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HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Experience biggest asset for Ashland
Ashland team photo
Purchase this photoBy GRANT TRAYLOR
The Herald-Dispatch
gtraylor@herald-dispatch.com
ASHLAND -- The bad news for the Ashland Tomcats is losing superstar Matt Thomas to graduation.
The good news for Ashland and coach Leon Hart is losing only Matt Thomas.
"Literally, we have almost our entire football team back," Hart said. "We actually played more sophomores last year than seniors. We enter this year with a ton of experience."
At this time last season, Hart said the Tomcats had one returning starter on offense (Thomas) and two on defense (Thomas and a linebacker).
With little experience, the Tomcats certainly took their lumps last season, finishing 2-8 and missing the playoffs for the first time in nearly two decades. Hart said the players not only took it hard, but so did the coaching staff.
"That's the first time in 20 years, we didn't make the playoffs and it hurt all of us," Hart said. "As a staff, we took a real hard look at what we were doing and evaluated ourselves. We had to accept responsibility."
Hart said the 2008 season actually began in December 2007 -- when the Tomcats took to the weight room. He said some of his young starters from '07 added 20 to 25 pounds of bulk for this season.
And, the Tomcats have exceptional depth on both sides of the ball to go with their size.
Drew Royalty will be at quarterback after starting six games last season. He will be joined in the backfield by running back Blake McLeod and fullback Josh Alber.
Another player Hart said will turn heads is Dom DeMartino, who started as a 150-pound linebacker last season. DeMartino is up to 181 pounds and will see time in the backfield and at wide receiver this season.
Those players will be protected by Ashland's deepest offensive line in years, Hart said. J.C. Thompson, Mark Ball, Nik Kosakowski and Justin Pennington all will play tackle. Josh Salisbury and Taylor Walker, who was hurt in the first game last year, will man the guard positions. Evan Holbrook returns at center. Proc Robinson will also see time on the offensive line.
"We've got eight kids on our offensive line that started four games or more last year with the exception of Taylor Walker who got hurt in the first game," Hart said.
Defensively, many of those same offensive linemen will see time on the defensive line, but Hart said unlike past years, there will be a solid rotation that means linemen won't be worn down late in games.
Alber will anchor the inside linebacker tandem while Robinson or Connor Swift will join him. On the outside, McLeod and Josh Miller will factor into the mix. DeMartino could also see time at outside linebacker, but will most likely be the free safety.
"With those two positions, we like our best athletes to be out there," Hart said. "All those guys will play in that triangle."
Hart said the special teams will also see vast improvement after kicker/punter Will Skaggs attended the Ray Guy Kicking Camp this summer.
