McGuffey coach Ed Dalton believes his Highlanders are on the cusp of having a season as fruitful as any in the history of the program.
The Highlanders reached the postseason in 2015 with a 6-3 regular-season mark but were trounced by Freeport in the first round. Dalton said more can be and will be in store for his program in 2016.
“The last two years in the regular season, you could say we were four plays away from being 17-1,” Dalton said.
“We lost one game on a last-second field goal, lost another game on a punt return for a score. We just have to be a bit more consistent in all phases. Last year at Freeport, we just did not compete enough to win that game (a 45-6 loss).”
McGuffey returns 17 starters, giving the coach all the more reason to feel good.
“We had a great offseason in the weight room and great turnout for summer conditioning,” Dalton said. “We're excited to get the ball rolling.”
Senior Marcus Czulewicz, who is garnering Division I interest, will begin his third year behind center after totaling 2,700 yards rushing and passing last year.
“He has 15 starts under his belt, so that is a plus,” Dalton said. “He is a very intelligent kid that can both run and throw. We do a lot of checks at the line. If we're lined up in a bad play, he'll kill it and get us into another play.”
Dalton added that Czulewicz's experience and ability will allow the Highlanders to run a fast-paced offense that will snap the ball every 20 seconds.
Czulewicz will be joined in the backfield by Spencer Gillespie and Adam Townsend, who added 850 rushing yards.
“Adam has some breakaway speed that we will definitely need,” Dalton said.
Receivers Matt Mounts, Greg McBride and Nick Haynes should provide Czulewicz reliable targets. Dalton also likes the size of his offensive and defensive lines.
“Marko Olivarez and Ed Shingles will play both sides of the ball and will be impactful,” Dalton said. “The whole offensive line is back intact. We can and should dominate on the line of scrimmage for sure.”
Dalton also said the Highlanders have a weapon in tight end Chase Miller (6-foot-2, 240 pounds), another Division I prospect.
Defensively, the Highlanders have nine returning starters. Czulewicz, Gillispie and Teague Nicolella are all three-year starters in the secondary.
“The conference should be strong top to bottom this year. That said, we think that we can win it,” the coach said. “Our depth is the best we've had since I've been here.”
