’s a smart kid. He’s one of our best athletes on the field, you know? “It’s hard to tell him, ‘Hey, we’re just gonna hand the ball off, or we’re gonna throw the ball’. The kid is smart. He sees the field. He knows what needs to be done to succeed. Having him there and his growth as a senior now and knowing exactly what’s going on is vital to the team.”

Ethan Bosch is back in the backfield for Chalker this season. He missed some time due to injuries, but if healthy, will be a dominant piece for the Wildcats.

“It’s his second year back at the tailback spot,” Kren said. ” He fell just short of 1,000 yards. He had a couple injuries that kept him out of a couple games. One of our captains. He’s a tough kid. We’ll lean on him a lot this year.”

Colt Levensky will return at the fullback spot.

“What you see is what you’re gonna get with him,” Kren said. “He’s a tough, hard-nosed kid. He’s going to run the ball.”

At wide receiver, Tegun Noble and Zach Pack will be the top two guys in the mix. Leland Bosch, Beau Brown, and Zack Zimmerman will all be playing some time at receiver as well.

The offensive line is where the question marks are for the Wildcats this season. Chalker is losing its line from last year, so they’ll have to get creative.

Pack and Zimmerman will also play some offensive line as well as receiver. Ethan Stewart and Paxon Mathew will be involved up front.

DEFENSE

Kren isn’t entirely sure yet what the team’s base defense will be, but the goal is going to be maximizing one of the team’s best skills, its speed.

Pack and Stewart will be the top names to watch for on the defensive line.

Further back, Noble, Levensky, Vince Delvecchio, and Leland Bosch are expected to be the team’s linebackers.

In the secondary, Ethan Bosch and Kelson are expected to be the primary guys.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kelson will also be handling the team’s kicking and punting duties.

With a glut of talent from the skill positions, expect whoever Chalker throws back there to return kicks and punts to be able to make an impact.