ARCOLA — Since the Arcola football season ended in the Class 1A quarterfinals to Central A&M last year, incoming sophomore Tanner Thomas made a big decision.
Thomas made big waves his first year on the gridiron, hauling in 468 yards receiving, 241 yards rushing and scoring 10 touchdowns, but it was his performance on the pitching mound that grabbed NCAA Division I schools' attention. Thomas announced that he verbally committed to Louisville in November while still a freshman.
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With fall practices underway for his sophomore football season, Thomas will use that throwing arm some more as the Purple Riders' new starting quarterback. Thomas isn't entirely new to the position — he got his first start last season filling in for former QB Beau Edwards in Week 8 against Villa Grove.
"Football was a lot of fun and last year was such a good experience for me. It definitely put football up there with baseball," Thomas said. "I played quarterback for that one game and it was a lot of fun learning and playing with all of those seniors' shadows and learning how to handle emotions. I think I got a lot from that last year. It always helps to get a little varsity experience under your belt."
'Taking it in stride'
As Arcola head coach Nick Lindsey works on installing the Thomas-led offense, he has been happy with the quick progress in fall practices.
"We are actually further along than what I expected to be," Lindsey said. "For the most part, we've got our personnel figured out of who fits where, and we are now trying to clean things up and add to our opportunities."
The experiences of stepping into the complicated Riders' offense last season, even for one game, gave Thomas a springboard into the season.
"I think it has helped him. It is a lot thrown at you, especially in our offense when you have reads and what we do with different people," Lindsey said. "Tanner is taking it in stride and he really worked to put himself in the position to be successful. He's coachable and he's a heck of a kid that you enjoy coaching."
Balanced attack
Thomas will be handing off to a pair of big running backs this season in Grant Wilson and Michael Guana, which is atypical for the Purple Riders.
"Having those two in the backfield is a little different. We usually have kind of explosive backs and those two are big physical downhill type of kids," Lindsey said. "They have both been outstanding and are both over 200 pounds. Grant has put on about 20 pounds of muscle this offseason and he hasn't lost a lot of explosiveness and burst."
Wilson moves over to a runner after being a wide receiver last season. Lindsey is shooting for a balanced offensive scheme.
"I think our skill kids are really our strength right now, so I want to be balanced and get the ball in their hands and get it into space as much as possible," he said.
Thomas has been pleased with the improvement he's found with his other offensive teammates.
"We are talking bigger steps and leaps in every practice. The younger guys are learning and it has helped a lot," Thomas said. "We are going to go out with a lot of confidence. We are going to surprise a lot of people."
Rebuilding the o-line
Last season's Purple Riders' offensive line was wiped out entirely by graduation and Lindsey made it an early priority to get the new crop of varsity starters slotted into their spots.
"Early in the offseason, it was finding out who these guys were going to be," Lindsey said. "We have really put time into kids and tried to develop some kids and have some competition for positions. It has worked out really well and I'm happy with where we are at right now.
"We lost quite a bit but we have good players back and we have some guys who have worked hard to put themselves in position this year."
One of those new starters who will impact both sides of the line this season is senior Nic Gomez, who has taken advantage of every summer workout.
"Honestly, the summer felt really short. It felt like it flew by but we put in a lot of work and we are excited to see how the team will work out," Gomez said. "For me, I wanted to improve my endurance so I can play more on the field. I feel like I definitely have improved in that. I wanted to try to be the best that I could so colleges can see me and I can play my best."
Last Cola Wars
Arcola takes on Tuscola in Week 1 as the Cola Wars rivalry continue for a 109th time. It will also be the final one for the foreseeable future as the Purple Riders' Lincoln Prairie Conference expands to 10 teams next season with the addition of previously independent Nokomis and current Central Illinois Conference team Sullivan-Okaw Valley.
That will give Arcola nine conference games, leaving no chance to schedule a Tuscola matchup.
Even though it might be a historic game, Gomez said he's trying to not make too much of the matchup.
"It is somewhat important since it is the Cola Wars but to me it is just another game that we will see on the road. I'm ready to put in the work to battle them on the field," he said.
Before the LPC schedule begins with Argenta-Oreana in Week 3, Arcola hosts Braidwood Reed-Custer in Week 2. The Comets were 10-2 last season and advanced to the Class 3A quarterfinals. Lindsey said he sees these early challenges as a positive for the team.
"Our schedule is really difficult in the first two weeks, which is good for us because it will make us learn and make us make adjustments. It's good be tested early but I'm just more anxious to see how this group develops," Lindsey said. "I think Tuscola will be really good up front. They are always physical and running around flying to the ball. It will be a good test for us, especially being inexperienced up front. Their linemen will really test us."
Glad to be committed
Thomas said he's glad he committed early.
"I think (committing early) gives me more of a sense of an incentive to continue to work harder," Thomas said. "There is always the feeling that you have to fight for that spot. It always helps to have that extra incentive to work harder."
Louisville has had 10 former players debut in the major leagues since 2018, including Chatham Glenwood graduate Reid Detmers, who debuted with the Los Angeles Angels in 2021. Detmers threw a no-hitter in May and an immaculate inning (striking out three consecutive batters on nine total pitches) in July. That sort of professional success was important to Thomas.
"(Louisville's) player development program is very good. They have a lot of guys in the MLB and have had very successful guys in the MLB. I felt like that was the right fit for me," he said.