Massac Co. favorite to win SIRR Ohio title
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Kelly Glass says it's all right to be optimistic at the beginning of the football season. It's just that the Massac County High School coach says it's way too early to have to deal with a bull's-eye.
"Everyone is excited at the beginning of the season," Glass said Monday evening. "If you're not excited, then you probably need to be doing something else."
However, that's as far as Glass is taking it. The dean of SIRR Ohio Division coaches heads into his 23rd season with the team to beat following a straw-poll vote of league coaches.
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team, but the remaining five coaches are unanimous when it comes to assessing Glass' Patriots.
"They have a ton of athletes," West Frankfort coach Chad Spence said of Massac. "They will be tough to beat."
And for good reason.
Glass welcomes back senior quarterback Zach Kester and a full cupboard of talented skill players. Kester threw for more than 2,500 yards last season, and piled up 33 touchdowns through the air.
Kester has the quickness of Byron Bailey and Jarell Johnson to shoulder the load, and it's small wonder league coaches expect the Patriots (7-3 in 2007) to win the league.
Expected to push Massac for the title are Harrisburg and Herrin, who wound up second and third, respectively, in the polling. Glass gave Harrisburg his first-place vote, and both the Bulldogs and Tigers received three second-place votes.
Jason Roper, Harrisburg's third-year coach, has more reason to be optimistic. Senior Christian Cummins picked up his gear over the weekend, and will be with the team when practice opens Wednesday morning.
Cummins, who quarterbacked last season, was a two-year starter in the secondary. However, Cummins had thoughts on sitting out this year after recently committing to the University of Illinois on a baseball scholarship.
"Part of me knew that, at the end of the day, he'd be out," Roper said. "I knew it would be hard for him not to compete."
Roper said Cummins would have a shot at competing for the quarterback spot. If he doesn't wish to play there, juniors Noah King and Reid Roper - Jason's nephew - will share the spot.
Harrisburg will have plenty of skill people for the quarterbacks to toss at. Tight end-wide receiver Russell Rambert will be a big target, and Roper is hoping his offensive line, headed by Zach Price and Austin Beere, can hold the fort.
Harrisburg was 3-6 last year, but lost twice by narrow margins.
"Our linemen have been consistent and have been busy lifting and running in the summer," Roper said.
After graduating two outstanding senior classes, Herrin coach Jason Karnes won't have the pressure of being the favorite.
But that doesn't mean it won't be the team to beat when all the dealing is done. No, there aren't any Tommie Taylors, Kent Sherrills or Eric Thompsons around like in the past few seasons.
However, Karnes says there's plenty of quickness in the Tigers' cage to live up to last year's 7-3 mark.
"We have five or six kids that can break a long run at any time," Karnes said. "That makes it better for us, because it's hard to key on just one guy."
Karnes will turn to All-State pole vaulter Ethan Grounds to replace Kyle Derry at quarterback, and will have the likes of B.J. McGee, Kaleb Warren, Garrett Butler and Kyle Hudson to hand the ball to.
"These kids have a freshman-sophomore record which speaks for itself," Karnes said. "They've always been winners at everything, and the kids understand they don't point fingers, they point the thumb."
Benton, under second-year coach Jeremy Clodfelder, is hoping to turn the tables after a 1-8 rookie season.
"We had a good off-season," Clodfelder said. "But, for us to be better, we have to do two things better - block and tackle."
The Rangers, a lukewarm fourth-place pre-season choice, will benefit from two transfers, Jake Yarnell from Nashville, and hulking lineman Pez Henderson, who moved back in after living in Tennessee.
"Yarnell is a linebacker-fullback type," Clodfelder said. "And Henderson is huge (6-foot-4, 375 pounds)."
Clodfelder said junior Quincy Hamilton will quarterback the team, but added the offense will only be as good as its line play.
"We have seven starters back on both sides of the ball," Clodfelder said. "We'll be better, but how that translates on the field, I don't know."
After leading the Redbirds to a share of the league title last year with Herrin, Spence may be looking at hard times in West Frankfort.
Word spread quickly around the league that Frankfort - 7-4 a year ago - had many players miss out on summer contact days.
"To be honest, we didn't have one of our better summers in terms of turnout for workouts," Spence said. "We might be able to put a good 11 players out there, but we aren't going to have a lot of depth."
Spence returns the entire right side of his offensive line, and looks to the likes of Jordan Nicholson, Jarod Dunn, Terrell Simelton and John Jones to provide leadership.
Murphysboro, 1-8 a year ago, is still trying to revive its program.
The Red Devils have won just five games in eight season since Jim Woodward resigned.
"We have our best players on the front line," Devils coach Bob Stilley said. "And we have three quality skill people in Nick Jones, Devon Tyrone and Shea Baker."
However, Murphy still has an uphill climb, given its recent track record. The Devils were picked as high as fourth on just one ballot.