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Sports

2011 Prep Football Preview: St. Dominic Crusaders

St. Dominic will open season on Friday, Aug. 26, at Cardinal Ritter, home opener is Sept. 2 against Trinity Catholic.

Ever since a disappointing performance in the regular season finale cost the varsity football team a spot in the 2010 state playoffs, the Crusaders have been working non-stop to finish what they started, and get back into the playoffs again.

“Borgia just beat us,” St. Dominic head football coach Jim Cook said. “They got us down 21-to-nothing, and after the first drive of the third quarter, we made it 21-20 and missed the two-point conversion to take the lead.We never got past it. But you’ve got to play 48 minutes, and we didn’t, and that night, they were the better ballclub.”

Heading into the 2011 campaign, the Crusaders are once again considered one of the better teams in the area.

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St. Dominic certainly has to fill some holes, like replacing eight first-team all-conference players from last year, including quarterback Evan Merz, lineman Brandon Bolk, and all four of its top pass catchers from 2010.

But Cook believes he’s got a group that’s ready to do just that.

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“The offseason work and weightlifting has been great,” Cook said. “We’ve just got to find the right guys for the right spots.”

One spot where Cook feels comfortable having a new starter at is quarterback, where former JV wideout Kevin Mertz will step in as the primary signal-caller.

“He played a lot on JV,” Cook said. “So he really knows the system. He’ll do a good job.”

At running back, St. Dominic will use a committee of ballcarriers, including junior Jacob Wilmes (6’0, 195), senior Grant Nickles (5’10, 190), junior Kyle Bazzell (6’0, 180), and junior Kellen Walsh (5’9, 155).

Junior tight end Austin Merz (6’3, 175) is also returning on offense, and should be an important help to a rebuilt offensive line, which Cook says is still a work in progress.

“We’re still trying to find the right combination on the offensive line,” Cook said. “We’re looking for the right five guys that can show they know what they’re doing. It’s not like they have to learn a brand new system. They’ve been in it for a year, so we’ve just got to find the right spots and right combinations.”

Defensively, the Crusaders will show a mostly 3-4 look, but will look to mix things up depending on what the opposing offense is showing.

“One advantage of the 3-4 that we’ve been having, is you can rush three and drop eight without making personnel changes, or you can rush five or six and drop the rest and still keep your same personnel on the field,” Cook said. 

Nickles and Bazzell, both big-hitting linebackers for the Crusaders, and junior defensive linemen Jonathan Risse (6’1, 230) and Isaiah Winkelmann (5’11, 235) will be back to lead the defense.

Cook also is intrigued by the healthy return of Matt Achelpohl, who sat out last season after suffering an injury during baseball season, as well the presence of first-year players Zack Bennett and Jared Milner.

“It really is (like picking up some free agents),” Cook said. “It’s great having them out here in pads. We’ll see where these guys can kind of fit in a little bit. People forget, not only is there offense and defense, there’s special teams. And these guys can help us there.”

The top competition for St. Dominic figures to come from Cardinal Ritter and Trinity Catholic in league play this year.

And the Crusaders will open the year with games against both teams that could determine the Archdiocesan Athletic Association championship just two weeks into the season.

St. Dominic will open on Friday, Aug. 26, when they’ll travel to Cardinal Ritter for a 7 p.m. game. Then one week later, the Crusaders will host their own home opener, on Friday, Sept. 2, against Trinity.

“I expect those guys to be every bit as good as they were last year,” Cook said. “They’ve got great athletes and great speed. The key is you’ve got to find a way to keep them in front of you, because if they get behind you, they’re gonna go all the way.”

 

2011 ST. DOMINIC CRUSADERS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

8/26     at Cardinal Ritter                      7 p.m.

9/2       vs. Trinity Catholic                    7 p.m.

9/9       at Lutheran St. Charles 7 p.m.

9/16     vs. St. Mary’s                           7 p.m.

9/23     vs. John F. Kennedy                 7 p.m.

9/30     at Bowling Green                      7 p.m.

10/7     at Bishop DuBourg                   7 p.m.

10/14   vs. Warrenton                           7 p.m.

10/21   at St. Charles West                   7 p.m.

10/27   vs. Borgia                                 7 p.m.

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