Members of the 2018 Triad football team are, from the left, first row: Michael Leistritz, Justin Overholser, Cameron Boes, Isaiah Bruce, Easton Huffman, Josiah Leasure, Riley Louck, Dylan Warner, Austin Bails, Dylan Rice, Dylan Van Tassell and Devin Swiatek; second row: Coleman Hauck, Kohl Eggleston, Jake Reid, Isiah Leasure, Blake Boldman, Greg Sizemore, Jacob Simonelli, Logan McCoy, Ian Crabtree, Jacob Jenkins, Jordan Simonelli and JC Alexander; third row: Hayden Simpson, Ayden Sanford, Tyson Brown, Aaron Silverstein, Cody Hoffer, Luke Reveal, Mason Harper, Sam Stokes, John Downey, Dylan Hollar, Dimitri Hollingsworth and Diego Hernandez; and fourth row: assistant coaches Chris Roy, Tony Groves and Matt Harper, head coach Joe Cardinal, assistant coaches Justin Louck and Wes Brown and trainer Brittany Necci.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
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The Triad Cardinals have had a couple rough football seasons wracking up a less than desirable 2-18 record.
However, this year could be different for the third-year coach Joe Cardinal.
Cardinal will have the biggest roster he has had since taking over the program with 38 players. This is also the added benefit of have a large senior class of 13 players.
As such, the coach feels the Cardinals’ season is already looking better.
“I think the biggest thing this year is that we have a very large senior class,” he said. “That is something we have not had the last two years and now we are sitting with 13 seniors.
“For a Division VII school that is outstanding,” he said. “We have really good senior leadership and these are guys who have been with the program for the last three years.”
Those seniors will help the Cardinals run a multiple-style offense that will show their opponents a variety of different formations to trip them up this season.
“Each game is going to be different,” said Cardinal. “We may run the ball 80 percent one game and then throw the ball 80 percent the next.
“It just depends on what we get,” he said. “We will still be in the shotgun, but we are going to utilize a halfback this year, but you will also see us in five wide.”
Lining up behind center would normally be junior quarterback Jordan Simonelli.
He’s out due to an injury and fellow junior Logan McCoy will take the snaps for now.
“He (McCoy) did a really good job at the Jamboree scrimmage and he had only practiced twice at that position,” said Cardinal.
McCoy will have a few options to spread the ball.
He can either throw to either Isaiah Bruce or hand it off in the backfield to Dylan Rice.
Rice has returned to the field this season after suffering an ACL injury in Week 2 last year.
“Isaiah Bruce will be our go-to guy as a receiver,” said Cardinal. “He is a really big target and catches everything with his hands, which is something you don’t see a lot in the high school game.
“We have Dylan back this year and we expect him to do some neat things.”
The Cardinals will defensively lean on Riley Louck. A senior, Louck tallied more than 100 tackles last season on the “line.
Opposing quarterbacks will have to contend on the outside with Austin Bails. He did not play last year, but has returned for his junior year to play cornerback.
Joining Louck on the line will be Easton Huffman. Cardinal expects “big things” out of Huffman after an impressive off-season.
“He (Huffman) is a big, strong kid who has put in a ton of effort in the weight room and we expect big things from him up front,” Cardinal said.
With more depth and experience behind the Cardinals this season, Triad feels up to the task of taking on their Week 1 opponent Bradford.
Right now, that’s as far as they are looking.
“Really we are just worrying about beating Bradford,” said Cardinal. “That is what we have been preaching the entire off-season, through two-a-days, it’s just Bradford.”
The Railroaders, though small, have some threats of their own, according to Cardinal, but the real goal this season is taking it one week at a time.
“We will focus on them (Bradford) right now and when Week 2 gets here, we will worry about them,” said Cardinal. “We are not looking at the big goal this year.”