Greene Football Preview
GREENE – You know the injury bug has snagged you when in the course of a nine-game football season, you're down to your sixth-string long snapper for punts and extra points.
"That was just an example of the injuries we had last year," said Greene head football coach Dave Gorton. "Not many high school teams go six deep for that position."
Not many, if any, teams on any level go six deep at punt snapper.
The 2013 Trojans season started promising enough with back-to-back victories. From there, Greene lost six of its final seven, and four of those defeats were by shutout.
A staple of the Class C playoffs for most of the last decade, Greene's eight-year run of winning seasons came to a close. "At the end of the year, we had more freshmen starting than seniors, and that's not usually a good formula for success," Gorton said. "But even though we didn't do as well record-wise, the young players did get a lot of experience, and are better prepared for this season."
After lopsided losses to Chenango Valley, Chenango Forks, and eventually Windsor to end the season, it would have been easy for Greene's young players to hang their heads and adopt a "woe-is-me" attitude. That was not the case, Gorton said.
"Instead of being discouraged, they did a good job of getting into the weight room in the offseason, we went to a team camp, and put a lot of time into getting ready for this season," Gorton said.
The Trojans are again in a difficult division that includes returning Class C state champion Chenango Forks, solid Sidney and Newark Valley clubs, and an improved Whitney Point outfit. Below we have a position-by-position analysis of the Trojans.
BACKFIELD
After the first week of practice, the number one quarterback spot was still a toss-up. Josh Harrington, who saw backup minutes at QB last year is competing with Zach Orzell. Both are underclassmen with Orzell just a sophomore, while Harrington is entering his junior season. "Either one can step in and run the offense for us, and both do a lot of things well," Gorton said. In past years, Greene had four and sometimes five backs with at least 200 rushing yards. Last year, just two backs eclipsed 200-plus yards, but both are back this year in senior Cole Nelson and sophomore Luke Erickson. Nelson will start at fullback, while Erickson, along with Tristan Carter and Tyler Dickman are expected to rotate at halfback. All three played last season at halfback, and Gorton likes the depth he has at running back.
RECEIVERS/TIGHT END
Greene's top three receivers from last year are back. Shawn Brigham was the big-play threat finishing with 301 yards receiving, three TDs, and a team-high 13 catches. Brigham will return at split end, and he'll be joined on the outside by Jordan Harrington, Wyatt Johns, and Dylan Barton. At tight end, returnee Lucian Austin finished the season with a three-catch outing against Windsor, and is a "pretty physical kid and a nice weapon," Gorton said of Austin.
OFFENSIVE LINE
The benefit of playing young players a tad before they were ready for the prime time is that they won't be young players forever. Greene's youthful offensive line from last year is now one of its most veteran units with four of five starters returning. Nick Adams at center and Wyatt Vanderbunt are senior returnees at center and tackle, while juniors John Hadac and Phil Nelson are back at guard and tackle. The fifth starting spot is still up for grabs, and Breven Gilmore is among the front-runners to nail down a starting spot. "We still have kids auditioning for other roles, but physically, our starting five linemen are as strong as we've had in many years," Gorton said.
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
Greene had a brand-new defensive scheme a season ago, and due to injuries, was forced to shuffle in a number of new players week to week. This season, defensive coordinator John Martinson has 10 of 11 kids that started all or part of last year. "We expect to be much better on defense this year," Gorton said. "The stuff we did in the offseason is showing up now, and we have some very good athletes playing defense." On special teams, the Trojans sport perhaps the best placekicker in the county in Wyatt Johns. Johns didn't get a lot of opportunities last year, but did have field goals in each of the first two games, and should see more leg action this year. "We know he can kick up to 40-plus yarders," Gorton said of Johns.
OUTLOOK
Supporters of Greene and those intimate with the program know that last year's result did not sit well with anyone. Despite the difficult league and non-league schedule, the Trojans are focused on returning to the playoffs. "It's going to be a battle against every team in the division," Gorton said. "Not a lot of divisions have teams with defending state champions, but we'll be competitive, and we have a lot of pride. Getting back to the playoffs is our goal."
