Rochester football preview: Clark, Oliver to share snaps at QB while goals remain high

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

The Rochester football team will open their season with a home game against Southwood at 7 p.m. Friday. Rochester went 9-2 last year and 8-0 in the Three Rivers Conference. Front, from left – Trevor Coplen, J.J. Velez, Navan Goodman, Trenton Meadows, Liam Spence, Kale Shotts, Camden Susaraba, Ethan Bailey, Grant Holloway, Barrett Brown, Calib Tyler, Tanner Krom. Second – Ayden Hipsher, Mason Oliver, Tanner Horn, Gavin Fincher, Auggie Wells, Cain Cortez, Gavin Pinder, Alex Chapman, Derek Wortley, Teagan Bailey, Lucas Enyart. Third – Brayden Corning, Ryker Smith, Eli Murphy, Grant Bolinger, Azariah Rocha, A.J. Schwarte, Jordan Gonzalez, Camdyn Hisey, Kevin Shull, Braxton Hester. Back – Hollis Shideler, Mitchell Clark, Owen Lett, Grayson Miller, Hagen Heilstedt, Aiden Wilson, manager Savannah Gudas, manager Emah Bradley.

When asked what the team goals are, first-year Rochester football coach Isaac Shaffer has set the bar high.

“People are probably going to think I’m crazy,” Shaffer said. “We want to win the Bell. We want to win conference. Right now, we’re on an eight-game conference win streak. I want to break Southwood’s record. … And then when you get to playoff time, your goal should be to win a state championship. So that’s what we’re going to aim for. We talk about all the time: Are we practicing to win a sectional, or are we practicing to win a state championship?

“If you’re practicing to win a state championship, usually that means you win a sectional. And you get to win some other things. We’re going to aim high, and we have to meet that standard, but that should be everybody’s team goal if they’re going into the playoffs.”

The Zebras went 8-0 in the Three Rivers Conference last year, and in seven of those wins, the game ended with a running clock, per the IHSAA Mercy Rule. They averaged nearly 40 points per game and allowed just under 8, which ranked second in the state in defensive scoring average.

The task of maintaining TRC supremacy no longer belongs to a senior group that included All-TRC offensive linemen Callen Ferverda, Matt Crossland and Declan Gard, All-TRC running back and 4,000-yard career rusher Brant Beck, All-TRC defensive linemen Grant Clark and Mason Hisey, All-TRC linebacker Jabez Yarber, All-TRC defensive backs Clarence Garrett and Zakk Parks.

Three-year starting quarterback Carson Paulik also graduated.

The team went to the Manchester University team camp in June – Shaffer calls the camp, in which Rochester was the smallest school there, “super important” in terms of organization – and had scrimmages at North Judson and Plymouth in July.

But the main focus was not necessarily improving the players’ skill level.

“The big focus all summer wasn’t so much football as it was just getting stronger in the weight room, getting faster, that sort of thing.”

The players that have the job of maintaining that momentum include returning honorable mention All-TRC players Trenton Meadows and Ethan Bailey.

Meadows will return at halfback on offense and cornerback on defense, and Bailey becomes a two-way starter for the first time. On defense, he moves from inside linebacker to tackle; meanwhile, he adds right tackle responsibilities on offense.

Offense

Shaffer said Grant Clark and Mason Oliver will both see time at quarterback. He said that each quarterback has “different tools” and a “different arsenal.” Clark got much of the playing time in the second halves of running clock games.

Shaffer praised Clark for how he “refocused” after a tough scrimmage against Plymouth earlier in the summer.

“Mitchell had a great JV season last year,” Shaffer said. “And you know, some people say, ‘Well, he’s playing JV.’ Well, a sophomore should be playing JV. … You shouldn’t have to play anybody but seniors and juniors. That’s the sign of a good program. I think we had a couple of sophomores that did play varsity last year but not too many. Mitchell’s done great. The big thing that I’ve seen with him is in years past, he’s a guy that works so hard and he does things so right that when something doesn’t go right, it kind of throws him off. I haven’t seen that as much this year.”

Oliver can make plays with both his feet and his arm, according to Shaffer.

“I always say it when he’s playing with the JV, his nickname for me is ‘Johnny Manziel,’” Shaffer said, referring to the former Texas A&M quarterback and 2012 Heisman Trophy winner. “He’s the type of kid, you know, those JV linemen are trying to figure it out, and so they don’t get the blocks they need to, and Mason can run around in the backfield for four or five seconds with nobody blocking anybody and make something happen, whether he decides to tuck it and run or he decides to throw it 40 yards on a line. His throwing mechanics as far as a football goes, some would say, isn’t great. He’s on target when he throws it, so I have no problem with it, but he can rip a football. That’s why we’re going to use him as far as his legs go and his ability to throw the long ball accurately. Mitchell is very accurate as well. He probably doesn’t have as strong an arm as Mason but has that extra year and is better going through his progressions and reads. Mason will get there too, but we really want to utilize both of them this year.”

