2010 SEOAL Previews: Logan Chieftains

[loganlocos]

2010 Logan Chieftains

Head Coach: Kelly Wolfe (1st Year)
2009 Record: 11-1 (5-0)
Division: II, Region 7
Returning Starters: 5 (2 OFF, 3 DEF)
Key Losses: Patrick Angle (QB/LB), Bobby Russell (C/DT), Zach McDaniel (WR/DB), Michael Snider (RB/LB), Mason Mays (WR/CB), Ralph Robinson (OG/DE), Ryan Sigler (WR/DE), Korey Swaim (WR/CB), Jordan Rutter (WR/DB), Jeff Murphy (OG), Brock Thompson (OT), TJ McCray (FB/DT)
Key Returnees: Tim King (OT/LB), Tyler Dement (OG/NG), Nathan Chandler (OG/DT), Brandon Graham (RB/DE), Dylan Cavinee (RB/LB), Derek Montgomery (K/P)

2010 Schedule:
Aug. 27 - VS Lancaster
Sept. 3 - AT Pickerington North
Sept. 10 - VS Reynoldsburg
Sept. 17 - AT Jackson *
Sept. 24 - VS Marietta *
Oct. 1 - VS Gallia Academy *
Oct. 8 - AT Warren *
Oct. 15 - AT Zanesville
Oct. 22 - AT Portsmouth *
Oct. 29 - VS Chillicothe *

Projected Line-Up:
Offense
QB - 17 - Jordan Jurgensmier - 6'1 - 185lbs - SR
RB - 01- Brandon Graham - 6'0 - 215lbs - SR
SB - 25 - Dylan Cavinee - 5'10 - 175lbs - SR
SB - 10 - Isaac Lindsey - 5'11 - 165lbs - JR
SE - 22 - Brian Cook - 5'10 - 170lbs - SR
SE - 11 - Nate Poling - 6'4 - 185lbs - SR
LT - 70 - Tim King - 6'2 - 245lbs - SR *
LG - 73 - Nathan Chandler - 6'1 - 205lbs - SR
C - 78 - Garrett Clark - 5'7 - 180lbs - SR
RG - 51 - Tyler Dement - 5'6 - 180lbs - SR
RT - 72 - Clayton Kiger - 6'4 - 310lbs - SR
Other Offensive Players:
WR - 12 - Kelly Long - 5'11 - 165lbs - JR
WR - 15 - Jordan Sharb - 5'11 - 175lbs - JR
RB - 24 - Cory McCarty - 5'11 - 180lbs - Soph
OT - 69 - John Teal - 6'0 - 240lbs - SR
OT - 67 - Coy Blair - 6'3 - 330lbs - JR
FB - 36 - Michael Simpson - 5'11 - 185lbs - Soph
FB - 99 - Paul Wesselhoeft - 6'1 - 205lbs - JR
TE - 48 - Kenny Simpson - 6'3 - 185lbs - Soph
OL - 57 - Jacob Hood - 6'0 - 180lbs - SR
OL - 66 - Aaron Wolfe - 5'10 - 215lbs - JR

Defense
DE - 15 - Jordan Sharb - 5'11 - 175lbs - JR
DT - 67 - Coy Blair - 6'3 - 330lbs - JR
NG - 51 - Tyler Dement - 5'6 - 180lbs - SR
DT - 73 - Nathan Chandler - 6'1 - 205lbs - SR
DE - 57 - Jacob Hood - 6'0 - 180lbs - SR
LB - 01 - Brandon Graham - 6'0 - 215lbs - SR
LB - 70 - Tim King - 6'2 - 245lbs - SR
LB - 25 - Dylan Cavinee - 5'10 - 175lbs - SR
CB - 10 - Isaac Lindsey - 5'11 - 165lbs - JR
CB - 12 - Kelly Long - 5'11 - 165lbs - JR
FS - 17 - Jordan Jurgensmier - 6'1 - 185lbs - SR
Other Defensive Players:
DE - 11 - Nate Poling - 6'4 - 185lbs - SR
LB - 22 - Brian Cook - 5'10 - 170lbs - SR
DL - 99 - Paul Wesselhoeft - 6'1 - 205lbs - JR
DL - 66 - Aaron Wolfe - 5'10 - 215lbs - JR
LB - 34 - Gaven Jourdan - 5'11 - 175lbs - Soph
FS - 24 - Cory McCarty - 5'11 - 180lbs - Soph

2010 Outlook:
If there were ever a season to write off the Logan Chieftains, 2010 would be the year to do. Coming off one of the most successful campaigns in school history, the 2010 edition returns only a handful of starters and will be under new leadership for the first time since the 1990 campaign.

Gone is Dale Amyx, the 20 year Chieftain grid boss who led LHS to 13 SEOAL Championships, 7 playoff appearances, and 4 undefeated regular seasons in addition to the school's second all-time winningest class including the all time passing and receiving kings in Patrick Angle and Mason Mays respectively.

