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CLARION TO HAVE DIFFERENT LOOK IN 2002 |
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By Chris Rossetti CLARION – For the first time in four years, Clarion football fans will have to get use to watching their football team play without the services of Kyle Cathcart. Cathcart, arguably the best player to ever play for Clarion, finished his career last season by rushing for 1,822 yards and 25 touchdowns. In his career, Cathcart rushed for 4,449 yards and scored a District 9 record 73 touchdowns. He was the D9Sports.Com District 9 Player of the Year in both 2000 and 2001. "You don’t replace Kyle Cathcart," Clarion’s 14th-year head coach Larry Wiser said. "This year we will go back to what has been successful for us many times in the past and that is the running back by committee approach." Wiser hopes the running back by committee look will help the Bobcats return to the District 9 playoffs. Last season, despite a 7-2 mark, Clarion was left on the outside looking in for the first time in seven years. "Our long-term goal this season is to make the playoffs," Wiser said. "Missing the playoffs last season stuck in our craw a little bit." The first step to help the Bobcats back to the playoffs would be an opening season win Aug. 30 at St. Marys. That is one of the reasons Wiser points to that game as the team’s short-term goal. "We always make the next game, and in this case it is the first game, the most important priority," Wiser said. "I think this year it is even more important for us to get off to a good start because we have a lot of players who have not had starting experience." In order for Clarion to make a run at both St. Marys and the playoffs, the Bobcats are going to have to find a good mix at two important positions: running back and quarterback. At tailback, the three likeliest candidates to play in the running back by committee approach are juniors Dave Larson, Caleb Kifer and Corey Corbett. Larson is the punishing runner, Kifer is the heady player and Corbett is the speed demon. No matter the running back, senior Ambrogio Giambanco will be leading the way at fullback. Giambanco should also see more carries than a traditional Clarion fullback has. "We will try to pull out what each player is doing well and try to keep the other team guessing," Wiser said. "The I-back will still be the prominent runner in our offense, but the fullback will get more carries as well." The quarterback position should come down to a battle between last year’s third stringer Jamie Arner and converted tight end Joel McNeil. "Jamie has looked good at times," Wiser said. "He has had experience at the position. Joel is a good athlete who is more of an option threat. He has shown pretty good decision making skills so far." The quarterback who wins the battle will have a talented group of wide receiver to throw to led by seniors Will Lewis, BJ Roth, Jason Reed and Nate Cyphert. Lewis led Clarion’s receivers last year with nine catches for 163 yards and four touchdowns making him the top returning scorer for the Bobcats. Roth, who missed the first few game while recovering from an injury, ended up with seven grabs for 115 yards and a touchdown, while Reed had four catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns. "We have a great core of receivers," Wiser said. "We will rotate them a lot." On the offensive line, Clarion has three starters returning for a unit that should be strong but not very deep. Travis Smith, a senior, is the returning starter at center, while senior Marty Fisher and junior Nate McClaine anchor the guard spots for a second straight year. Seniors Adam Williams and Jon Byers man the tackle positions. At tight end, converted tackle Brian Luton is battling Lucas Schaeffer for playing time. Luton could also be used on the offensive line. "On offense we have to stay as consistent as possible without making many mistakes," Wiser said. "I expect our offensive line to open holes, and I think we will break some runs. Hopefully we are a little better passing the ball this season, and hopefully we are a little more explosive (in the passing game). On defense, Clarion should be strong on the defensive ends, at linebacker and in the secondary with the only weakness being the defensive tackles. "I expect the defense to carry us at the beginning of the year," Wiser said. "If we develop a front-line, the defense could be as good as the last couple of years. We have some speed in the secondary." McNeil and Luton return at the defensive end positions, with Matt Snyder and Schaeffer backing them up. The players trying to solidify the defensive tackle spots are McClaine, Smith, Byers and Williams. "There is a lot of work on the interior line to be done," Wiser said. The linebackers are Giambanco and Fisher on the outside along with Kifer with Larson moving inside to replace Cathcart and his 400+ career tackles at middle linebacker. "Dave is going to be solid in the middle," Wiser said. "He played there a lot last year late in games after we took Kyle out." The secondary should be much better for Clarion this season after being one of the team’s weaknesses in 2001. Roth and Reed return at the safety spots with the Arner brothers backing the up, while Cyphert and Sessions should start at the corners and be backed up by Zack McKissick and Corbett also seeing playing time. On special teams Clarion has speed in the return game with Corbett returning punts and Lewis and Sessions returning kickoffs. Brady Buzard is the leading candidate to replace Cathcart as the Bobcats punter, while Larson will once again kickoff for Clarion Area. Byers should handle most of the place kicking duties. |