Preview capsule: Joliet-Township football

This will be the last season for Joliet Township's combined football program. Next fall, Central and West will sport their own varsity teams, with current coach Jason Aubry heading the fortunes at West and former Joliet Catholic Academy all-stater Mike Maloney taking the reins at Central.

For now, though, emphasis is on the combined program, one which features an abundance of youth.

Aubry, in his fourth season, has only four returning starters from last year's 1-8 team. So inexperience could be an issue. But what he does have available is a significant amount of youthful enthusiasm and athleticism.

"We were senior dominated last year," Aubry said. "This year, we have good kids, but they are inexperienced. So our job is to get them ready to play at this level.

"The biggest thing is, the kids we have are great kids. They have been here all summer and worked hard. Some days they look good and some days they struggle. That's one of the things we have to do a good job with, making sure we keep a good consistency."

Backfield : The quarterback duties in JT's one-back offense will be handled by Darious Moulton, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound junior. "Darious is a big kid, but the thing that sets him apart is his leadership," Aubry said. "He led us in the weight room and in summer workouts. He's a tremendous leader. He's also a very coachable. He will do everything I ask of him."

The running back position is being contested among junior Malik Snapp, Davonte Thames and Kyle Sari, with the talented Snapp, a transfer from Providence Catholic, the likely starter. "He could be a special player," Aubry said.

Linemen : Junior John Hosey, a returning starter, will be at left tackle, with junior Christian Shawver at left guard, junior Robert Twombly at center, either junior Austin Andrews or junior Jimmy Bosonetta at right guard and senior Kevin Weinrick at right tackle. "The line is inexperienced, just like every area of the team right now," Aubry said. "It will have to grow up fast."

Receivers : The ability to catch the ball and run is vital in JT's spread attack, and the Steelmen have a handful of receivers in contention for playing time. Seniors Merrick Hunter, a returning starter, and Jerele Sharpe, plus juniors Tyler Newsome, John Smith and Solomon Okoronkwo, are in the mix as wideouts. When the Steelmen use their tight end set, junior Kevin Black comes into play, backed up by junior Adam Gresham.

Linemen : Senior Demotius Turner is the nose tackle in JT's 3-5 alignment. Seniors Scott Banks and Kyler Paeper and junior Marlon Richard, who started as a sophomore, will see time at the tackle slots.

Linebackers : Aubry termed senior outside linebacker Mike Dziadyk "one of our best returning defenders." Jordan Bester, also a senior, is likely to man the other outside linebacker post. A majority of the playing time at the inside linebacker slots will go to senior Alex Gould, sophomore Matt Koran, junior Chris Gotter and junior Ryan Morgan.

Secondary : They are not related, but seniors Seandell Davis and Jahaud Davis will be the cornerbacks. Junior George Perez also is contending for time. The safety position features junior Dwayne Butler and senior Zach Stocking.

Senior Tyler Kelly returns to handle the punting and placekicking chores. Sharpe, Smith and Newsome have been working as the return men.

As Aubry noted, the key for JT is to develop consistency with all of its inexperienced parts. Hosey, Richard, Dziadyk and Hunter are the only returning starters. The Southwest Suburban Blue schedule also is unforgiving and will come up after the Steelmen open against Richards and Plainfield South.

Still, Aubry likes the kids he has in camp, and if their hard work and dedication pay dividends, these Steelmen could prove interesting in the final season as a combined program.