The Fredericktown football team lost some key players to graduation, including one of the top offensive performers in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference (KMAC) and five first-team All-KMAC players. Still, Freddie's head coach Will Hartley is counting on several returning letter winners and a sophomore quarterback to step up this season and push the Freddies toward a playoff run.
"We will have a relatively young group this season," said Hartley, who is in his 25th year coaching, including 22 years at Fredericktown and seventh in the head coach role.
"We lost 14 seniors and have a small senior group this year, with only four seniors seeing significant playing time last year. We will have a lot of new faces on the offensive line and on defense. Much will depend on how quickly we can learn our positions and adapt to the speed of varsity football."
Last season the Freddies posted a 6-5 record and were 4-2 in KMAC play, good for fourth in the conference and a playoff berth. They were especially strong at home, going a perfect 5-0.
They scored a total of 292 points and allowed 273 points. In 2022, they started off 6-3 with several blowout wins before losing the season's last two games, including a 49-7 loss in the playoffs to Eastwood.
Returning to the squad this year is second-team All-KMAC outside linebacker senior Trevor Bellman, who looks to bring his experience to anchor the young defensive unit. Bellman played all 11 games last season and recorded 58 tackles, including five for a loss. He also had two interceptions, two fumbles recovered, two fumbles caused and a sack.
Outside linebacker Carter Mull is a two-year letter winner who also plays wide receiver and will be relied on both sides of the ball. Mull had 47 tackles, with two for a loss, as well as an interception, fumble recovery and fumble caused.
Cameron Koelb returns to the offensive line for his fourth year as a starter. The senior lineman also played well on defense last season with 33 tackles and one for a loss. He also had four sacks and a fumble recovery.
Senior Grant Hartley will be the team's No. 1 option at receiver in his second year as a letter-winner. He will be receiving passes from quarterback Blake Sipes, who will be starting in his sophomore season.
Junior Blake Tucker is returning to the offensive line as a starter, looking to open up holes for the running game and to protect Sipes.
However, the Freddies have some major holes to fill as the team lost first-team All-KMAC and two-time All-Ohio recipient Teegan Ruhl. Ruhl led the KMAC with 1,814 yards rushing and 1,999 total yards, to go along with 26 total touchdowns last season. He also caught 14 passes.
Fredericktown also lost first-team KMAC player Mason Hoeflich, who was fourth in the KMAC in tackles with 93.5 and contributed on offense with 397 yards rushing.
Kaid Carpenter, also first-team KMAC, also graduated and was a top player for the Freddies last year with 456 rushing yards, 20 catches and seven touchdowns.
Fellow first-team KMAC players Lucas Herbst and Xavier Mullins graduated, and their production will also be missed. Herbst had 26.5 tackles, and Mullins recorded 44 tackles on defense and 13 receptions on offense.
The team also lost their starting quarterback Ben Mast to graduation, as well as second-team All-KMAC safety Logan Small.
This season the Freddies will transition from the I-formation to the spread offense. They will also be looking to develop more balance between rushing and passing the ball, as the team relied heavily on the run last season.
On defense, Fredericktown will play a 4-2-5 formation, as they can get more speed on the field. It also allows the team to adjust to many offensive looks.
Coach Hartley said he got most of his coaching influence from high school coaches, as well as men he has worked with or under over the years. He said he learned that as a coach, you must be true to your personality, as there is no one formula for success.
While the team has its work cut out for them, Hartley expects the Freddies to put themselves in the position each week to compete and win in what is a competitive KMAC league.
"Our slogan for this season is 'locked In," Hartley said. "We have to be 'locked in' for everything we do related to football over the next 12 weeks."
Fredericktown starts its season against Highland at home on Aug. 18 at 7 p.m.
The Freddies host Northridge on Aug. 25 and then head to Utica on Sept. 1, with kickoff at 7 p.m. in both games.