But for Chieftain fans, there is plenty of reason to be optimistic. Kelly Wolfe takes over the program after 19 years as an assistant to Amyx and is the man behind the Chieftains high flying offense the last 3 seasons. And just because the 2010 edition will lack experience, that doesn't mean they lack talent.

Starting on offense, Jordan Jurgensmier has played in Wolfe's offense for 2 seasons at the JV level. He completed 10 of 19 passes for 193 yards and a pair of scores during varsity action in 2009 and also averaged over 5 yards per carry with two rushing touchdowns on the ground. Junior Kelly Long with be the back-up.

Joining Jurgensmier in the backfield will be Brandon Graham at running back and Dylan Cavinee as a split back. Cavinee averaged over 10 yards per carry in 2009 as a back-up running back while Graham saw time as the Chiefs 4th receiver last fall. Sophomores Cory McCarty and Michael Simpson add depth to the Chieftain backfield.

Isaac Lindsey and Long will be two of the top receiving threats in addition to Graham and Cavinee. Senior Nate Poling is a big target while Brian Cook, Jordan Sharb, Gaven Jourdan, Branson Sheets, and Kenny Simpson are all possible pass catchers as well.

Up front, two-year starter Tim King returns at left tackle with Tyler Dement giving Logan a second returning starter at guard. Garrett Clark looks to take over the center spot from 3-year starter Bobby Russell. Nathan Chandler, who saw some time at guard in 2009, will play opposite Dement with Clayton Kiger starting opposite King. John Teal, Coy Blair, Jacob Hood, and Aaron Wolfe all add depth up front for the Chieftains.

On defense is where the loss of Coach Amyx may have its greatest affect, however, Pat Walsh moves to defensive coordinator from special teams and is a former linebacker under Amyx. Look for Logan to stick with their traditional 5-3 defensive alignment.

Poling, Hood, and Sharb will all see time at defensive end and are all effective pass rushers. Chandler and Dement are both returning starters on the interior line with newcomers Blair, Kiger, Teal, and Clark expected to compete for the last starting spot.

The linebacking corps. returns Graham and Cavinee at outside linebacker and Cook is the leader to start in the middle. McCarty, Jourdan, and Michael Simpson add depth to the linebacking corps.

In the secondary look for Lindsey and Long on the corners with Jurgensmier at safety. Sheets adds depth in nickel situations.

The Chieftains face a tall task to start the season with Division 1 opponents Lancaster, Pickerington North, and Reynoldsburg coming in the first three weeks. Lancaster and North were both D1 playoff teams in 2009. The Chieftains last non-league opponent is Zanesville.

Logan will put their SEOAL record 34-game winning streak on the line in week 4 when they travel to Jackson. The Ironmen are the last team to beat Logan in SEOAL playing way back in 2004.

[dazed&confused]

Wow!! Where did the time go?! I'll take in a few home games this year but most of my time this fall will be spent in Westerville. Go Chiefs! Still the favorites to take the league crown.

[1987chieftains]

i'm still thinking 8-2 undefeated in league play and playoff bound ... worst case.

[dazed&confused]

You know, that's still a lot of seniors on the team again. Of course, a lot of those guys could've started on other teams as juniors. What is in the pipeline?

[1987chieftains]

the name i keep hearing is nick kost (freshman). great work ethics, nice size. could play TE and DE.

[noreply66]

any preview on Montgomery for this season?

[loganlocos]

You know, that's still a lot of seniors on the team again. Of course, a lot of those guys could've started on other teams as juniors. What is in the pipeline?

I've heard the Sophomore class has a lot of Fullback/Linebaker/Tight End type kids. Couple of good backs, not sure on linemen.

I haven't seen the incoming Freshmen at all, nor any of the junior high kids. I'm just too far removed anymore. But lets face it, it's been over 25 years now since I think the program lacked talent (early '80s), and that would have been close enough to the '78 teachers strike to rob a year of development.

Even the '95-'97 teams that struggled didn't lack talent. A lot of off the field and ego problems derailed that group. But many thought the class of '97 would win a ton of games, and ended up 2-8 and 3-7 their junior and senior years.


A lot of people talk about the recent "10-year" run at LHS, but if you look at the last 25 years, the numbers are unbelievable.

Since Clarence Perry took over in 1985:

181-81 (.692) overall
120-27 (.816) SEOAL

16 SEOAL Championships
8 OHSAA Playoff Appearances

16 Seasons of 7 or more wins
9 Seasons of 9 or more wins


I guess what I'm trying to say is, the talent isn't nearly the question mark it is other places. At Logan, the talent difference means 6-4 and 7-3 or 9-1 and 10-0. Those are, and should be the expectations.

