BY COREY GESFORD
Correspondent
No one would blame the Montrose football program coming off a one-win season and seeing the departure of over a dozen seniors to graduation if they had a bleak outlook for the 2018 season.
However, signs of pessimism were nowhere to be found last week as the Meteors completed their two-a-day sessions.
“We’ve had a great camp, despite the weather,” said Montrose Head Coach Steve Miller. “The kids are excited. They’re working hard.”
Contributing to that excitement and enthusiasm is an influx of numbers in the program. Montrose renewed its co-sponsorship with Elk Lake and added a new partner – Mountain View. The varsity roster has climbed to over 32. Neither Elk Lake nor Mountain View offer a football program.
Those numbers make practices and competition more prevalent.
“It really allows us to have good practices, where in the past you’d struggle to have numbers to scrimmage against,” said Miller. “It allows us to have depth charts and make kids strive to keep their spot.”
In the offseason, Miller and his staff committed to weight training programs in all three schools and the players could attend each of the sessions.
“Starting in January, we were going to Elk Lake twice a week, Mountain View once a week, and here at Montrose twice a week,” said Miller.
That commitment to the strength program is evident in a weight lifting program at Montrose called the “Thousand-Pound Club” which Miller explained is a combination of the squat, bench press, and deadlift exercises.
“Since 2012, we’ve only had four kids attain that, and this offseason we’ve had nine,” said Miller. “Our entire offensive line is in the Thousand Pound Club.”
Part of establishing that commitment is that Miller and his staff have had a whole offseason to prepare. Miller was hired as the head coach last year on July 5, after the abrupt resignation of the previous coach. Miller returned with Offensive Coordinator Chris Youngstrom and Special Teams/Defensive Assistant Steve MacNamee.
New to the staff are Defensive Coordinator Jeremy Ransom and Line Coach Mike McDonald. Ricky Eisenbrecht and Greg Sherindan round out the staff as Offensive and Defensive assistants.
Miller and Youngstrom had the challenge of implementing a new offensive system since taking over the team. Miller noted Montrose had run primarily an option offense previously. Some of that change was started last year when the quarterback reins were handed to junior Ethan Cina midway through his sophomore season.
“I was nervous last year when I took over, but it gave me the confidence I need going into this year,” Cina said.
The quarterback said one of the things he has done in the offseason is be a leader by example. He’s been active in the weight room and been involved in the offseason conditioning.
While Cina returns with game experience, graduation hit the Meteors hard, especially in its offensive backfield – an area Miller described as one of last year’s strengths. Miller has been pleased by the athleticism and effort by the players competing for those positions.
“One of our biggest challenges is that last year we were strong in our running backs,” said Miller. “This year none of our running backs has started before this year.”
Two of those players expected to handle the running duties are senior fullback Darrin Mpintos and junior Brendan Kanna. Mpintos will provide a power as a hard-nosed runner while Kanna will look to exploit the edges and get out into space.
“I like running up the middle, plowing people over,” said Mpintos who has set a goal of scoring 10 touchdowns during the season.
“I like getting into space where I can use my speed,” said Kanna. “I’m just working as hard as I can, practicing like I want to play.”
The running back position took a hit when junior Dominic Hall was involved in a car accident last month and the severity of those injuries has put his season in doubt. Miller was counting on Hall’s speed and athleticism to provide a spark on offense.
“It’s a shame because Dominic was having a great offseason. He was working really hard and we were expecting big things out of him,” said Miller.
Taking pressure off Cina and his backfield will be senior wideout Chuck Rohan. The versatile Rohan will get opportunities in the Montrose passing game but will also get some carries in different scenarios.
“I’m just looking to do what I can to help the team win,” said Rohan. “I can catch, I can run the ball, but whatever it takes to help the team.”
Up front Montrose will be led by senior Marc Avila who brings experience and strength to the position. He is joined in the trenches by fellow senior Trent Peck, juniors Michael Brennan, Pierce Forkal, and Josef Kuhar, and sophomores Kaleb Bennett and Jason Goetz.
“I think we’re doing a better job of communicating and coming together,” said Bennett, one of the Elk Lake students on the roster. “We do a lot of repetition to get our plays down, and it’s starting to come together.”
Despite bringing together athletes from three different school districts, the staff sees no conflicts, something else they contribute to the commitment to the offseason.
“I thought it was going to be more challenging then what it’s been,” said Coach Youngstrom. “I think the kids have come together and have gelled quickly.”
Miller sees that bond coming together even in the face of adversity such as Hall’s accident. Miller had t-shirts prepared for the team commemorating the end of two-a-days, and the team came to him with the idea of having a football with a “DH” on it to honor Hall.
“We haven’t had a practice yet where a kid hasn’t asked how Dom’s doing,” said Miller. “We had kids affected by the flooding and they’re all reaching out to each other. It’s really great to see.”
Montrose opens their season at home 7 p.m. on Friday when they host the Wyalusing Rams before beginning division play at Holy Cross on Sept. 1.
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