Kale Shotts, who ran for 483 yards on 8.6 yards per carry, and Aiden Wilson are the team’s top fullbacks, though Shaffer said both could also see time at halfback.

In addition to Shotts and Wilson, the primary halfbacks include Meadows, Grant Holloway, Alex Chapman and Gavin Fincher.

“He’s a hard-nosed kid,” Shaffer said of Fincher. “So we always tell our guys, ‘You can’t play halfback for us if you can’t block. I don’t care how good you look with the ball in your hand. You’ve got to be able to block. And Gavin Fincher can block. So I really like him.”

Senior newcomer Liam Spence and junior Grayson Miller will see time at wide receiver. With both Grant Clark and Jack Reffett having graduated, senior Navan Goodman emerged after a good Manchester camp and will take over at tight end. If Shaffer chooses to run a two-tight end set, Owen Lett will be in the game.

On the offensive line, Derek Wortley moves from center to left guard, and fellow junior Gavin Pinder will start at right guard. J.J. Velez will be the backup.

Camden Susaraba and Bailey will start at left tackle and right tackle, respectively. Both had been defense-only prior to this year. Trevor Coplen will rotate in as well.

“For ‘Sus,’ again it’s just getting reps,” Shaffer said of Susaraba. “I never have to question his effort. His effort’s there. It’s just more of the mental side of things right now.”

Calib Tyler and Barrett Brown, both seniors, are competing at center, and Shaffer said he will not decide on a starter until the night before the opener against Southwood.

Shaffer said all five starters on the offensive line, regardless of who starts at center, will be part of the “800-pound club,” whose members include anybody whose bench press, power clean and squat lists total that amount or more.

Defense

Susaraba, Bailey, Wortley and Tyler will share two defensive tackle spots, and Brown will also rotate in.

Lett and Wilson will play defensive end with Goodman to provide depth. Lett and Wilson saw time as backups last year to Clark and Hisey; now they will start.

“Mason Hisey and Grant Clark, you want to talk about reading your keys and knowing what’s going to happen because of reading that, I’m not sure you’ll ever find anybody better,” Shaffer said. “The thing that Aiden and Owen Lett probably have the advantage over those two is they’re probably more athletic. Crazy to say, because I feel like our defensive ends last year were probably pretty athletic, but both of them are extremely athletic. So right now, we’re just working on if they can get even half as good of a read as Grant Clark and Mason Hisey could, they’re going to be really good defensive ends. And they’re only juniors. So I’m excited to see what those two do this year.”

The move of Bailey to defensive tackle leaves a void at linebacker; the graduations of Beck and Yarber already meant there was going to be some turnover there.

Pinder will play the middle linebacker spot with Fincher playing on the weak side. Kale Shotts will play the “STAR” position, a hybrid linebacker-safety spot that Beck occupied last year.

“You can’t replace Brant Beck,” Shaffer said. “Absolutely you can’t on either side of the ball. Not just with what he does athletically, but everybody says you had a great year as the defensive coordinator last year. Well, I didn’t really have to call much. Brant Beck’s out there calling audibles and everything for me. He was a student of the game and just knew the game, and he got everybody where they needed to be. So that’s probably the thing we’ll miss the most with Brant Beck at define is basically just that extra coach on the field.”

Meadows and Spence will start at cornerback with Clark and Oliver as backups. At safety, Chapman returns to the lineup, and Holloway is a new starter on defense.

“Both him and Trenton being at those corner positions, we’re really, really long at the corner position, and I like that,” Shaffer said.

Special teams

Tanner Krom is a senior newcomer who will vie for time at placekicker. Fincher and Oliver will compete to be the long snapper. Punter and kickoff man are yet to be determined.

Chapman, Meadows and Holloway are the prime candidates for time at kickoff and punt returner.

“We do have some guys that are electric with the ball in their hands in the open field,” Shaffer said.

Shaffer was hired in January. He replaced his father Ron, who stepped down after a five-year run in which he went 39-13.

“There’s a lot of competition at multiple positions,” Shaffer said. “No one should be comfortable. No one should think that they just have a spot just because. We’re constantly trying to figure out where we can compete.” 

Schedule

Due to Wabash choosing not to have a varsity team, Rochester has scheduled Clinton Prairie as a replacement opponent for Week 4. Wabash not having a team also means that Sectional 34 is down to seven teams.

Aug. 21 – vs. Southwood, 7 p.m.

Aug. 28 – at Tippecanoe Valley, 7 p.m.

Sept. 4 – vs. Whitko, 7 p.m.

Sept. 11 – at Clinton Prairie, 7 p.m.

Sept. 18 – at Lewis Cass, 7 p.m.

Sept. 25 – vs. Peru, 7 p.m.

Oct. 2 – at Northfield, 7 p.m.

Oct. 9 – vs. Northwestern, 7 p.m.

Oct. 16 – at Maconaquah, 7 p.m.

Oct. 23 – Class 2A, Sectional 34 quarterfinal

Class 2A, Sectional 34

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