Even with as much TURNOVER as you are ever going to see between graduation/coaching changes, I still expect this team to win 6 games as a base line. It will be a challenging year, the early schedule will be a monster for a green line-up, but I have confidence in our young men and our coaching staff.

[loganlocos]

any preview on Montgomery for this season?

Didn't mean to exclude the special teams. Added him to the key returnees. Could have a big year with a less dynamic offense. Will have the opportunity to show off his leg I think.

[dazed&confused]

I talked about the amount of seniors on the team but we also must point to the fact a lot of these players, while not previous year starters, have had a lot of varsity experience when the starters were being pulled in the second quarter of many games. They played against the other team's first string although some of the wind had been let out of their sails by then. They are not lacking in playing time but in quality time. How this group seizes the moment and put's the hammer down like previous year's teams did will be something I will be looking for. I guess a better way to describe it is, will they have the swagger previous teams did? Will they develop an identity and achieve chemistry? There will be those games where they will be challenged, like last year's Pick N. game. Can they come together in the crunch and find that other gear? That is what Logan's previous teams did.

[moonshine]

Clarence Perry, "The Godfather of Logan Football"

I am still looking at a 7-3 or 8-2 record and this is a big if, skill positions must progress tremendously over the first 3 plus games. QB progression is a must!

[C-Bolt]

[quote="LoganLocos"][

But lets face it, it's been over 25 years now since I think the program lacked talent (early '80s), and that would have been close enough to the '78 teachers strike to rob a year of development.

Good point Locos,That strike made a difference IMO,we didn't have a youth feeder program back then and had a very tough schedule to boot. We were like juniors and sophmores by the time we hit 12th grade,the Tomahawks have been very instrumental in Logans recent string of success along with coaching continuity.

[1987chieftains]

maybe kelly and staff should get together wade and staff and work to develop the feeder program more??
even include the rec flag program.

[C-Bolt]

Might not be the same plays but its better than nothing,tackling and blocking are the same fundamentals with any system,alot of athletes that really excel in sports start when their very young.The Conrads had to go to Nelsonville to play tackle in grade school before tomahawks were here.In Lancaster they run the same plays clear down to grade school.

[klaw10]

[quote="moonschein"]Clarence Perry, "The Godfather of Logan Football"

Please.....Clarence wasn't around long enough to deserve that kind of credit. Walked into one of the most talented eras in Logan Football up to that point. As soon as it started to turn he ran. Not a great coach and even worse person.

[1987chieftains]

i agree with some of that klaw. he did come in at the right time. but, i think he was better at harnessing talent and getting them to work together. something the 2 previous coaches couldn't do.

[dazed&confused]

You can make of the Tomahawks what you want but I think the biggest problem with them was not that they didn't teach fundamentals (they did) or that they don't prep players for the Logan system (offensively Logan they did a 360 two years ago and these kids are 8-12 years old) but that there is only one team for the entire community. Lots of deserving kids don't get to play because too many compete for too few spots. While a split Tomahawk squad may not be competitive year in and out, it would provide more well-grounded athletes to the JR high teams where, I say, should be where the "system" is taught. Too many kids (and parents ) get discouraged. My son played three years for the Tomahawks, learned plenty of fundamentals and went on to start three years for the Varsity. Several of his teammates dropped out during Tomahawks because 50 kids went out and 15 played significant minutes. Tomahawks become a victim of their own success when they played ONLY to win and not make it a rewarding experience for the kids. But they DID teach fundamentals. My son played flag football instead of Tomahawks in the 6th grade because he wanted to have some fun with his buddies. Quite a few of the players that made Logan great the last few years played flag football (Patrick Angle was one). And there is nothing wrong with that, either!

[Football Time!]

any preview on Montgomery for this season?

Didn't mean to exclude the special teams. Added him to the key returnees. Could have a big year with a less dynamic offense. Will have the opportunity to show off his leg I think.

Does anyone know if he's improved on his kickoffs or field goals?

[C-Bolt]

Knowing his dad he's got him working hard.He is also concentrating on soccer at the same time,but I agree that Perry did get it going in the right direction,people have told me his film study was incredible.Amyx always credited most of what he knew to Perry and some to Snipes and Coate.

[1987chieftains]

D & C i agree. there are a lot of kids that go out for both t-hawks and flag. i think i heard this years 3rd & 4th grades have around 40 kids signed up aready! 5th & 6th are looking to be around 30. not sure about flag. 2 teams wouldn't be a bad thing. experience through playing time means to world! and like you, my son played 1 yr of flag (3rd grade) 4th, 5th & this year will be with t-hawks. he changed to t-hawk b/c he wanted to tackle. and your right a lot of good kids only played flag, and thats great! the way i see it is as long as they are learning and they are having fun, that ok. but, i do think both feeder programs and the hs should be closer to each other. after all 1 day those kids are going to be playing varsity ball whether they played flag or tohawks.