By Spencer Waugh
Logan Daily News
Southeastern Ohio Athletic League this fall. Spencer Waugh of loganfootball.com and a contributing sports writer for The Logan Daily News, offers a preview for each.

CHILLICOTHE came within one game of its first SEOAL championship last fall, falling to Logan 23-13 in week 10. The Cavaliers still had an outstanding season, advancing to the second round of the Division III playoffs.

The Cavaliers have a ton of holes to fill on both sides of the football, but expect their athleticism and overall depth on defense to keep the Blue and White near the top of the SEOAL standings — maybe even the very top.
Replacing four-year starter Caleb Knights at quarterback will be priority number one, and senior Shay Netter (6-foot-2, 230 pounds) is the leading candidate. Netter was a tackling machine last fall for CHS, and this year will add offense to his resume.

The Cavs also will rely on Ohio State-bound kicker/punter Drew Basil (6-2, 200, senior) to make big plays on special teams. Basil makes the Cavs offense a scoring threat as soon as they cross the opponent’s 30-yard line. The senior was 8-of-12 on field goals last fall with a long of 50 yards.

Chillicothe hopes to get production from Casey Oates (6-1, 170, junior) at tailback and returning starter Danny Demick (6-0, 240, senior) at fullback. The receivers are inexperienced, but full of athletes led by Marty Dunn (5-10, 160, senior) and Isaac Beverly (6-1, 160, junior).

Defensively, the Cavs will be rebuilding their five-man front. Demick will anchor one side as a returning starter at defensive end while J.T. Gray (5-10, 300, senior) will be one of the interior linemen.

Netter recorded nearly 200 total tackles last fall and should be one of the league’s top defensive players in 2009. Beverly and Oates are returning starters in the defensive secondary.

GALLIA ACADEMY, along with Jackson, welcomes a new head football coach for 2009. Mike Eddy takes over the Blue Devil program after previously serving as defensive coordinator at Parkersburg (W.Va.) High School.

Eddy, a disciplinarian who hangs his hat on defense, is working on improving the toughness and conditioning of his Blue Devil football team. The Blue and White make the shift from the spread on offense to the run-oriented wing-T and from a 3-5 stack defense to a 4-4 base defense.

With less than a dozen seniors, the Blue Devils will not have the depth they have had in the past. Junior Ethan Moore (6-1, 180) is a returning starter at quarterback. Moore completed 78 of 109 yards for 822 yards with four touchdowns and six interceptions.

Also lining up in the Blue Devil backfield will be junior Jared Golden (6-1, 200) and senior Nate Allison (5-10, 185; 95 rushes, 505 yards, seven TD) along with junior wing back Austin Wilson (5-8, 150; 18 rushes, 71 yards, one TD, and 26 catches, 187 yards, one TD).

Wilson will be a dual threat out of the backfield with the skill set to beat opponents as a runner and as a receiver.

Defensively, look for senior ends Jared Gravely (6-4, 210) and Shaun Penthel (6-4, 200) to anchor the defensive line.

Allison will lead the GAHS linebacking corps while junior Tyler Eastman (6-1, 160), Moore and Wilson will be starters in the defensive secondary.

Another notable fact for Chieftains fans: former LHS quarterback Alex Penrod remains on staff with the Blue Devils as the freshman coach while helping with the quarterbacks on the varsity and reserve teams.

One of the league favorites will be IRONTON. The Fighting Tigers return 12 starters, including all five offensive linemen.

The Fighting Tigers are looking to make history in 2009.

First off, the Tigers have reached the state championship game in years ending with nine every decade since the playoffs began in 1972.

The Orange and Black won both their state championships in those years (1979 and 1989) and they came with a few minutes of winning a third in 1999 when they lost to Sandusky Perkins.

On top of the every-10-years cycle, coach Bob Lutz is six wins from tying the Ohio high school record for victories by a head coach. With seven or more wins in 2009, Lutz will be the all-time winningest coach in Ohio high school football history.

The Fighting Tiger offensive line, anchored by seniors Sam Cramblitt (6-0, 265) and Chris Warner (5-11, 210) will be the key to Ironton’s success.

Ironton’s line will block for fullback Keith Wetzel (5-7, 195, senior) who ran for 14 touchdowns and nearly five yards per carry last fall. J.P Taylor (6-1, 190, senior) and Tres Wilkes (5-7, 155, junior) will compete for the halfbacks spots.

Tommy Waginger (5-11, 160, junior) and Ethan Preston (5-10, 160, senior) are competing for the starting quarterback spot, and it’s possible that whoever isn’t under center will see time at halfback or split end.

