Preview capsule: Lockport football

Lockport is stocked with the talent to take a step up after posting a 4-5 record last year. The hitch is the new alignment in the Southwest Suburban Blue presents the Porters with a murderer's row-like schedule to confront in the first half of the season.

After opening with Downers Grove North, Lockport faces Richards, Bolingbrook and Lincoln-Way East in rapid-fire succession.

"I think we've had a very good summer, a very dedicated, hard-working summer," Lockport coach Bret Kooi said. "We're ready to take a step forward from what we've done the last couple of years. We haven't been a Lincoln-Way East or a Bolingbrook. We'll see those teams early. It should be a good measuring stick for us. The playoffs are in our thinking, you bet.

"I'd be disappointed if that didn't happen. But we've got to survive the early part of our schedule. It's extremely difficult. We need to get off to a good start. If we do, then we could be playing with some momentum down the stretch. If that happens, we could become a scary team at playoff time, be one of those teams nobody wants to play."

Backfield: QB Kyle Billig completed 76-of-171 passes for 797 yards. He also rushed for 148 yards and scored 5 touchdowns. He'll bring a year of experience running the Porters' spread offense. One of his top receiving targets, Nick Pleva, will make the move to running back. Pleva made 10 catches and combined for 155 yards rushing and receiving. Anthony Liutkus, Ryan Hernandez, Vinnie Piazza and Danny Holman give Lockport more depth than it has had at any time in recent memory.

Linemen: Ben Boing and Don Seasock gained experience as full- or part-time starters. Matt Sawickis, Justin Stoklosa, Dan Leja and a handful of others could work into the Porters' mix up front. Kooi is high on both Sawickis and Leja, a pair of juniors who move up after shining on the sophomore level.

Receivers: Joliet Township transfer Jordan Broadway, Mike Denton and Mike Hir enter fall camp as the ring leaders. All three are good possession receivers. Hir made 4 catches for 95 yards. Joe Tholl and Pat Barker will work into the rotation.

Linemen: Adam Kendall, Niko Foltys and Omar Khalil head a unit that Kooi said is strong in numbers. "We could go two or three deep at every spot," he said. Khalil returns after sitting out his junior year. "He's had an outstanding offseason, both in the weight room and with our speed training," Kooi said. "We're going to have to find a place for him." Ralph Howard gained some experience as a junior.

Linebackers: Joe Zander shifts from outside to inside linebacker and takes on extra leadership duties. He is a 220-pounder with a nose for the ball. Joe Lambert, Austin Smith and Matt Andre will flank him.

Secondary: Brian Cavanaugh, Brandon Curry, Tim Weber and Max Pancoska head an all-new group in the defensive backfield. Two or three youngsters could push them for playing time. "We have a good nucleus of junior kids who have a chance to get on the field," Kooi said.

Cavanaugh returns to handle kickoff duties and perhaps some of the placekicking, too. He went 2-for-2 on field goals as a junior. Ordinarily that would be enough to make him a cinch starter. Clouding the picture is the arrival of junior Mitch Zeiler, who could become Lockport's next three-ball weapon. Backup quarterback Nick Nunley is a solid punter. Pleva, Liutkus and Hernandez bring speed to the kickoff and punt return units. Kooi thinks the Porters are close to turning a corner. He even gets excited talking about special teams -- just like in the Porters' 8A title he days of old.

"I think our kicking game is going to give us a huge lift," he said. "We're going to be capable of hitting some field goals. It will be nice to see us get back to where our kicking game is a strength. There are some flashes there."