CLARKSTON PREVIEW: Wolves setting sights on grand season

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

CLARKSTON — Kurt Richardson feels he never got a chance to see how good Clarkston football could have been last autumn. Entering that campaign off a Final Four berth in 2009, the Wolves were hit by a massive injury bug in 2010.

The veteran Richardson and his staff felt more like band-aids than coaches. In fact, there were games that Clarkston was the walking wounded. As many as 17 varsity players, starters and reserves combined, were on the sidelines sporting stitches and casts or leaning on clutches in various games.

There is a silver lining to that season of hiccups. One, Clarkston still managed to finish the season in second place in the OAA Red Division behind eventual state champion Lake Orion. Two, the Wolves still reached the postseason for the eighth straight time.

Additionally, many reserves or younger players saw far more playing time than originally anticipated. That could be a good omen for the 2011 season.

“We were always banged up last season. I don’t think I’ve ever had that many injuries,” said Richardson, who enters his 25^th season at the helm. “We were always moving guys around to fill in for injured players.”

GIVING A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA: Clarkston junior Ben Kaminsky plows through for extra yardage against Troy Athens last season.If Kaminsky and the Wolves can remain healthy, then they should be one of the better teams in Division 1 this season. File Photo | Larry McKee, www.lmckeephotography.com

Richardson was forced to call up a freshman quarterback for the final two games last season. Clarkston’s top two quarterbacks were in and out of the lineup with injuries. That was just the tip of the iceberg.

Although Clarkston still won seven straight games at one point last season, the Wolves did finish with two straight losses. Clarkston fell to Lake Orion in Week 9 (28-7) and to Grand Blanc in a Division 1 pre-district (38-14).

“Grand Blanc beat us up pretty good. It didn’t matter how many guys we had out,” admitted Richardson, who carried five sophomores and two freshmen last season. “But I think we can learn from that. We have a lot of guys back from last year’s team and we’re healthy right now, which is the key thing for us.”

PACK LEADER: Clarkston head coach Kurt Richardson is 172-72 in 24 years with the Wolves and that includes 13 postseason appearances and three Final Four appearances. File Photo.

With around 70 players on varsity, there is also plenty of experience. Only 26 players graduated and there are plenty of players who started at times last season.

Senior quarterback Mitch Baenziger (6-1, 180) was tabbed as the starter last season, but played sparingly due to injuries. Last year’s No. 2 quarterback, Nick Demattia, also missed time due to injuries, while sophomore Brenden Newvine was forced to start the final two games as a freshman.

Baenziger is back and is primed for a big season as the No. 1 QB this season.

“Mitch has worked really hard and he’s looked good over the summer,” offered Richardson. “The key thing is keeping him healthy. He has a chance to be a very good quarterback.”

Seniors Joey Goss (5-10, 185) and Evan Montgomery (5-10, 195) are back to lead the running game, while junior Ben Kaminsky (5-7, 205) also gained some varsity experience in the backfield last season.

“Joey Goss had looked really good in the off-season,” praised Richardson. “Evan is back, too, but he was hurt a lot of last season.”

Senior receiver Mike Schwartz (6-3, 170) has emerged since last season and has gained some interest from colleges, while senior Matt Dellinger (6-2, 205), one of the team’s top defensive players, will also be used as a slot receiver.

Junior Nathan Yeloushan (6-1, 195) will serve as the tight end, while senior wide receivers CJ Cozdor (6-0,180) and Travis Smith (6-0, 170) will also be key players on offense.

Clarkston has plenty of size, mobility and experience in the trenches and will use that muscle to improve upon last year’s 18.6 points a game. In four games last season, the Wolves were held to 10 or fewer points, while they only scored more than 20 points on two occasions.

SEARCHING FOR PREY: Senior Zach Collins is a fourth-year starter for Clarkston and a Division I prospect as a linebacker. File Photo | Larry McKee, wwwlmckeephotography.com

Senior guard Lucas Sanders (6-1, 300), junior center Craig Colombo (6-2, 250), sophomore guard Nick Mattich (6-0, 240) and junior tackles Jesse Chadwell (6-4, 250) and Nick Azzopardi (5-10, 235) are all back to protect the Wolves’ arsenal of weapons.

“This is one of the bigger lines we’ve had here in a long time,” said Richardson.

Senior Alex Barta (6-1, 220) earned all-league and all-area honors last season and is a weapon as one of the state’s better kickers.

“I think he definitely has the ability to kick in college,” said Richardson. “He has a strong, accurate leg. He potentially could be a D-I kicker.”

Even with many returning faces on offense, the linebackers unit on defense might be the team’s strength. In fact defense carried the Wolves last season, as they gave up only 144 points in 10 games and just 106 in the regular season. Through eight weeks, Clarkston had yielded only 78 points.

TWO-WAY THREAT: Clarkston senior Matt Dellinger is a two-way threat as both a slot back and linebacker and has committed to Division I Kent State. File Photo | Larry McKee, www.lmckeephotography.com

Senior Zach Collins (6-2, 210) is just Richardson’s third player to be a four-year starter and he is a Division I college prospect with an eye on the Ivy League. Dellinger has committed to Kent State and joins Collins to hound ball carriers.

Junior Adam Myers (6-0, 200) is a newcomer at linebacker that should fill in nicely alongside Collins and Dellinger. Smith, Montgomery, juniors Alec Dicea (5-10, 160) and Chris Calvano (6-0,170) and seniors Joe Genoa (5-10, 160) and Brad Leuenhagen (5-11,160) will team up in the secondary as cornerbacks and safeties.

Senior newcomer Chad Coulson (5-10, 200) is one of the many prospects looking to fill in voids on the defensive line. The defensive line is the one major question mark entering this season. Some of the behemoths on the offensive line may be forced to slide over onto the defensive side of the ball as well.

“We lost most of our defensive lineman. We have a whole bunch of guys were looking at to fill those positions,” said Richardson.

Clarkston enters the season as a favorite in the OAA Red Division and a team that could make a run in the postseason. The Wolves have made the postseason 13 times under Richardson, including reaching the state semifinals in 1999, 2000 and 2009. The Wolves have also averaged 7.2 wins a season in Richardson’s first 24 years at the helm.

Does Clarkston have the making of another top-10 team capable of putting together a long postseason run in 2011?

“I think we can be a very good football team if we stay healthy. If we go through what we did last season, then who knows what might happen,” said Richardson. “We need to stay healthy. That’s our main concern this season. We have the talent.”

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Tags: Clarkston Football, Clarkston Football Preview 2011, featured, high school football, Kurt Richardson, OAA football, prep football

Category: Clarkston, High School, High School (M-Z), Prep Wraps