Published: August 20, 2008 10:30 pm            

Terre Haute North football season preview: Stocked full of skill

TERRE HAUTE — An experienced but still youthful bunch of skill-position players will help carry the hopes of Terre Haute North this fall, as the Patriots hope to improve on last year’s 3-8 high school football season.

Four of the six probable starters in the Patriots’ glamour roles are returning regulars, yet only two of them — tight end Billy Sisson and flanker Frank Willis — are seniors. Sisson, a 6-foot-1, 210-pounder, might be the best at his position in the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference, and Willis, at 6-3 and 190, has the potential to earn similar status himself this fall.

Those two aren’t much more experienced than two of their younger teammates who will be in the backfield, however. Junior Ben King (5-11, 190) will be earning his third varsity letter as he starts at running back, and sophomore slotback Daniel Gabbard (5-9, 160) flashed speed and instincts as he earned varsity time at the end of his freshman campaign.

Taking over at quarterback will be junior Chris O’Leary (6-2, 185), while the candidates at split end are led by junior Aaron Allen (6-3, 215) and senior Josh Loudermilk (5-6, 165).

“Skill-wise, we’re a little better,” coach Chris Barrett said recently. “A lot of those guys have experience.”

There’s not as much experience among the players who will be opening the holes, however.

Senior guard Dru Sappington (6-2, 285) is the leader of the blockers and will be joined by sophomore David Knight (6-1, 225) at center, senior Lance Lloyd (5-11, 240) at the other guard and senior Brandon Heaton (6-2, 280) along with either junior Caleb Coons (6-1, 261) or sophomore Dillon Bole (6-2, 250) at the tackles.

Two more linemen who should contribute are senior Jase Kaufman (5-11, 267) and junior Trent Walls (5-9, 215), while sophomore Jamar Gregory (5-7, 165) and junior Steven Belleu (5-9, 175) could see action at running back and slotback respectively.

A deep linebacking corps should be the key to North’s defense. Senior veterans Cory Porter (5-7, 215) and Stephen Stucker (5-11, 210) are on the inside, seniors Eli Bean (6-1, 190) and Chris Hawkins (6-1, 175) on the outside, and other possibilities there include Sisson and sophomore Michael Mace (5-9, 175) on the inside and King and junior Nicholas Andreason (5-9, 160) on the outside.

A speedy defensive backfield will be directed by senior veteran David Woodason (6-1, 175) at safety. Cornerbacks are expected to be senior Scott Weatherford (6-1, 170) and sophomore Dillon Hare (6-1, 166), with Willis and Gabbard available if necessary.

Three defensive line starters are expected to be senior tackle Nathan Dugger (6-3, 215) and Walls plus junior Doug Collett (5-11, 190) at ends. Junior Shawn Riggs (6-1, 192) is another possibility at end, and Porter could play there too if necessary. The other tackle spot, though, could be filled on a rotation basis by one of the offensive linemen.

“Like many high school teams, depth on the offensive line and the defensive line is our biggest question mark,” Barrett noted.

There’s competition for spots in the kicking game, with senior Wade Bush (6-3, 185) and junior Logan Valentine (5-11, 135) vying for placekicking chores and Weatherford or Bush expected to punt. Another possibility for kickoffs might be sophomore lineman Zech Bennett (6-2, 225).

The Patriots are probably not in a position yet where they can afford a major injury. Who knows what the team’s record could have been a year ago, for example, had not David White — potentially a take-it-to-the-house runner — not suffered a knee injury in the third game and been lost for the bulk of the MIC season.

But Barrett is ready to face the state’s top teams — perhaps including Friday’s opener at Castle — with what he has.

“At the beginning, I was worried about our mental toughness,” he admitted, “but we’ve had a great [preseason] camp. [The Patriots] have been very coachable, and guys are stepping up as leaders.”

Three of the ones stepping up were voted captains by their teammates last week — Sappington, Willis and Woodason.



Terre Haute North schedule

Friday — At Castle, 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 29 — vs. Terre Haute South at Memorial Stadium, 7 p.m. (MIC)

Sept. 5 — Northview, 7 p.m.

Sept. 12 — Center Grove, 7 p.m. (MIC)

Sept. 19 — At Ben Davis, 7 p.m. (MIC)

Sept. 26 — Warren Central, 7 p.m. (MIC)

Oct. 3 — At Lawrence North, 7 p.m. (MIC)

Oct. 10 — Carmel, 7 p.m. (MIC)

Oct. 17 — At Indianapolis North Central, 7 p.m. (MIC)

MIC — Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference game

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.