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Newton Falls’ numbers growing
With 47 players, Tigers foresee better days ahead
By STEVE RUMAN
NEWTON FALLS
The Newton Falls football program has experienced its share of struggles in recent times.
The Tigers haven’t had a winning season since 2009 and own a record of 17-73 over the past nine years.
However, Newton Falls broke even in 2018 in Mike Gillespie’s first year back as the head coach.
One look at the roster suggests this could be the year the Tigers turn the corner. They return 10 starters on offense and defense.
The Tigers field a team of 47 players — 20 more than just two years ago. Fifteen seniors will provide a wealth of leadership.
“It’s refreshing to see the numbers grow in this day and age where it’s often tough to get kids to play,” Gillespie said. “All of the coaches on my staff are old-timers. I think the kids see that we’re going to be fair, we’re never going to allow them to be put into mismatches.”
“We’re here to teach and to build character. If that happens, the wins will take care of itself.”
OFFENSE
Like it was a year ago, the offense will be guided by senior quarterback Ivan Howard (91-of-165, 1,399 yards, 13 TD). Howard will have many of the same targets, including Cole Marquette (6-foot-6) and Adam Honeycutt (6-foot-5).
“We’ve got some of our athletic basketball guys playing football,” Gillespie said. “We want to take advantage of that athleticism and height.”
Paul Broadrick, Jacob Wright and Mitchell Harley provide plenty of depth at the skilled positions.
The Tigers return the entire offensive line.
“We’re going to mix things up a little differently this year, we’re going to go to a pistol and probably throw 60 percent of the time,” Gillespie said. “Last year, we were a little more run-oriented.”
DEFENSE
Veteran linebackers Marquette, Broadrick and Dominic Hunt will anchor the defense. Jacob Wright, Chris McCabe and Luke Dickey will man the defensive backfield.
“We have depth on defense, which is something we haven’t been able to say in a long time,” Gillespie said. “We could feel comfortable plugging in a number of guys in a number of spots. Having experience and a bit of depth is huge for a small school.”
The Tigers will change their defensive alignment from a 4-3 to a 3-5.
“We want to utilize our athleticism. We’re going to go after the opponent,” Gillespie said.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Cameron Hankins, a soccer player, joined the football program a year ago. He showed great progress, and Gillespie expects even bigger things out of his senior this fall.
“Cam spent a lot of time learning about the kicking game last year, and he showed progress,” Gillespie said. “This year I expect even bigger things, I think he is coming in with a stronger leg.”
OUTLOOK
Newton Falls possess the experience and depth needed to improve on its 5-5 record of a year ago. Gillespie said he believes that senior leadership will go a long way in dictating the fate of the Tigers.
“We’ve had several senior meetings where we’ve discussed the importance of guidance from the upperclassmen,” Gillespie said. “It all starts with the seniors.
“If they put forth the effort, if they go that extra mile, the attitude and the work ethic trickles down.”
“We absolutely have to start strong. If we do that, the confidence will build.”
Even beyond this year, Gillespie said the program is headed in the right direction.
“We have a strong junior class of 12 players and we have 14 freshmen,” Gillespie said. “Our goal is to have at least 10 players per class.
“With what we have, we’ll be able to field a JV team and that is huge.”
“Right now, we’re concerned about competing for a league title.”
Newton Falls opens the season with home games against Waterloo and Jackson-Milton.