QUOTABLE
"(The offensive line) is a fun group. Standing next to them last year, 'I' looked big. This year, I don't." – Dave Gorton
"That was just an example of the injuries we had last year," said Greene head football coach Dave Gorton. "Not many high school teams go six deep for that position."
Not many, if any, teams on any level go six deep at punt snapper.
The 2013 Trojans season started promising enough with back-to-back victories. From there, Greene lost six of its final seven, and four of those defeats were by shutout.
A staple of the Class C playoffs for most of the last decade, Greene's eight-year run of winning seasons came to a close. "At the end of the year, we had more freshmen starting than seniors, and that's not usually a good formula for success," Gorton said. "But even though we didn't do as well record-wise, the young players did get a lot of experience, and are better prepared for this season."
After lopsided losses to Chenango Valley, Chenango Forks, and eventually Windsor to end the season, it would have been easy for Greene's young players to hang their heads and adopt a "woe-is-me" attitude. That was not the case, Gorton said.
"Instead of being discouraged, they did a good job of getting into the weight room in the offseason, we went to a team camp, and put a lot of time into getting ready for this season," Gorton said.
The Trojans are again in a difficult division that includes returning Class C state champion Chenango Forks, solid Sidney and Newark Valley clubs, and an improved Whitney Point outfit. Below we have a position-by-position analysis of the Trojans.
BACKFIELD
After the first week of practice, the number one quarterback spot was still a toss-up. Josh Harrington, who saw backup minutes at QB last year is competing with Zach Orzell. Both are underclassmen with Orzell just a sophomore, while Harrington is entering his junior season. "Either one can step in and run the offense for us, and both do a lot of things well," Gorton said. In past years, Greene had four and sometimes five backs with at least 200 rushing yards. Last year, just two backs eclipsed 200-plus yards, but both are back this year in senior Cole Nelson and sophomore Luke Erickson. Nelson will start at fullback, while Erickson, along with Tristan Carter and Tyler Dickman are expected to rotate at halfback. All three played last season at halfback, and Gorton likes the depth he has at running back.
RECEIVERS/TIGHT END
Greene's top three receivers from last year are back. Shawn Brigham was the big-play threat finishing with 301 yards receiving, three TDs, and a team-high 13 catches. Brigham will return at split end, and he'll be joined on the outside by Jordan Harrington, Wyatt Johns, and Dylan Barton. At tight end, returnee Lucian Austin finished the season with a three-catch outing against Windsor, and is a "pretty physical kid and a nice weapon," Gorton said of Austin.
OFFENSIVE LINE
The benefit of playing young players a tad before they were ready for the prime time is that they won't be young players forever. Greene's youthful offensive line from last year is now one of its most veteran units with four of five starters returning. Nick Adams at center and Wyatt Vanderbunt are senior returnees at center and tackle, while juniors John Hadac and Phil Nelson are back at guard and tackle. The fifth starting spot is still up for grabs, and Breven Gilmore is among the front-runners to nail down a starting spot. "We still have kids auditioning for other roles, but physically, our starting five linemen are as strong as we've had in many years," Gorton said.
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
Greene had a brand-new defensive scheme a season ago, and due to injuries, was forced to shuffle in a number of new players week to week. This season, defensive coordinator John Martinson has 10 of 11 kids that started all or part of last year. "We expect to be much better on defense this year," Gorton said. "The stuff we did in the offseason is showing up now, and we have some very good athletes playing defense." On special teams, the Trojans sport perhaps the best placekicker in the county in Wyatt Johns. Johns didn't get a lot of opportunities last year, but did have field goals in each of the first two games, and should see more leg action this year. "We know he can kick up to 40-plus yarders," Gorton said of Johns.
OUTLOOK
Supporters of Greene and those intimate with the program know that last year's result did not sit well with anyone. Despite the difficult league and non-league schedule, the Trojans are focused on returning to the playoffs. "It's going to be a battle against every team in the division," Gorton said. "Not a lot of divisions have teams with defending state champions, but we'll be competitive, and we have a lot of pride. Getting back to the playoffs is our goal."
QUOTABLE
"(The offensive line) is a fun group. Standing next to them last year, 'I' looked big. This year, I don't." – Dave Gorton
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