By GENE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
The Amherst High School football team could be a contender in the Central Wisconsin Conference Large Division this season, head coach Harry Page thinks.
"We've got some promise," he said. "Whether they'll live up to it or not is the question. How far they progress is the key."
The Falcons have 10 seniors, seven juniors and 19 sophomores on this year's team, with a number of them seeing action on the 2002 squad that finished 3-6 overall and sixth in the CWC large with a 3-5 record.
The team lost three All-Conference performers, but returns two who made honorable mention all-conference, senior linebacker Joe Blanke and sophomore defensive lineman Chris Page.
Coach Page looks at Wittenberg-Birnamwood to be strong again in the conference, along with Weyauwega-Fremont.
"If we can continue to improve and stay away from injuries, we can make the top tier," Page said. "Everyone on the team wants to go to the playoffs. That's our top goal. With 17 seniors and juniors, we have to have our sophomores step up and take over."
Page expects a big season from Blanke, a fullback and linebacker. "Part of it will be how much he runs at fullback. He's strong enough to do some things."
The biggest void in the backfield from last season is at running back, where Sam Werner earned second team all conference honors. "I think we can replace Sam," Page said.
Senior Jared Dombrowski will play a lot at halfback if he can stay injury-free, along with junior Justin Mangen. "He's a good running back," Page said about Mangen, "I want to find a spot for him."
At quarterback for the second straight season will be senior Nate Shulfer. At 6-2, Shulfer is a big quarterback for the area and Page said he feels Shulfer gained a lot of experience in the position last year, which should be beneficial this year.
Shulfer also played the defensive secondary last year, but Page hopes someone steps forward to take his place on defense. "I don't want to have the quarterback on the field when we need to talk to him about some plays," Page said.
Two of the receivers, senior Brandon McCormick and junior Brad Koback, are speedsters, members of the Amherst 4x200-meter relay team that shattered the state's Division 3 record in that event last spring. They'll be backed by senior Matt Repinski and sophomore Travis Dick. Gone from last year's squad is first-team all-conference receiver Phil Koback, who also received honorable mention as a punter.
Chris Page holds forth at tight end and had been a quarterback prospect last year until he broke a finger.
Page expects the offensive line to be one of the strengths this season, with senior Pete Ostrowski at center, senior Josh Pacocha at one guard and senior Jed Shulfer and junior Casey Fisher at the tackles.
Shulfer put in a lot of time in the weight room in the off-season, Page said, and looks ready to go. Fisher is coming back from a knee injury and has looked good, Page said.
Page said he's still looking for the second guard, and junior Matt Ehr is one of the possibilities. Graduated is guard Shane Rzentkowski who was named to the second-team All-Conference.
Defensively, Page feels the team will be solid, although several players will be going both ways, on offense and defense, a typical situation for small schools.
The defensive line will be manned by Ostrowski, Jed Shulfer, senior Brian Thompson, Chris Page, Fisher and Ehr.
The linebackers will include Blanke, Dombrowski, Pacocha and Mangen.
In the secondary will be McCormick, Koback, Repinski, Dick, Nate Shulfer and Jason Schweitzer, among others.
"Our philosophy is we really are pushing the kids for perfection. We're really stressing fundamentals and discipline," Page said.
Players were recently told they had to run five plays perfectly before the practice would be over because the coaches wanted to make sure their fundamentals such as footwork were correct, he said.
They had to do it several times, he said. "We don't want quantity, we want them to be perfect. I think the kids are buying into it. I think that discipline will help us in close games and give us an advantage."
Page also sees commitment from players. "We have an open weight room during the off-season from November on, and kids have been using it. We have a couple of 300 (pound) bench pressers, which is a first for this school. We've got a core but it hasn't caught on with the whole team. We're trying to change that whole mentality, so we can get them thinking about football year-round."
He pointed to Edgar, a perennial football powerhouse in the state. "It's not like at Edgar, where if you don't lift it's unusual. Their fathers and brothers are kicking their butts to be in there because they played on state championship teams.
"I think we're making headway in that regard, where more are wanting to play football," Page said. "The flag football program has about 125 to150 kids and it's only its third year. It'll be a couple of years before we start seeing those kids. And some from here are playing Pop Warner football in Point.
The coach is encouraged by the size of the players. "We have pretty good size. We have to keep them healthy."
He's also encouraged by the 19 sophomores on the team. "We have a few big ones. Out of those 19 there are 11 that constantly work out during the off-season, Page said. "If we can get into the playoffs, that would help them."
If a few of those sophomores develop during the season, Page said that could make a difference in gaining a playoff berth.
"I think the chemistry on this team is good," he said, adding that seven players shaved their heads in a show of unity. "We've got some good senior leadership. We have to get them to rely on each other.
"I think there's a lot of teams that are similar to each other and there'll be a lot of close games," he said. "We want the execution."
The Falcons open the season at home against Menominee Indian at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29, and Page hopes the team executes its plays. "We really want our execution to be great against Menominee so we get ready to execute against the others."
The team will need that for upcoming road games. "In the past we've had a hard time on the road," he said. "You expect to win at home, but you have to win on the road."
They'll be getting their feet wet in a scrimmage at Iola on Friday, Aug. 22, against the Iola-Scandinavia team.