Seniors Jon Monning (6-2, 170) and Casey Jones (6-4, 240) will be the ends on both sides of the ball and both have plenty of experience. Monning has started the last two seasons, and Jones started as a sophomore in 2007 and backed up Mike Lamb last year after Lamb transferred to IHS from Fairland High School. Lamb is now a linebacker at Marshall University.

Cramblitt and junior Brad Spaljaric (6-3, 260) will be two of the Ironton interior defensive linemen, while senior Erin Edens (6-1, 195) and junior Brian Warner (6-1, 210) will be the linebackers.

Preston and Waginger will be the safeties in the Tigers secondary, while Wilkes and Taylor should see time at cornerback.

Like GAHS, JACKSON is experiencing an off-season of change following the resignation of Shane Wolford and the hiring of Andy Hall, formerly of Sciotoville East. Hall helped the Tartans to back-to-back playoff appearances the last two years.

Expect a different look from the Ironmen, who will move away from their traditional veer offense and 4-4 base defense.

Instead, look for a balanced offensive attack that will show spread and more traditional formations that rely on speed instead of power. Defensively, Jackson moves to a 3-3-5 stack similar to the defense run by West Virginia University.

Quarterbacking for the Red and White will be Gallia Academy transfer Kruize Wandling. Wandling was a two-and-a-half-year starter for the Blue Devils despite struggling with injuries during his career.

Senior Eric Landrum (5-10, 185) will get snaps at quarterback and will also play running back when Wandling is handling the quarterback duties.

Junior Klay Arthur (6-0, 195; 116 carries, 427 yards, five TD) is a returning starter in the offensive backfield. Classmate Dewey Stepp (6-0, 180) returns after a knee injury sidelined him last season and will give JHS another solid option in the offensive backfield.

Other skill players looking to earn playing time are RB/WR Drew Ervin (5-8, 155, sophomore), RB O.J. Barr (5-8, 170, sophomore), WR Derrick Meredith (5-10, 155, junior) and WR Ryan Mullins (5-8, 155, senior). Meredith is one of the fastest players on the Jackson roster.

Up front, the Red and White will lack the size SEOAL teams are used to seeing. Seniors Frankie Mapes (6-0, 250), Jimmy Brushart (5-10, 210), and center Ryan Klingaman (6-0, 185) will be the anchors.

Defensively, Jackson will move to the aforementioned 3-3-5 stack and will emphasize blitzing and angles to create confusion for offensive lines.

Klingaman, Brushart, and Mapes will be three players fighting for time on the defensive line. Senior Nathaniel Haller (5-11, 210) is a returning starter at middle linebacker and will be flanked by Tyler Gillum (5-10, 200, senior) and Arthur. Landrum will see time at a hybrid outside linebacker/defensive end position.

Meredith will be a monster back in the secondary while Stepp should see time at outside linebacker.

Defending champion LOGAN hopes that a year of experience utilizing the spread offense will lead to even more production in 2009, Dale Amyx’s 20th season as the LHS grid boss.

The headlines belong to Patrick Angle (6-1, 210, senior), a 2008 first-team Division II All-Ohio quarterback who re-wrote the LHS passing records by completing 177 of 286 passes for 2,496 yards with 25 touchdowns against only 11 interceptions. Angle also rushed for over 500 yards and seven touchdowns in 2008.

Leading receiver Mason Mays (6-0, 175, senior) returns after catching a school record 57 balls for 852 yards and 13 touchdowns. Along with Mays, classmates Jordan Rutter (6-0, 165; 21 catches, 309 yards, two TDs) and Zach McDaniel (5-11, 170; 12 catches, 166 yards, TD) bring receiving experience.

Michael Snider (6-0, 190, senior) split time at fullback last fall and should be the Chiefs top weapon from the offensive backfield.

Up front, two-year starter Bobby Russell (6-2, 250, senior) returns at center while Jeff Murphy (6-0, 220, senior) and Tim King (6-1, 225, junior) return at guard and tackle, respectively.

Defensively, Snider leads an inexperienced linebacking corps after leading the Purple & White in tackles last fall. Mays moves from cornerback to outside linebacker while Brandon Graham (6-1, 195, junior) and Dylan Cavinee (5-11, 160, junior) are competing for the third linebacker spot.

Ralph Robinson (6-0, 200, senior) returns at defensive end and classmate Ryan Sigler (6-3, 190) will play opposite after seeing significant playing time in 2008. Seniors T.J. McCray (5-11, 280) and Kyle Andy (5-11, 200) will play on the interior line.

MARIETTA and second-year head coach Andy Schob look to move on after the loss of three-year starting quarterback Cody Westbrook.

The Tigers finished 4-6 a year ago, including a 3-3 record against SEOAL opponents. Although the Orange and Black have some rebuilding to do, expectations are to increase their win total in 2009.

