The Danville football team may have lost a really good
senior class from last year's Final Four team, but that doesn't mean the cupboard
is bare this fall.
The Blue Devils return a large group of juniors and
sophomores that saw significant time and are ready to make another run at the
state playoffs.
“We obviously lost a really good senior class last year, but
I feel pretty good where we're at. We reload with a lot of good players that
got some good experience last year,” said Danville coach Matt Blum.
As usual at Tough Street Stadium, it will be the defense
that sets the tone for the Blue Devils. They return six starters, plus several
who saw significant action, on that side of the ball.
The secondary returns three of its four starters, including
corner Wesley Payne, who was a first-team All-Knox Morrow Athletic Conference
selection. Payne had 63 tackles and three interceptions last fall. Also back
are the two safeties — Carson Proper (71 tackles, five interceptions) and Cyren
Wallace (80 tackles).
Also back are two starting linebackers and a third who saw a
ton of action on the field. Junior Chris Mosher (84 tackles) and Landon King
will man the middle, while Nolan Ridgway (67 tackles) returns to the outside
and will be joined by Brycen Burke.
Up front, returning starter Owen Gronberg (79 tackles, 11
for loss) will man one of the defensive end positions.
“He had a fantastic year last year. He’s going to play a big
role in stopping teams running attacks and then also able to rush the passer,”
Blum said.
Justice Tharp will be one the other end, while junior Sylas
Mizer will man one of the inside spots on the line.
“We're really excited about our defense. The guys filling
spots are going to do a really good job. We're really junior heavy. We have a
decent amount of sophomores playing, so we’ll be young, but that's OK,” Blum
said.
On the offensive side, Gronberg returns to anchor the line
at center. He’ll be joined by returning starter Tyson Payne at right tackle. Wade
Nissley, who started the last half of the season, will be the left tackle. Landon
King and Billy Hood will man the guard spots, but Blum said they have eight or
nine guys that can rotate in if needed.
The skill positions have some major talent, led by speedy running
back Cyren Wallace. The sophomore ran for more than 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns
last year, including a game where he had 295 yards rushing.
Ashton Spaulding returns for his senior season at tight end,
while Aidan Mickley and Wesley Payne both return at receiver. Burke will also
see time at tight end and freshman Briggs Wallace will see time out wide.
The Devils will be breaking in a new quarterback this season
— Ridgway.
“He's had a really good camp and first scrimmage, so we're
looking forward to him to take the reins over. He got a couple series here and
there last year,” Blum said. “We also have a freshman, Parker Proper, who we'll
use in a wildcat role. He'll play some receiver for us as well.”
Danville, which won the KMAC title in 2023 and finished as
runner-up in '22 and '24, will be looking to get back on top this fall. Blum
knows it will be a tall task, but feels with a fast start in games, the Devils
will have a chance at league honors as well as make a deep run in the playoffs
again.
“I think our league is pretty competitive, top to bottom.
Our goal is to compete for a conference title,” Blum said. “I think we have to
start fast in games. Last year, sometimes, especially in the games we lost, we
had slow starts and we just can't do that. We have to firing from the gate. We
have to be aggressive on offense and defense and set the tone early.
“We're looking forward to this year. I think our goal is to
get to Week 14, Week 15, and hopefully, Week 16. It's going to be a grind but
that's where we aspire to be.”
The Blue Devils will open the season on Friday at
Worthington Christian.
