By Nicholas Huenefeld

Special to the Sentinel-Tribune

PEMBERVILLE — Second-year Eastwood football coach Sam Cotterman considers his team “veterans of the spread” as the Eagles enter his second year at the helm.

“There were hiccups (last year),” Cotterman said. “We didn’t run the ball really well. Some people hear spread and think you’re just throwing the ball all over the place, but we like to spread it out and run the ball.

“We didn’t really do that real well the first couple weeks, but we definitely picked it up. The kids got more comfortable in the system and you definitely saw us grow throughout the year.”

Caiden Maize, who ran for 1,493 yards with 19 touchdowns and seven games of 100-plus yards, was a big part of last year’s success.

While he has graduated, Eastwood returns senior quarterback Kadyn Donnell, who threw for 1,972 yards and ran for 954 yards while combining for 33 touchdowns.

“Kadyn is doing tremendous,” Cotterman said. “He’s had a great summer, and he wants to grow. Last year, he broke the completions record (142) for Eastwood his first year in this system, and I think that says a lot about him as an athlete and a leader considering the great players that have come through Eastwood.”

Having 16 seniors will be a big asset for the Eagles as the team loses eight all-conference players from one season ago.

“That’s a huge number for us,” Cotterman said. “We’re going to rely on them. There’s no more, ‘it’s a new system, blah blah blah.’ We’re veterans in the spread now. And you can tell the kids have that mentality. We’re much farther ahead than we were a year ago at this time. I’mjust looking forward to seeing what they can do.”

As Eastwood loses its leading rusher in Maize, Kevin Lewis is expected to take a featured role in the backfield after rushing six times for 77 yards and two touchdowns last year.

“Kevin could have done some good stuff last year, but we used him a lot on defense and relied on Kadyn mostly on offense,” Cotterman said. “So we’re looking forward to seeing what he does with the ball in his hands.”

With Kevin in the backfield, his twin brother Andre returns out wide after accumulating a team-best 874 yards with nine touchdowns last year.

“Andre was a tremendous receiver for us last year and now his brother is going to be the starting running back,” Cotterman said. “They compete against each other all the time, and that’s going to be fun to watch.”

There’s also another player Cotterman is excited about.

“I think that Hunter Lauer is going to turn some heads,” he said. “He was a sophomore last year and our backup tight end. He’s 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, and he’s going to be a nice target for us.”

The Eagles, who have won the NBC title six times, will have to replace several other key players such as Third Team All-Ohio offensive lineman Ian Sibbersen, all-district kicker Noah Haar and First Team All-NBC linebacker Andrew Badenhop.

In total, Eastwood graduated three All-NBC offensive lineman, but also returns players such as Paul Lautzenheiser, who was an Honorable Mention All-Ohio selection at defensive end.

“We’ve had a couple guys step up this summer to fill those shoes (on the line), “ Cotterman said. “Paul is going to be a two-way player at tackle and defensive end. He’s a tremendous athlete for his size. Colton Oberhouse has had a great summer. He’s working hard to anchor our other side.”

That all reverts back to a mentality Cotterman is looking for from his team.

“We need to get to the point where it’s the next man up, and I think that’s where we’re at,” he said. “We’ve had some guys who’ve had great offseasons, and they’ve worked tremendously hard in knowing those are big shoes to fill.”

Eastwood opens its season Aug. 23 at Kenton, and Cotterman is preparing his team for the long haul.

“We need to create depth at some point this year. That’s just the way football is,” he said. “We’re going to face adversity, and we need to make sure our depth is there so someone can step in and we don’t lose anything when that happens.

“That’s what we’re preaching to the younger guys right now. You don’t have time to wait until you’re a senior or next year. That doesn’t count. We need you to be working now and be ready to go when it’s time.”

EASTWOOD SCHEDULE

Aug. 23 @ Kenton

Aug. 30 ELMWOOD

Sept. 6 @ Wauseon

Sept. 13 @ Lake

Sept. 20 MAUMEE

Sept. 27 @ Rossford

Oct. 4 FOSTORIA

Oct. 11 OTSEGO

Oct. 18 @ Oak Harbor