Offensively, look for the Tigers to continue to attack teams with power running and short passes from spread formations. Perry Wheeler (6-0, 190, senior) rushed for 1,037 yards and 19 touchdowns on 202 carries last fall, and he’ll once again have Conner Hess (6-2, 255, junior) to run behind. Hess ran for more than 200 yards and a touchdown in 2008.

Under center, Lance Weppler (6-2, 215, senior) and Morgan Wynn (5-10, 165, junior) are battling for the starting position. Weppler will be a linebacker on defense while Wynn is likely to see time at receiver and defensive back if he doesn’t win the starting quarterback spot.

Billy Grizer (5-11, 170, senior) returns after making 30 catches for 615 yards and four touchdowns last season. Other receivers who should play key roles are Josh Benson (5-9, 155, junior); Tyler Davis (5-11, 145, senior), and Dustin Baker (5-10, 171, sophomore).

Up front, guards Ryan Offenberger (5-10, 227, senior) and Adam Baker (6-2, 190, junior) are returning starters, as is tackle Wes Wagner (6-1, 190, junior). Keifer Johnson (5-9, 281, sophomore) will step into the all-important center spot in the Tigers spread offense.

Defensively, the Orange and Black will look to continue to improve against opposing running games, an area where Marietta made big improvements last fall. Weppler and Hess are returning starters at defensive end and should lead the defensive line.

Offenberger and Wheeler are returning starters in the linebacking corps, with Jake Zide (5-10, 195, senior) and Cameron Bronski (5-9, 200, junior) leading the competition at the other linebacker positions.

In the secondary, Grizer is a returning starter at one of the cornerback spots. Sophomore Matt McKitrick (5-10, 163, sophomore) is fighting for a spot in the secondary as well.

After going 1-9 in 2008, PORTSMOUTH hopes its youth movement pays off as last year’s inexperienced sophomores and juniors become veteran juniors and seniors.

While Nate Cadogan heads to Penn State and John Prior leaves for Florida State, nearly every other starter returns for coach Curt Clifford’s 21st season.

Leading the way is junior quarterback Josh Myers (6-1, 180), a returning starter who had a solid sophomore year despite an inconsistent offensive line.

Angelo Jackson (5-10, 190, junior) and Jonathan Royster (5-10, 155, junior) provide a dynamic one-two punch in the backfield. Royster has sprinter speed and will also split out as a wide receiver, while Jackson has the power to run over defenders.

In addition to Royster, the Trojan receiving corps includes London Malone (5-10, 155, senior); Kyle Simpson (5-11, 175, junior), and Patrick Underwood (6-1, 160, senior).

Up front, the Red and Blue return four starters, led by tackle Casey Sanders (6-4, 260, junior), guards Brennan Howard (6-0, 280, junior) and Clay Lewis (6-0, 230, junior), and center Justin Welch (5-8, 220, senior).

Defensively, Portsmouth’s 4-4 defense is led by a defensive line which includes Jason James (6-0, 200, senior) at end with Sanders and Howard playing inside.

Among the linebacking corps, Jackson and Tre Underwood (6-2, 195, senior) will play inside with Andrew Gulley (5-8, 175, junior) and Jalen Kennedy (5-10, 195, senior) on the outside.

Malone is a three-year starter in the secondary along with Myers and Patrick Underwood.

Speaking of bouncing back, WARREN hopes 2009 is the year it completes its rebound from fighting to avoid the basement to competing for a championship.

The Warriors, who were consistently in the top half of the SEOAL throughout the 90s, went through multiple head coaches and are glad to have Jim Pifer back for a third straight season.

The Big Blue return 12 starters, and the hope in Washington County is that a larger roster and more commitment to the weight room will lead to more depth and a chance to finish .500 or better for the first time since 2000.

To do so, the Warriors’ offensive line needs to be effective so that their ground-based wing-T attack can cause problems for opposing defenses.

Tackle Cody Alfred (6-5, 225, senior), guard Jon Arbuckle (6-0, 215, senior) and center Dustin Timberman (6-0, 245, junior) are all returning starters.

Clay Ellenwood (6-2, 200, senior) returns at quarterback a year after completing 52 of 99 passes for 566 yards with three touchdowns. For the Warriors to reach their goals, Ellenwood must improve on his 3-to-9 touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio.

Joining Ellenwood in the backfield are Kyle Pritt (5-11, 195, senior) at tailback and Kaleb Wolfe (6-0, 215, senior) at fullback. Wolfe rushed for over 300 yards and a touchdown last fall. Evan Arnold (5-11, 175, senior) and Eric Mason (5-10, 160, senior) will each see time at wingback.

Tight end Grant Venham (6-3, 200, junior) will be the Warriors’ top receiving target and Justin Yocum (5-10, 170, senior) has the inside track at split end.