Plainfield S. looks for big turnaround

The Cougars battled heath issues and what coach Mike Briscoe called internal turmoil much of the rest of the way. A four-game losing streak knocked them out of the playoffs.

And, looking back, the best that can be said of the situation, according to Briscoe, is that "we survived."

With 16 starters returning, including 10 of 11 on offense, Briscoe is looking for a dramatic turnaround. He has to work with a schedule that features six home games and "road" trips that will take him out of town and out district only once, to Romeoville.

Backfield: Junior quarterback Jeff Kohl returns after gaining his baptism under fire. He completed 65-of-141 for 604 yards. He threw for 3 TDs and had 10 interceptions. Brown, Bill Cranley and Dondre Adams will work at the tailback position. Adams, a sophomore who recently won Football's Fastest Man competition, also will be used as a wideout and free safety to take full advantage of his blazing speed. Sam Casson and Brad Kaput will alternate at the fullback position.

Linemen: Max Cadena, Kyle Voda, Ray Croom, Josh Piechur and Kevin Harper return to anchor the O-line. All five were full- or part-time starters. John Kilbride and Chris Sullivan also could work into the mix up front.

Receivers: Todd Franklin and Andrew Turk are returning starters at wide receiver. Turk went down last season with a cracked metatarsal. Tight end/linebacker Luke Gundersen is a Division I prospect and one of the Cougars' top all-around players. He made 21 catches for 216 yards and 1 TD. Anthony Allan is another tight end to watch. But all eyes will be on Adams.

"Dondre is a super athlete," Briscoe said. "He's got the speed. He can tackle. He can catch. It's fun to watch him play football. He's going to be a difference-maker on both sides of the ball. He will play on both sides. He's also going to return kicks. He doesn't want to come off the field. He's like, 'I can kick. I can do this. I can do that.' He really wants to stay on the field as much as possible and we're going to keep him out there because he's that dangerous."

Linemen: Kaput and Ben Simmering are two of the Cougars' six returning starters on defense. Both are capable of bringing speed and power off the edge. Croom, Voda, Chad Thornburg, Ernest Dick and John Martinez also will work into the D-line rotation.

Linebackers: Gundersen and Mike Martens return to head a corps of linebackers that also includes Mitch Varga, Joe Condon, Nick Arndt and Jack McGrail. Arndt and McGrail are sophomores.

Secondary: Adams, Chris Calderone, Matt Huyser, Andrew Haney, Anthony Barnes and Justin Cruickshank top the list of candidates in the secondary. Calderone and Huyser are returning starters. Haney was a pole vault state qualifier last spring. He's out for football for the first time.

"I think our linebackers will be our strength," Briscoe said. "But, I tell you, a couple of kids who really have impressed me this summer are Brad Kaput and Ben Simmering at D-end. Kaput's just been a terror. He gets off the football. He causes havoc in the backfield. He's worked himself into such great shape we had to put him at fullback. He played rugby last year. Simmering is 6-3 and 215 pounds. He can run like a deer. He can jump. He's got a lot of great talent. It's going to be exciting to watch our edge play."

Voda returns as one of the area's top long snappers. Brown will punt. The chief area of concern for Briscoe: placekicking. In mid-August, he still was planning on visiting with the Cougars' soccer coaches. Franklin and Adams will make opponents think twice before kicking in their direction. The Cougars, after slipping to 4-5, are chomping at the bit. And they open with home games against Rich South and Joliet Township, two teams that combined to go 4-14 last season.

"Last year was a learning year for a lot of these kids, and they got a taste of the varsity," Briscoe. "They were disappointed at the end of the year that they didn't make the playoffs. They had to face a lot of adversity, both on the field and off the field. But they responded by getting in the weight room and showing up this summer. And across the board they've all improved. So, I think it's going to be a great year for the Cougars."