Senior tackle ranked 46th best player in state

By JOE SCALZO

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

Last season, when Poland football coach Mark Brungard sized up his offensive tackle, Bill Dugan, he ran down a mental checklist:Size? Check.

Skill? Check.

Potential? Check.

Attitude? Well ...

“He’s a light-hearted jokester and when he got on the football field, he was always too nice,” said Brungard. “We wanted him to stay the same off the field. But on the field, we wanted him to get a little nasty.

“We needed to get that switch turned on.”

Can do better

So, midway through last season, Dugan took stock of his abilities, then looked at his performance and said, “I can do better.”

“I think I realized that God gave me some size and I wasn’t just supposed to let it go to waste,” said Dugan, a 6-foot-5, 290-pound . “So I got more aggressive and by the end of the season, it worked out good.”

Adds Brungard, “As the season went on, he grew a liking to pancaking guys.”

Dugan, who is ranked as the 46th best player in the state by Ohio High, helped lead the Bulldogs to a 7-3 mark last year. Poland just missed making the playoffs, coming up short after a devastating last-second loss to Canfield in Week 10.

“The Canfield game left a sour taste in our mouths,” said Dugan. “It was good motivation for us.

“We’ve got a lot of key players coming back and we feel like we’re going to pick up where we left off last year. We want it even more this season.”

Brungard is relying heavily on his standout senior tackle to lead the Bulldogs to their first trip to the postseason since 2002.

Voted co-captain

Dugan was voted one of the team’s captains last week and will take over the most important spot on the line this season: open side tackle, which is similar to left tackle in most schools’ schemes. Last year, Dugan played on the closed side, meaning he had a tight end next to him to help with protection.

In addition to run-blocking this fall, he’ll protect junior quarterback Gannon Hulea’s blind side against the opponent’s top speed rusher.

“That’s what colleges want to see,” said Dugan, who has gained interest from several Mid-American Conference schools but hasn’t received any offers yet. “They want to see if you can go one-on-one against somebody.

“I definitely prefer run blocking — it’s more fun — but I’m getting better with pass blocking.”

Although Dugan doesn’t rely solely on his superior size, he knows his speed and quickness need to improve if he’s going to play at the next level. Brungard figures that once colleges see what he can do with more responsibility, the offers will come rolling in.

Filled out frame

“He got taller before he got thicker, so he learned how to run with that height and that frame,” Brungard said. “For his size, he moves really well. And he’s not a sloppy 300 pounds. He looks good.”

Dugan’s father, Bill, is 6-4, 250 and played baseball at Mooney, so size and athleticism are in his genes. Dugan’s development as a player has coincided with his improvement as a student, too.

“He didn’t always take his studies as seriously as he should have, but he’s matured in all aspects: mentally, physically, spiritually,” said Brungard. “His faith is really important to him. He’s a team leader and a great kid.

“If your son’s hanging out with Bill, you know he’s going to do the right thing.”

Brungard played for Jim Tressel at YSU and remembers his coach seeking balance from his players: aggression on the field, responsibility off it.

Dugan’s got it figured out.

How it works

“You want your players to represent the community and the program with class,” said Brungard. “Bill’s really developed into the type of football player he needs to be.”

And he’s not done yet.

Dugan figures his best football is ahead of him.

“Last year was my first year of varsity and it went so fast,” he said. “I want to enjoy this year since it’s my last year of high school. And I really want to play Division I college football.

“That’s my dream.”

scalzo@vindy.com