Superior’s high school football players are hoping to have a minor case of amnesia as they prepare for the 2018 season.
The Spartans are coming off a season in which they went 3-6 and failed to make the Wisconsin playoffs for the first time since 2011.
Superior started 2017 with impressive nonconference wins over Medford and Somerset. But just as the Spartans were preparing to begin play in the Big Rivers Conference, they lost a couple of key players to school code violations and went on to lose six straight games before ending the season with a 28-0 win over Eau Claire North.
“The way we’ve talked about it since day one is that the past is the past and last season is behind us,” Spartans coach Bob DeMeyer said. “As with any season, there’s a lot to learn and I believe we grew as a program and that’s one of our goals - not only get better every day, but get better every season.”
During the losing streak, Superior was competitive most of the time, losing the first three games by a total of 14 points.
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After a 49-28 defeat to Menomonie, Superior fell to River Falls 32-30 and then played toe-to-toe with Rice Lake before losing 49-32. Rice Lake went on to win the Division 3 state championship, 25-3, over previously undefeated New Berlin Eisenhower.
“We were in every game we played and one or two plays away from being in our favor,” DeMeyer said.
Despite only having a handful of starters returning, DeMeyer likes the way his team looks heading into tonight’s opener against Oshkosh North (0-9 last season), which will be played at a neutral site in Stanley-Boyd.
“If we have anything that stands out right now, it’s team chemistry,” DeMeyer said. “I really like where we’re at culture-wise. We spend a lot of time every day talking about our marks of excellence and just being the best you can at all phases of their life. Stuff we learn on the field should translate to off the field.”
As for the team’s personnel, the Spartans are raw.
“We’re inexperienced in all phases of the game,” DeMeyer said. “But we have some tremendous young kids that are competing for starting spots and I like where we’re at right now.”
Leading the offense is junior quarterback Jarrett Gronski, who in five games last season was 20-for-51 passing for 344 yards and three touchdowns.
“Every position is open, including quarterback,” DeMeyer said. “Every single day we’re competing for positions, but Jarrett is clearly the No. 1 guy right now.”
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Gronski is also the top returning rusher with 344 yards and three TDs.
The tailbacks are sophomore Carter Fonger and junior Jaxon D’Auria, while the slot backs are senior Conner Fonger, juniors Caden Stone and Brennan Morrissey and sophomores Cody Kurki and Sean McCoshen.
The wide receivers include Brady Herbst, seniors James Bronson and Luke Soderstrom, junior Chris Hovik and sophomore Ben Hunter.
One bright spot on defense is the Spartans return three of their top four tacklers: linemen Chase Summerfield and Gabe Sexton and linebacker Trevor Dalbec. All are seniors.
“There’s no question those three are the core of our defense,” DeMeyer said. “They’re all great leaders and they all bring energy and enthusiasm. All three epitomize what we’re looking for from a player.”
- The Spartans will play their first three games on the road. After tonight’s game against Oshkosh North in Stanley-Boyd, Superior plays at Somerset and Eau Claire North.
“That doesn't faze us one bit,” DeMeyer said. “We don’t talk about length of trips - we’ll get on a bus and go anywhere. We look at is as an opportunity to bond and create more memories. Some kids have their noses in the playbook; other kids talk and some sleep. Whatever it is, they’re creating memories.”
Tigers’ experience a plus What a difference a year makes.
When Jovin Kroll took over as head coach at Northwestern last season, his roster included just five seniors.
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Despite the lack of experience, the Tigers managed to enjoy a 7-4 season, which included a playoff win over Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau.
Fast-forward 12 months and Kroll heads into the 2018 season with a team loaded with seniors and 17 of 22 starters returning.
“There are seniors everywhere,” said Kroll, who graduated from the Maple-based school in 2002. “This year we’re old; we’ve gone from a young team to an old team. That’s how high school sports works.
“Even our new starters played some role on the varsity last year, whether it was in a key backup role, a spot starter or on special teams. A lot of times when you have a young team, you don’t win a lot of football games. We still had a pretty successful season, with a lot of underclassmen.”
One of the top seniors is Reagan Ruffi, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound running back/defensive back, who has verbally committed to play college football at Minnesota Duluth.
“Reagan went to a lot of camps during the offseason and toured various schools, so it’s good for him to figure out what his future holds, move past it and now he can focus on the season, which he is excited about,” Kroll said.
Ruffi, who is ranked among the top 12 running backs in Wisconsin, set Northwestern’s single-season rushing record last year with 1,788 yards. He also scored 21 touchdowns, ran in three two-point conversions and caught six passes for 82 yards and a pair of scores.
The Tigers seek their 12th straight win over the Ashland Oredockers in the season opener at 7 p.m. today in Maple.
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