It’s a new coach, with an experienced staff, looking to improve Crawfordsville’s football fortunes.
While Kurt Schlicher is a head coach for the first time, the North grad has a couple decades of coaching experience, from time on Charley German’s North Montgomery staff to years at both McCutcheon and Lafayette Jeff.
He also has a two assistant coaches who are former Athenians head coaches, another two who are not strangers to CHS sports and two more who have lots of football experience.
“You don’t run a good football program without a great set of assistant coaches,” Schlicher said, “and we have them here.”
Rex Ryker, who was head coach from 2003 to ‘08, serves as the assistant superintendent of the school district now, but exchanges a tie for a whistle after school and will be the offensive coordinator.
Sean Gerold was head coach twice, last season as interim, and will continue as an assistant, also serving as assistant head coach.
Nathan O’Neal returns from last year’s staff, and Tony Bean, who has coached several CHS teams, is special teams coordinator.
Jack Whitecotton and Matt Reynolds round out the staff, who took the Athenians to Sheridan last Friday for a scrimmage and open the 2019 season this Friday at home against Greencastle, ranked No 15 in the preseason coaches poll.
There are also some players who are back on the football team.
“Carson Scott is a three-sport athlete who came back to play football his senior year,” Schlicher said, noting Scott’’s baseball and basketball accomplishments. “Brayden Mitchell is another senior back with the team and he will be one of our running backs.”
Two other returning players have bolstered the numbers.
“Noah Allen is back, and will be a running back,” Schlicher said of the senior, “and Jack Pendleton ( junior) is another multi-sport athlete back with the football program.”
There are also the returning starters and letter-winners from last year’s team, hoping to improve on the one win of last season.
“Cale McCarty is our quarterback,” Schlicher said of the senior, who split time last season with graduated Cam Saunders. McCarty completed 46 percent of his passes and threw for four touchdowns, rushed for 161 yards, caught six passes and returned kickoffs. Like most of the team, he will be playing on both sides of the ball, and will be stepping into a linebacker role, which mimics his head coach’s role when Schlicher played at North.
Senior Jesse Hortin will play on both the offensive and defensive lines, and if needed, can come off the line to be the backup quarterback.
Andrew Martin returns for his junior season. He grabbed four passes last year and scored on two of those catches. Senior T.J Daugherty is nursing an early injury, and the hope is that he will be cleared for the opening game, and play of both lines.
Nate Schroeter is back for his junior season as well, collecting 49 tackles last year. He and Hortin are the two leading returning tacklers.
A couple sophomores are going to be counted on as well.
“Alex Hernandez is going to see time at tight end,” Schlicher said, “and Kaigen Fields is going to start both ways, as a defensive back and running back.”
A new staff and new system means there is a lot to pick up before the season starts Friday.
“Just like all teams, we have 17 organized practices or scrimmages before we start,” Schlicher said, “and that is a lot to do in a short time. The kids are picking up things better each day, and we are working on the fundamentals first of all. We are trying to maximize every minute of practices. It’s a mental and physical preparation for that first game, and then for every day after that. We want to get better every day, as a team and as individual players. The coaches are doing an outstanding job and I’m really pleased with attitudes and the work ethic.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 next Friday.
