KANE — Jim Hillman called last season a wake-up call.
Perhaps not just for the head coach now entering his second year leading the Wolves, but for the entire Kane football program.
The Wolves entered the 2018 season with a 63-12 record over the previous six years that included four Allegheny Mountain League championships. But things went off the rails quickly for Kane, which had to replace one of the most successful coaches in District 9 history in Todd Silfies as well as nearly playmaker on offense. The Wolves struggled to an 0-3 start before finishing with a 2-7 record.
“It was a tough season,” Hillman said bluntly. “It was a humbling season, but we are going to come out stronger for it.”
What went so wrong?
“I go back to that senior leadership,” Hillman said. “When things got tough, it just didn’t seem to be there. Those past four seasons that we were undefeated, there was a ton of senior leadership. There was just a ton of leadership on the field throughout the entire team so you can only do so much as a coach. You have to look to each other to pick each other up.”
But Hillman is ready to put last season in the rearview and reset for 2019. That clean slate begins with new offensive coordinator Sean Jordan, who will look to help an offense that scored a total of 82 points over the first seven games of 2018 before surging for 65 over the final two weeks.
The offense will run through junior quarterback Zuke Smith, who is looking to make a leap in his second full season as the starter.
Smith has participated in a variety of camps this summer, according to Hillman, and his progress has been obvious through the early practices.
“Just how he sees the field and how he breaks down a defense when he lines up,” Hillman said. “He’s looking to see what the defense is giving us. Where he would normally try to throw the ball and get it into a window and try to force something, he’s turning that ball upfield or getting rid of it and getting it out of bounds and being safe. We can’t afford to have unnecessary turnovers.”
Also returning on offense is running back Teddy Race and a trio of wide receivers in Jake Alcorn, Bobby Rumcik and Caleb Holt.
On the offensive line, Kane returns three starters from last year in Cooper Nystrom, Jake Costanzo and Reese Novosel.
“We got a lot of young kids that got a lot of playing time a year ago,” he said. “We had two freshman (Nystrom, Costanzo) that started Friday nights for us last year on the offensive line.
“We are a young football team with a fair amount of experience. That’s what we are bringing back this year and with a defined role and with a purpose.”
With so many faces back, and a new offensive game plan, Hillman is confident the struggles to reach the end zone last year won’t carry over into 2019.
“With our new offensive coordinator last year, we struggled a bit at times to find our identify,” he said. “Were we a downhill running team or were we a spread team that wanted to run some run-pass option? We wanted to mix some of it in and this year everybody has a defined role and we are ready to go.”
Of course, the Wolves are banking on the success on offense helping out the defense, as well. Kane allowed opponents to score over 30 points in five of its nine games last season, including a stretch where it let up 135 points in three games.
Returning for that unit are Kevin Sharba, a 6-foot-4 defensive lineman, and Nystrom, who will anchor the middle of that line with a 6-foot-5, 320-pound frame.
The Wolves are the only large school in D-9 that will play a nine-game slate in 2019, and instead of adding a Week 9 non-league game, Kane will end its regular season on Oct. 18.
“Every night is a playoff game for everybody because the teams that we have every Friday night are teams that we would see in the playoffs once we got into the District and into the state playoffs,” Hillman said of the league. “I think it’s wide open, everybody is good. There isn’t anybody that is a poor team.
To get back to the postseason, Kane has to return to its winning culture — something that the seven seniors on the roster say begins with them.
“We are just trying to set a better attitude this year,” running back and linebacker Teddy Race said. “Last year our attitude wasn’t there. We were great and as soon as we started losing, it went out the window. Just setting a good example and trying to get the other seniors and the other guys to provide some leadership.”
THE RETURNING starters,
Zuke Smith, junior, 6-5, 175, quarterback
Teddy Race, senior, 6-2, 190, running back/linebacker
Jake Alcorn, senior, 5-9, 175, wide receiver/cornerback
Bobby Rumcik, junior, 6-1, 175, wide receiver/safety
Caleb Holt, senior, 5-10, 160, wide receiver/cornerback
Cooper Nystrom, sophomore, 6-5, 320, lineman both ways
Jake Costanzo, sophomore, 5-10, 220, lineman both ways
Reese Novosel, junior, 5-10, 255, lineman both ways
Kevin Sharba, senior, 6-4, 195, tight end/defensive lineman
Harley Morris, sophomore, 5-8, 150, wide receiver/safety
Chris Stewart, senior, 5-10, 190, tight end/linebacker
Aaron Hottel, senior, 5-10, 170, kicker
ALSO LETTERING were,
Mason Metz, junior, 5-10, 170, offensive line/linebacker
Josh Buhl, junior, 5-11, 170, running back/defensive back
THE PLAYERS, by position
Offense
Quarterbacks: Smith, Morris, Ricky Zampogna
Running backs: Race, Buhl, Addison Plants, Brayden Coon
Ends/receivers: Rumcik, Holt, Alcorn, Sharba, Stewart, Colton O’Rourke, Shane Ackley, Scott Szymanski, Ryan Buhl, Hottel
Guards/tackles: Nystrom, Costanzo, Metz, Gus Traugot, Aaron Smith, Bryaden Rockwell, James Porterfield, James Dean, Justin Peterson
Centers: Novosel, Lucas Burrs
Defense
Ends: Sharba
Guards/tackles: Costanzo, Nystrom, Novosel
Linebackers: Race, Stewart, Metz
Defensive backs: Buhl, Alcorn, Rumcik, Holt, Morris
Kicker: Hottel
THE SCHEDULE
August
23 – at Moniteau, 7 p.m.
30 – Ridgway, 7 p.m.
September
6 – at Bradford, 7 p.m.
13 – Brockway, 7 p.m.
20 – at Punxsutawney, 7 p.m.
27 – Clarion, 7 p.m.
October
4 – Karns City, 7 p.m.
11 – at Brookville, 7 p.m.
18 – St. Marys, 7 p.m.
