By Greg Gulas

sports@vindy.com

HANOVERTON

United won five of their first six regular-season games last year and finished 7-4 overall, earned the program’s second playoff berth and the school’s first extended campaign since 2010.

This year under first-year head coach Michael Demster, the goal is to secure back-to-back playoff appearances.

“Football is always exciting and as a first-year head coach, I, too, will be learning on the run,” Demster said. “Playing in the ITCL’s Red Tier, we’re the small school in the big-school division so each week will present a new challenge.

“We’ve had an excellent preseason and must be ready each and every week because with our schedule, you don’t have the luxury of an off-week.”

The Golden Eagles lost 12 seniors to graduation, which depleted both its offensive and defensive lines.

A talented freshman and sophomore class, however, gives Demster and staff reason to be cautiously optimistic this season.

OFFENSE

The first-year coach will run the Wing-T with junior Colton Graham and sophomore Nathan Mikell vying for the starting quarterback job.

Colton Antram is the fullback, Tyler Powers and Cade Wood the wings and Jake Clark the primary receiver. Colton Bowen and Tyler Humphrey should split time at tight end.

There are seven candidates competing for five line positions. Sophomore Brent Dustman and junior Jake Blake are the center candidates. Toby Richmond, Bryce Reiter and Josh Good the guard hopefuls and Thomas Combs and Kyle Bailey projected as tackles.

DEFENSE

The Golden Eagles’ 4-4 defense boasts Richmond and Combs at the tackles with Reiter, Good, Blake and freshman Brady Leyman expected to complement each other at end.

The outside linebackers are Powers and Antram, with Bowen and Humphrey slated for duty inside.

The secondary is a hard-hitting group, led by Clark and Graham at the corners and Wood at safety.

Senior Jordon Bailey will also see plenty of time at both corner and X-back.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Antram is slated to handle all punting and kicking duties with Graham both the short and long snapper.

Clark, Powers and Wood are the kick returners with Powers and Wood penciled in as punt returners.

OUTLOOK

With graduation leaving the offensive and defensive lines in rebuilding mode, those two areas will have to jell quickly in order to ensure any type of success this year.

“The lines on both sides of the ball remain our most inexperienced areas. Offensively, we need to protect and open holes in order to gain yards and score,” Demster said. “Defensively, we just need to fly to the ball and be ready for each play.”

Despite losing 12 seniors to graduation, the future remains bright in that the freshman and sophomore classes have already asserted themselves during preseason drills.

“We have a talented group of sophomores and freshmen and that just bodes well for our future,” Demster said. “While talented, they remain inexperienced and the one thing that you cannot coach is inexperience.”