By ERIC FORTUNE

sports@vindy.com

NEWTON FALLS

To say it’s been rough at Newton Falls over the last five years might be an understatement.

The Tigers have won just seven games since their last winning season in 2009.

Josh Franke, who led the Edgewood Warriors to a 6-14 mark over the last two seasons, was hired to change the culture.

“I think that is the biggest hurdle when you are taking over a program,” Franke said. “Most coaches — when they get coaching jobs — they are taking over losing programs. That is why they are open. Just changing the culture, changing the mindset and the attitude of players.”

Franke will have the luxury of having seven returners on defense and six on offense.

“I think it is nice coming in and having a foundation of good, experienced athletes to start off with,” Franke said. “A lot of them have a good football IQ and they are a little bit easier to coach. The knowledge base is there.”

Offense

Senior quarterback Josh Walters returns after passing for 1,085 yards.

Franke is excited to see what Walters can do in his offense.

“The past three years, I’ve had quarterbacks break school records,” Franke said. “I think the offense we run is very quarterback-friendly. I’m really excited to be able to work with him. He’s a smart kid. He has a nice arm. He’s very athletic as well so we are going to utilize both in the offense.”

Walters will have the luxury of his favorite targets returning: Alan Boone, Alex Ball, Ben Simpson and Colton Hunt.

“Alex is going to play slot receiver/H-back,” Franke said. “There will be times he’ll be split out as wide receiver and times where he will be an additional running back. He’s going to be the guy that catches a lot of passes, as well as getting handoffs. I think he is a very dynamic player. He’s quick, athletic, and probably the fastest kid on the team.

“Alan Boone and Ben Simpson are both great possession receivers. They have the surest hands on the team. I think they are both Josh’s security blankets. He needs a play or he needs a first down, that is who he is looking to go to.”

Defense

After the Tigers were shredded on defense by allowing 40.3 points a game, they evaluated film and saw concerns with their secondary.

“It seemed they got beat a lot on deep passes,” Franke said. “We came in and put in our philosophy as far as pass coverage goes and we tried to simplify things and just tell the kids you have one job and this is what we need you to focus on. Through the open-field stuff, chalk talk, and going to some of these 7-on-7’s, I really think our secondary — in my opinion — has been the most improved.”

The coaching staff is looking for the players to react and be instinctive on defense.

Franke is also expecting big things from Colton Hunt on the defensive side of the ball. Hunt will be the starting middle linebacker.

“He has the most potential out of anyone on this team,” Franke said. “He is one of those kids where there is no ceiling. He can be as good as Colton Hunt wants himself to be. As long as he stays coachable and puts in the work, he can really be a great asset to our defense.”

Special Teams

Kicking duties will be the responsibility of Ben Koontz, who also doubles as a linebacker for the Tigers.

The punter will be a combination of Jason Cox, Josh Walters and Derek Backherms.

Outlook

There seems to optimism that is usually reserved for Newton Falls’ basketball programs.

“As far as season outlook, everyone here is cautiously optimistic,” Franke said. “I’ve talked to a lot of people and it just seems like there is a breath of fresh air-type mentality. It’s a new and exciting time. The kids have really bought into what we are doing. Still, we are cautiously optimistic.”

As far as the schedule goes, Franke said his team is a week-at-a-time team.

“When you’ve had an unsuccessful program for the past several years and wins are hard to come by, you have to take it one week at a time and not look ahead,” he said.