Do not get South Adams coach Grant Moser wrong, he would have loved to have beaten Adams Central in the regional round last season, a 19-7 loss that many considered an upset after beating the Flying Jets by 28 points in the regular season.
But the positive? That shocking defeat has been the rallying cry throughout the off-season, from conditioning to workouts to team meetings.
“Our guys were pretty upset with that,” said Moser about the loss. “But what they learned was that they can be beaten at any time by anybody.
The work ethic has been great because of that. Essentially this season with the uncertainty, the team knows this can come to an end at any time.”
A 12-1 season, complete with ACAC and sectional titles, is no longer enough for the Starfires, who return 10 starters on offense and eight on defense.
The offense is led by senior quarterback James Arnold, who threw for over 3,100 yards and 43 touchdowns a year ago. He brings back most of his primary weapons, including senior running back Christian Summersett (866 yards rushing, 11 TDs) and wide receivers Aidan Wanner (39 receptions, 1002 yards, 14 TDs), Nick Miller (35-822-8), Drew Stutzman (32-766-16) and Trey Schoch (17-370-7).
Along the offensive front, Sam Plattner will hold down the center spot and will be joined by brother Jake. Carter Lewis is a three-year starter up front at tackle as well.
“Offensively, we should be better than we were a year ago,” Moser said. “We could have played in July with a full playbook, so we are in a good situation.”
The Starfires have some big names to replace on defense, mainly Nic Stuber and Grady Sprunger. Stuber rushed for nearly 600 yards last season, but was even more valuable as a three-year starter at outside linebacker, last year making 73 tackles, 8.5 TFL and an INT.
Meanwhile, Sprunger at middle linebacker was the leader on the field, having called the defensive sets beginning as a sophomore. His 105 tackles, 15 TFL and three sacks are gone, as well as his leadership.
Summersett will move to middle linebacker to replace Sprunger, while Dom Kahn will man the nose tackle spot up front.
On the back end, Wanner (four INTs), Jake Plattner (two INTs) are back, with Alex Gorney also expected to be a versatile player on defense.
While Miller (66 tackles, 20.5 TFL and 5.5 sacks) was huge on the defensive side last year, Moser wants to use their D1 prospect more offensively. Whereas last year he averaged about seven touches per game, the Starfires want to up that to closer to 12-13 times, finding various ways to get the 6-foot-4, 235-pound monster involved.
While South Adams fulfilled some goals a year ago, it left some others on the table, namely a deep postseason run. This year’s team has the attitude that a relatively unexpected postseason exit won’t happen again.
WHY #9?
South Adams broke numerous program records last season, blasting through the regular season with an undefeated record and the closest game being decided by 15 points.
On paper, this team is the class of the ACAC, with even Adams Central looking a sizable amount up at the Starfires.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
It is always tough to gauge 1A programs against some of the best in the NE8 and SAC. While individual talent may be comparable, the depth that the bigger schools are able to employ would put South Adams at a disadvantage.
There is also the fact that, despite all of the dominating talent of a year ago, this team did not meet OTH’s lofty expectations. In a way, some of the Starfires got cocky and complacent. It bit them in the regional round.
CRITICAL GAME
Week 5 vs. Monroe Central
A non-conference game as the crucial game? Considering South Adams will be favored in every single ACAC contest this season, OTH believes the postseason is where the Starfires’ most crucial games will lie, especially after last year.
Monroe Central not only happens to be a solid non-conference opponent, the Golden Bears also reside in the same sectional as South Adams. An impressive showing in this one will set the tone for the playoffs.
CRUCIAL PLAYER
Christian Summersett, senior, RB/LB
The senior slides up into the middle of the defense from his safety spot and will be the one calling the sets and schemes before and during each play. As South Adams looks to slow down the running attack of Adams Central or face off against a squad that likes to go vertical, it will be Summersett who will need to make the right reads and adjustments on the fly.
While Summersett will make the highlights on offense, it is his defense that will truly be huge for the Starfires.
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