2005 Season: 11-6-1 (8-4 NEMC)
Head Coach: Jeff Young, 11th season
Returning players: Josh Taylor, sr. (M); James Rohrer, sr. (M); Andrew Walker, sr. (M); Lee Hages, jr. (M); Brian Marshall, jr. (M); Garrett Rodriguez, jr. (M); Greg Simmons, jr. (DM); Alex Meiser, jr. (D); Jackson Moore, jr. (M/F); NIck Rau, jr. (F); Justin Brindley, jr. (SW); Peter Rudnik, so. (M/F); Sean McClintic, so. (GK/M/F); Ben Wiltse, so. (D/M); Brad Middleton, so. (D/M); Derek Hughey, so. (F/M).
Outlook: The Falcons return a whopping 17 players from last year's third-place NEMC squad, losing just four seniors to graduation. Unfortunately those seniors, (Cody Lewis and Jake Rudnik were first-team all-NEMC picks) accounted for most of Ogemaw's goals in 2005.
"We lost a lot of goal-scoring," acknowledges coach Jeff Young. "Our defense is ahead of our offense at this point, but we know we have some kids that can score. We just need to make some adjustments to suit the games of the kids we have."
The big "plus" for the Falcons will be their depth; most of the 17 returners saw solid playing time last year.
"We know when we bring kids off the bench, we won't really lose much, if anything," Young says.
That depth includes the goalkeeping position, where Young has three capable keepers. Last year's starter, Casey Smith, has moved to the striker position to help ignite the offense. Freshman Kyle Dantzer started the opener, but sophomore Sean McClintic "really worked on his game and has come a long way," Young says. Smith will serve as the third keeper, if necessary.
Smith and defender Justin Brindley were second-team NEMC picks last year, while midfielder Garrett Rodriguez earned honorable mention.
Young feels the Falcons, who still have just three seniors, can compete with John Glenn and Tawas "if everything comes together.
"Moving up (in the NEMC) depends on how well we work on the details of our game and combine our skills on the field," he adds. "We'll work to reach our potential, and if we do that I feel like we can compete with anybody." |
