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44 | August 23, 2018 | The glenview lantern football preview guide 2018<br />
glenviewlantern.com<br />
Experienced New Trier looks for deep playoff run<br />
Michael Wojtychiw<br />
Contributing Sports Editor<br />
New Trier players and<br />
coaches know there are a<br />
couple games everyone<br />
has circled on the schedule:<br />
Loyola and Maine<br />
South. The Trevians aren’t<br />
looking past their first<br />
game against York, however.<br />
Why’s that?<br />
Because of a saying<br />
running backs coach and<br />
strength and conditioning<br />
coordinator Jim Davis<br />
said to the team: Start<br />
fast. Stay focused. Finish<br />
strong.<br />
Last year’s squad made<br />
the playoffs for the 15th<br />
consecutive season and<br />
partook in one of the<br />
playoffs’ best games, a<br />
35-32 Loyola win over<br />
the neighboring Trevians.<br />
With just over 10 minutes<br />
left in the game, the<br />
Ramblers led 35-10 before<br />
New Trier scored 22<br />
unanswered points, seeing<br />
its chance at an upset end<br />
when Loyola recovered an<br />
onside kick with 70 seconds<br />
remaining.<br />
A good amount of experience<br />
comes back from<br />
that squad and it’s looking<br />
to advance deeper into the<br />
playoffs this season.<br />
“Our kids have set a<br />
goal to play big in big<br />
games, games against<br />
Maine South and Loyola,<br />
and we’re not going to<br />
hide from that,” head<br />
coach Brian Doll said.<br />
“We feel like we can win<br />
those games, be competitive<br />
in those games, so<br />
we can win a conference<br />
championship and not just<br />
be in the playoffs and win<br />
a first round game, we<br />
feel that with the size we<br />
halve, the depth we have,<br />
the talent we have, this is a<br />
year we hope to do something<br />
special.”<br />
Key Returns and losses<br />
Key returns<br />
QB/DB Carson Ochsenhirt - 614 passing yards,<br />
two touchdowns passing, 558 yards rushing, four<br />
rushing touchdowns<br />
RB/LB Brian Sitzer - 593 rushing yards, 11<br />
touchdowns, 6.4 yards per carry, 51 tackles, four<br />
sacks<br />
DB Carson Kosanovixh - 28 tackles, nine pass<br />
deflections, two interceptions<br />
K Graham Dable - 15/16 XP, 5/7 FG<br />
Key losses<br />
LB Wilson MacRitchie - 75 tackles, interception,<br />
fumble recovery<br />
DB Matt Mosher - 67 tackles, three interceptions,<br />
five tackles for loss<br />
DB Jacob Levy - 51 tackles, three interceptions,<br />
forced fumble<br />
WR Anthony Nicholas - 36 catches, 499 receiving<br />
yards, two touchdowns<br />
Offense<br />
The Trevians are blessed<br />
this season to return their<br />
starting quarterback, running<br />
back, left side of<br />
their offensive line and a<br />
wide receiver. Having that<br />
type of experience returning,<br />
especially at key positions,<br />
is something many<br />
teams don’t have.<br />
“There’s a lot of confidence<br />
in the returners understanding<br />
our system,<br />
knowing what they’re doing,”<br />
Doll said. “Carson<br />
(Ochsenhirt)’s maturity in<br />
the offseason is well noticed<br />
by our staff. The way<br />
he notices things, the way<br />
he leads, people respond<br />
to him.”<br />
Carson Ochsenhirt took<br />
over the starting quarterback<br />
position a couple<br />
games into the season last<br />
year and didn’t let go of<br />
the position. He helped<br />
lead the team to an average<br />
of 31 points per game<br />
over the last six games of<br />
the year, only scoring less<br />
than 28 points once along<br />
the way.<br />
“I have a lot more experience<br />
now, a lot more experience<br />
in dropping back<br />
and throwing the ball and<br />
in my reads,” Ochsenhirt<br />
said. “Last year I wasn’t as<br />
prepared for that, but now<br />
I understand my reads and<br />
feel more comfortable to<br />
make my throws.”<br />
Even though the left<br />
side of the offensive line<br />
returns, Doll feels that the<br />
right side may not only<br />
have more size, but will<br />
also surprise some people<br />
along the way. Players on<br />
the right side of the line<br />
include David Davidkoff<br />
and Rob Wright, who is a<br />
hockey player who never<br />
played football before.<br />
Some newcomers Doll<br />
looks to make some big<br />
moves are Michael Andre,<br />
a slot receiver who played<br />
on JV last season, and Potter<br />
Burns, a taller receiver<br />
who will play backside receiver.<br />
New Trier quarterback Carson Ochsenhirt shakes off a Loyola tackler during the<br />
teams’ first-round playoff game Oct. 28 in Wilmette. 22nd Century Media File photo<br />
Defense<br />
Like the offense, the<br />
defense returns a good<br />
amount of starters — five<br />
— from a defense that allowed<br />
more than 17 points<br />
in a game three times in<br />
10 games. Many of those<br />
players, such as Duke Olges,<br />
Sitzer, Ochsenhirt, all<br />
play both ways on offense<br />
and defense, something<br />
Doll said he has no qualms<br />
in doing.<br />
“I believe that we get<br />
our best 11 guys on defense<br />
to start,” Doll said.<br />
“I really focus on getting<br />
our personnel correct on<br />
defense because I feel that<br />
if people can’t score, we’ll<br />
find a way to score and<br />
win games if we can really<br />
slow teams down.<br />
“I focus on getting the<br />
best 11 athletes on the<br />
field on defense, focus on<br />
the speed, strength, size<br />
combination as possible.<br />
When we go over to offense,<br />
we try to sub our<br />
kids based on getting them<br />
a break but if you’re the<br />
best at both positions, we<br />
try to condition you.”<br />
Many of the players’<br />
versatility will allow the<br />
Trevians to give teams<br />
different looks, whether<br />
it be moving a player up<br />
into more of a linebacker<br />
role from the defensive<br />
backfield, or having one<br />
of the outside linebackers<br />
become more of a pass<br />
rusher.<br />
New Trier does return<br />
both its starting cornerbacks,<br />
Donovan Perkins<br />
and Carson Kosanovich.<br />
The two combined for 54<br />
tackles last season, with<br />
Kosanovich also having<br />
a team-leading nine pass<br />
deflections and Perkins<br />
leading the team with two<br />
forced fumbles.<br />
Special Teams<br />
Special teams is arguably<br />
the most important<br />
position group on a football<br />
team. If a team has a<br />
good, reliable kicker and/<br />
or punter, that can absolutely<br />
change the game.<br />
Throw in a good punt or<br />
kick returner that can give<br />
a team good field position<br />
after a kick, it’s even better.<br />
Luckily for the Trevians,<br />
they return one of the<br />
best kickers in the area,<br />
Graham Dable. The senior<br />
took over in game two last<br />
season, after Sam Rutherford<br />
decided to focus on<br />
soccer, and got better as<br />
the season went along. He<br />
made some good impressions<br />
during the summer<br />
attending multiple kicking<br />
camps that featured the<br />
nation’s top kickers.<br />
“His development in the<br />
offseason has been unbelievable,”<br />
the coach said.<br />
“Now he’s a nationallyranked<br />
kicker, he’ll be a<br />
Division I kid, I’m already<br />
hearing from a lot of colleges<br />
about him. He’s a<br />
weapon for us and the way<br />
we’re going to be able to<br />
use him is outstanding.”<br />
Perkins will be the main<br />
kick returner for the squad.
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