Hornets field young team
Crystal City returns only one starter from a year ago
Correspondent
Crystal City Coach Dan Ridgeway finds himself in a position that he hasn't been in for a long time."We have one returning starter," he said.
One player, Jacob Duncan, returns from last year's 10-2 squad. In his nine years at Crystal City, Ridgeway has never encountered a situation like this.
"Back in 2004, I think, we played a lot of young guys. Then in '06 and '07, we had upperclassmen for the most part," he said. "Obviously this is the fewest returning starters I've had in my nine years here. This is the most question marks I've had.
"We've played young before. If they're ready to play, then they're ready to play. Some freshmen play like seniors and some seniors play like freshmen."
For now, the Hornets are still finding themselves. Ridgeway said the lineup might change for a couple weeks while he gets the right players in the right positions.
"We'll rotate in lots of different guys," he said. "They'll rotate in until one of them steps up and claims the position. We're OK depth-wise, just inexperienced and young."
One of those positions-by-committee is fullback. Ridgeway said junior Ryan Jurkowski and sophomores Landon Prater and Gary Doyle are vying for time there. Meanwhile, Duncan, sophomore Chandelor James and freshman Stacey Thornton are working at tailback. Sophomore Neal Slabby will step in at quarterback.
One of the strengths Crystal City possess is numbers. The Hornets, who made it to the Class 2 quarterfinals in 2007, drew 78 athletes out total, but only 10 seniors and 13 juniors.
"That means the other 55 are freshmen and sophomores," Ridgeway said. "The talent is there, but they're just inexperienced. These seniors were stuck behind some really good classes and didn't get to play much. The freshmen and sophomores are really good too."
It will be crucial, then, for the younger players to fill vital roles this year.
"With only 10 seniors, we've got to have the underclassmen contribute," Ridgeway said "Probably only three kids will start both ways. Hopefully, these younger kids can keep us fresher and that will be a strength in the second half."
Ridgeway has been able to find strengths early on with this young group.
"We have good speed and depth, and those are good things," he said. "We can throw a little better than last year too. Our offensive line and linebacker are our two areas of concern. We're still searching for some help on the defensive line, too. Hopefully someone will step up."
The longtime coach has gone through years without many upperclassmen, and he knows firsthand that this will benefit the program next year.
"It's a positive for next year, but that doesn't help us this year," he said. "Next year will be great. But, these seniors have been waiting their turn for a long time. They're ready to show that they can play, to show what they can do. They're chomping at the bit to get going."
Ridgeway has cautioned his team that they can view the season in two different ways.
"I told the kids that the only difference between rebuilding and reloading is simply the results," he said. "It depends upon how we do at the end of the season. We're definitely re-something. I'm just not sure what yet. I prefer to be reloading."
That remains to be seen.
