It’s an old sports cliché, but in many aspects this is the beginning of a new era for the Belle Plaine football program. The Plainsmen enter the 2010 campaign this week in a new district, in a new division, facing seven new opponents. If not already, very soon even their locker room will be new as remodeling at the junior-senior high school is nearing completion.
Coach Todd Bohlen’s squad has been assigned to Class A this season. Last year, the Plainsmen were a Class 1A team. Gone are recent opponents like West Branch, Pekin and Eddyville-Blakesburg. But the other six teams in the Plainsman district are old friends and old rivals, as all seven teams in the district are also members of the SICL Conference.
It’s also a new era as the Plainsmen must replace much of their skill positions on the offensive side of the ball. The starting quarterback and leading receivers and ball carriers were seniors last year. But several of the players who will be called on to step up and fill those positions this season are very familiar with the system. And Bohlen says there are several veteran linemen who will help build a strong foundation on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
Seniors Zach Snyder and Reed Petersen will provide a lot of bulk and experience on the line. Logan Baburek will get the call at quarterback, Devon Parr is at fullback, Cooper Northrop could be a prime receiver and Kyle Janss, who saw some action in the latter stages of several games last season, will get a more prominent role in the offensive backfield this season, the coach said.
This year’s team is down a bit in numbers, with 12 seniors, eight juniors, 11 sophomores and 11 freshmen and the coach said some freshmen and sophomores have a good chance to see some varsity playing time, including sophomores Lance Hinschberger, Brent Stull and Ryan DeRycke and freshman Nick Pippert. Juniors Brett Hampton and Dustin Drexler will also have a chance to see more action this season.
The injury bug has hit the Plainsman camp already this season, with Keegan DeMeulenaere going down with a knee injury on the first play of last week’s scrimmage and Brayden Morrow nursing a bad shoulder. Both players will be out an indeterminate length of time, the coach said.
There will also be a bit of a change in the coaching ranks this season. Assistants Justin Northrop and Ryan Ridout return, joined by for Plainsman and Hawkeye Kyle Spading. He replaces longtime assistant Dennis Kurriger, who retired from coaching after last season.
This year’s schedule has some competitive balance, as there are four teams who finished below the .500 mark last season, but two teams who are rated in the preseason rankings. With just seven teams in District Six, the Plainsmen start the season with three non-district games. Friday night, they travel to Waterloo’s Sloan-Wallace Stadium to face Don Bosco. The Dons finished 1-6 in their district last year, 1-8 overall. Bohlen says they have just 31 players on their roster.
Their home opener is next week when they host a Lone Tree team that had a 2-4 district record and a 3-6 overall mark. The third week, they travel to Lisbon, 4-3 and 5-4 last year. Their first two district games are against two teams they faced (and beat) last year, Iowa Valley, which finished at 1-6 and 1-8 and HLV, 3-3 and 5-4 a year ago.
In the sixth week, the Plainsmen host Lynnville-Sully for homecoming. The Hawks were 0-6 and 1-8 a year ago. The next two games are on the road against rated opponents. BGM, 5-1 and 8-1 last year, is rated fifth in one preseason poll. North Mahaska was 4-2 and 7-2 a year ago and is rated 11th this season. The regular season ends the next week with a home game against Montezuma. A school the Plainsmen have played several years ago in football.
The Plainsmen will be seeking their third straight trip to the playoffs after finishing last year with a 7-3 overall record, 5-2 in the district. One preseason poll has the Plainsmen rated seventh in Class A. Of course, like most coaches, Bohlen doesn’t put a lot of stock in preseason polls, waiting to see how his squad will perform beginning Friday night.
