Fredericktown football coach Will Hartley (5th season 22-21) has put together a strong passing game for 2021, but his team has an even bigger weapon that he didn’t have so much of last season -- experience. The Freddies are hoping to move up in the Knox-Morrow Athletic Conference after going 3-7 in 2020 (1-5, 7th place KMAC).
“We return a wealth of experience on both offense and defense, with eight starters returning on both sides of the ball,” said Fredericktown coach Will Hartley. “Our passing game could be a real threat for our opponents and we return all but one of our starting offensive line from last year.”
Junior quarterback Ben Mast passed the ball for 1,097 yards and seven touchdowns last season, but he also tossed eight interceptions. While he needs to improve his touchdowns-to-interception ratio as a passer, the good news is that he rushed for five touchdowns in 2020 enroute to second-team KMAC honors and a Central District honorable mention. Mast will depend on the Freddies’ offensive line, including seniors Reilly Ziegman and Kodie Spearman along with junior Lucas Herbst (first team KMAC and Central District honorable mention). Also on the offensive line will be juniors Adam McFerren, Drake Kessler, Braden Sapp and sophomore Cameron Koeble to give Mast the time he needs to find an open receiver.
The Freddies have no shortage of receivers. Seniors Trevor Jobes (honorable mention Central District, 23 catches for 295 yards and two TDs) and Brady Van Houten have a strong supporting cast. Junior receivers Kaid Carpenter (honorable mention KMAC, honorable mention Central District, 28 catches for 304 yards and three touchdowns) and Logan Small are also back. Another junior, Xavier Mullins, will be back at tight end. Last season, he had 10 catches for 114 yards and three touchdowns.
The greater emphasis on the pass is due in part to the graduation of All-Ohio running back Steven Tumbleson (800 yards rushing with nine TDs in 2020). On defense, Tumbleson led the Freddies with 89 total tackles. This season, the Freddies bring back senior fullbacks J.J.Grennell and Drake Green, junior runningbacks Teegen Ruhl and Billy Woodring, along with junior fullback Mason Hoeflich. Ruhl had 314 yards and six TDs. This is a good group, but the Freddies can ill afford an injury in the backfield.
The Freddies also need to replace last year’s All-Ohio punter/kicker Zach Vogelsang, who is also gone to graduation.
Juniors will dominate the defensive line, including Herbst, Mullins, McFerren, Kessler. Koeble will also see time on the defensive side of the line.
At linebacker, there will be plenty of seniors. Jobes finished 2020 with 57 tackles and a pair of interceptions. He will be back at linebacker along with Grennell (50 total tackles), Ziegman (30 total tackles), Spearman, Green and Woodring.
Ruhl (50 total tackles and one interception) will be at safety. The other defensive backs will be Carpenter (22 tackles), VanHouten and Small.
The Freddies will be without graduated senior and All-Ohio defensive lineman Jeremiah McKinley. He was lost to injury for the last four games of last season, but in six games he had 45 tackles and three sacks.
“Overall we are very optimistic for the upcoming season,” Hartley said. “Our off-season program has been well attended, and our numbers are up again from last year with 42 boys out for the team this season. The league will be tough this year, with a lot of teams returning very talented players. We expect many tight games this fall and we have got to put ourselves in position to win those type of games. If we can do that, we can have a solid season.”
