By Chris Parker
Wes Page enters his second season as head coach of the Springfield Catholic football program with more confident roster coming off an 0-10 season.
“Our guys are much more confident in themselves right now,” Page said. “Going into the second year of this system they are much more comfortable and are working on getting the smaller details right, rather than just trying to grasp the big picture. Even though our last three games last year did not result in any wins, we started playing some good football and our guys could feel how close we were to breaking through. We are riding that momentum into this year.”
Five starters return on offense led by returning starter quarterback Quinn Northrup. He started five games as a sophomore and all but one game as a junior.
“Quinn Northrup is the unquestioned leader of the offense. Going into this year he has mental command over how the offense should be run and the discipline and toughness to run it well. Quinn has high expectations for himself and the rest of the offense and knows how to get others to rise to those expectations,” Page said. “He has a ton of arm and running talent. He has some legitimate looks from DII and FCS schools and is looking to burst on to the scene in a big way this year.”
The backfield will be a committee approach led by senior Aiden Rook and junior Emmett Brady. Junior Brody Riggs and freshman Sam Boster will also be in the mix for carries.
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The receiving corps will be led by junior Charlie Woodall and senior Jack Schoen. Senior CJ Waterhouse and sophomore Noah Whitely will also see time at receiver.
Cole Schoen returns at tight end after an all-conference performance last season. Junior Clayton Stuhlsatz will be a slot back along with senior Ben Ruter.
The offensive line will feature senior Brody Tillman and sophomore Wyatt Cartwright. Gus Leonardo (junior), James Southern (junior), Anthony Glendenning (senior), Carter Webster (senior) and Noah Henderson (senior) are battling for the three remaining spots.
“We feel we have a lot of guys that can be dynamic with the ball in their hands,” Page said. “We have guys that can run through tacklers, guys that can make great cuts, and guys who can run around everyone.”
Defensively, six starters return led by Tillman up front on the defensive line.
“Brody Tillman is a three-year starter that will anchor our defense up front,” Page said. “He has a lot of experience and is a great leader by example with his selfless attitude.”
Leonardo will be at defensive tackle with Tillman.
Cole Schoen, Henderson, Glendenning and Cartwright will all see time at defensive end.
Jack Schoen returns at linebacker along with Stuhlsatz. Ruter will take on outside linebacker duties. Rook, Northrup, Brady and Southern will also look for playing time at linebacker.
The secondary will feature Riggs and Woodall at the safety spots with Waterhouse, Whitely and Boster looking for time at the cornerback spots.
“Our defense will be improved at every level this year,” Page said. “Through our camps this summer we have shown a strong sense of discipline in our assignments, consistently being in the right spot at the right time. Defensive discipline gives your team a shot in any game to make things happen.”
Catholic will host a jamboree on Aug. 18 with Marionville, Clever and Lighthouse Christian. The Irish open the regular season on Aug. 25 at Nevada.
“We are really focused on being a team others don’t want to play,” Page said. “We have a lot of confidence and a really great attitude going into this year and we’ll be primed to do some surprising things this year. More concretely, we want to be one of the top seeds in our district. We really want to make our district have to go through Swisshelm Field this year.”
