Almond-Bancroft well-balanced on both sides By MIKE BEACOM of The Gazette There's plenty for fans of the Almond-Bancroft Eagles to be excited about this football season. If the chips fall right, the team could still be playing in November. Head coach Rodney Wedig, who watched last year's squad fall to Pacelli, 28-6, in the first round of the playoffs, brings to the table a well-balanced offense and a defense that has very few weak points. "Everyone on our defense has great speed," said Wedig. "We're counting on our defense to be our strength this year and hopefully they'll force some turnovers and make some big plays." The defense Wedig is betting his chances on returns its top six tacklers from 2001 and a wealth of talent at the linebacker position. Second-team All-Central Wisconsin Conference (CWC) Small Division middle linebacker Jacob Warzynski (who had 67 tackles for the squad last year) leads the group, with teammates Chris Lamb (65 tackles) and Jason Sanchez helping Warzynski fill the gaps on defense. "We have an outstanding corps of linebackers," said Wedig, who will also count on Randy Berry and Joel Erickson to contribute at the position. One area of concern for Wedig could be the defensive line. The CWC had five teams, including Almond-Bancroft, that rushed the ball for more than 1,500 yards in 2001 and plugging the middle of the line will be a key for the Eagles to be successful this season. Fortunately for Eagles fans, of the top six conference rushers in 2001, only Almond-Bancroft's Warzynski returns. Iola's two-headed backfield of Mike Hoyard and Matt Whitaker that produced nearly 2,400 yards of rushing were both lost to graduation. In the secondary, the Eagles will be led by Dave Johnson, an all-conference honorable mention free safety last year, who led the team with four interceptions and had 52 tackles. Brian Scheel fills in at strong side cornerback. As optimistic as Wedig is about his defense, he has as many reasons to feel upbeat about his passing and running game on the offensive side of the football. The team returns Warzynski at halfback (813 yards rushing and nine touchdowns) and with 164 yards, he'll become the second leading rusher in school history. They also return CWC passing leader Joel Erickson at quarterback (1,105 passing yards and 10 touchdowns) and two of the team's top receivers from a year ago in Johnson (16 receptions for 310 yards and three touchdowns) and Scheel (nine receptions for 346 yards and one touchdown). "This is the most talented group of skilled position players I've ever had," said Wedig. Wedig believes opposing defenses will have to deal with a catch-22 when facing his offensive unit. "If teams try to stack eight against us, we'll throw over them. If they back up on us, we'll run the ball," said Wedig. "I feel confident both running and throwing the football." The key to the offense could be the same group of players that the defense is counting on to step up in 2002 - the line. Seniors Zach Mykisen, Heslyn Menadue and Tony Harn return from last season with several others battling it out for the final two starting spots. Adam Berry will line up at the tight end spot for Wedig. Wedig is confident in his unit and feels great things could be in front of them for this season. He also feels that another key to having a successful 2002 conference campaign is winning the little battles on the field; something his 5-3 squad from 2001 was unable to do. "(Last year) during those three losses, you could have picked two or three plays that we didn't make that made the difference. Had we made those, we would have been right there. "This year, we have to make those plays, avoid more penalties and force the other team to make mistakes and we will be there," said Wedig. The Eagles first play Princeton on the road on Thursday, Aug. 29, and head to Tigerton on Friday, Sept. 13, to open their conference schedule. "I think it will be a well-balanced conference this year and it could come down to a penalty here or one big play there," said Wedig. "That's why I think we need to take care of the little things." Almond-Bancrfot 2002 Football Schedule Thursday, Aug. 29, at Princeton, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6, vs. Tri-County, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, at Tigerton, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, vs. Wild Rose, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, at Shiocton, 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, vs. Bowler (homecoming), 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11, at Marion, 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, at Iola-Scandinavia, 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, vs. Port Edwards, 7 p.m.