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Experienced Group Returns for Madonna

By RALPH COX

WEIRTON — There is some bad news to go along with the good news regarding Madonna.

Bad news is that the 2-8 season of 2016 isn’t exactly what coach Darrin Hicks envisioned. Good news is this year starts out with 17 lettermen and 14 returners that got starting time last year. The 27-man squad also includes 12 seniors, which is the most seniors a Blue Don team has had since the 15 that were on the 2013 state championship bunch.

That, along with a schedule more suitable to a Class A school, should equate to improvement for 2017.

“Our kids have worked hard in the offseason,” Hicks said. “Our winter weight program was a huge success with 90 to 95 percent of the team in the weight room, and it continued in the summer. Now we are shifting gears and getting ready for the riggers of camp and a long season. Conditioning is more of a factor now, but we are very pleased with the progress we made during the past seven months.”

Hicks added that his team cannot “put the cart before the horse.” Working hard and making sacrifices are keys for a successful season.

“We improved as the season went on last year, and we have continued to improve during the offseason,” he said. “It is great to see these kids work and push each other. It gives us a lot of confidence for the upcoming season.

“I don’t really have a preconceived depth chart. The kids know there is competition for positions and that every position is open, so camp will be competitive. Everyone understands that one of the main goals is to do the things we have to do to get back to the expectation that is Madonna. That is competing for the OVAC championship and the playoffs. They know that means getting back to work to get better.”

Hicks lost five seniors to graduation. They are quarterback Dustin Brown, center Jake Gasvoda, tackle Justin Canei, and wide receivers Tavon Jeter and Phil Good.

Three players are competing to replace Brown, a two-year starter at quarterback. They are junior Gavin Dietrich and seniors Kaleb Smith and Giovanni Lenhart.

Dietrich was the kicker last year and Smith saw time at running back and defensive back, while Lenhart is out for football for the first time.

“I’m excited to have Lenhart out,” Hicks said. “He’s a tremendous athlete. All three of the candidates have a good working relationship and are pushing each other to make the team better.”

Junior Donavan Kirby returns at running back, but Hicks plans to move him around to different places in the offense to utilize his capabilities as an athlete.

“Kirby is a multiple threat,” Hicks said. “He can carry the football and catch it.”

Seniors that Hicks is excited about are Vince Pulice, a returning starter, along with Hunter Baird who didn’t play football last year. Hicks also has Baird’s brother, Sophomore Roman. All will be in the mix at running back and receiver.

Hicks has a lot of experience with seniors Mac Raymond, Zak Tokash, Bobby Valenti and Max Fiedorczyk who return to anchor the offensive line. Joey Garan, who didn’t play last year, joins that squad.

Sophomore Nathan Zanieski saw some time on the line last year as a freshman, and Hicks thinks freshmen Joe Soos, Mason Smith and Jacob Bonner will work their way in this year.

Senior Chayce Lemley and junior Dylan Austin return as wide receivers along with sophomore Antonio Dadario. Freshmen Thomas Sessi and Ty Ingram both had productive offseasons and will be in the mix.

Hicks has three vying at tight end in seniors Ryan Ekey, Jimmy DeMarco and Chase Smith.

On the defensive side, Ekey, Fiedorczyk, Raymond, DeMarco, Valenti and sophomore Jacob McCombs, who started several games last year, are doing well on the line along with Garen and Zanieski. Hicks said he feels good about his freshmen linemen in Joe Soos, Mason Smith and Bonner.

Tokash, sophomore Josh Gasvoda and Dadario each saw action last year at linebacker, and Hicks said newcomers Hunter Baird and Ingram will be good players there as well.

Lemley and Pulice return at defensive back along with Dietrich, Kalib Smith and Chase Smith. Like on offense, Kirby will move around at linebacker and defensive back.

Assisting Hicks this year will be Tyler Ossman, defensive coordinator and running backs coach, Pete Melnyk, line coach and Tom Kikascik, wide receivers and defensive backs coach. Melnyk and Kikascik are new to the staff moving up from coach the Junior Dons.

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