With some familiar names on the offensive line and steady improvement over the summer, this could turn out to be a good season for the Guerin Catholic football team.
Golden Eagles coach Tom Dilley said his 2021 squad returns all five starters from the previous season’s offensive line, in addition to its starting quarterback, Sam Jacobs. The senior had a solid campaign during his junior year, throwing for 515 yards and four touchdowns.
Guerin Catholic’s offensive line has a nice bit of size to it, as all five players are 6-foot-2 or taller, and listed between 225 and 265 pounds. The seniors are center Luke Schenk and guard Scotty Smith, the juniors are guard Max Cossell and tackle Brendan McIlvenna, with sophomore Josh Holba at the other tackle position.
Dilley also said the Golden Eagles have “a potentially strong group of receivers,” a group that includes senior Ryan Glenn, junior Will Fremion and sophomore Alex Gibbs. Glenn had 19 catches last season, including two touchdowns.
Juniors Liam Miller (tight end) and Justin Zdobylak (running back) round out the GC offensive starters.
Guerin Catholic’s secondary will also be solid this season, Dilley said. That list includes two junior cornerbacks, Joe Youngman and Luke Moody, and senior safeties Adam Novelen and Max Nickell. Novelen returns the most tackles of the group, making 57 stops last season.
Seniors Aden Cannon, Robert Sapienza and Alex Sims are slated to start on the defensive line. Seniors Tanner Finley and Dylan Balcer are Guerin Catholic’s outside linebackers, with juniors Anthony Ferrucci and Jonathan Gonzalez the inside linebackers.
“Our team has been focused and has improved steadily over the summer and through the first week of practice,” said Dilley. “We are excited about the season.”
The Golden Eagles travel to McCutcheon tonight for their season opener, then host Lafayette Central Catholic next week for the annual Bishop’s Cup game. Guerin Catholic begins Circle City Conference play on Sept. 3 with a game against Heritage Christian.
