Burlington Central ready to reload

Wichman: Lack of experience not a concern

Burlington Central coach Aaron Wichman promises his underclassmen that their time will come to contribute for the Rockets.

The 2008 senior class' window of opportunity is upon it. With few returnees from a 6-4 season, the Rockets are expected to be in the mix for the Big Northern Conference East Division title and another playoff berth this fall.

"People think we have question marks because they might not recognize the names," said Wichman of this year's roster, rife with newcomers. "But we tell the kids if they put in their time they'll be in a position to have success."

Central lost nearly every starter from 2007, but optimism remains high. Sophomore Tim Maroder (5-foot-9, 170 pounds) takes over at quarterback after seeing time at running back and defensive back as a freshman. Maroder figures to be one of the more exciting players in the area.

"He has speed, but he's not afraid to run you over," Wichman said of his QB. "He's a pretty hard-core football player."

Junior offensive tackle Tim Seyller (6-1, 200), senior running back/linebacker Max Kling (5-7, 160), junior receiver/cornerback Kevin Kellish (6-1, 175) and senior linebacker Paco Wleklinski (5-11, 160) are the lone returnees besides Maroder.

Among those expected to also contribute in the offensive backfield are seniors Tommy Gast (5-7, 135) and Nick Smith (5-10, 160). Those on the offensive line who look to Seyller for leadership include sophomores Brent Sunderlage (5-9, 180) and Thomas Juns (5-11, 231), juniors Justin Ott (6-4, 224), J.J. Branecki (5-7, 185), Roberto Cardenas (5-8, 176), Eric Stanley (6-0, 265), Tim Vincent (6-0, 215) and senior Kevin Blum (5-10, 200).

The defensive front will also be inexperienced, but Wichman says Ott, Cardenas, Vincent and juniors Chris Gomez (6-0, 180) and Austin Prestige (6-3, 185) will come along. Kellish and Gast will play cornerback and Maroder and senior Bob Timm (5-11, 187) will log time at safety. Senior Dom Genchi (5-10, 165) and junior Tim Botsford (5-9, 165) could help in the secondary.

The linebacking corps includes Wleklinski, Kling, Sunderlage, senior Jeremy Lee (5-11, 165) and sophomore Brandon Westergaard (5-9, 160), who knows how to play five different positions.

"Yes we have inexperience, but we've got a lot of open competition and a lot of guys who can play," said Wichman. "We have kids who pick things up quickly."