As we approach the start of the 2024 season, Outside the Huddle is counting down the top 10 teams in its preseason power poll.
At No. 8 we have Bishop Dwenger, which aims to reassert itself as a factor at the top of the SAC this season.
When you’re held to such a high standard, any less than excellence can be cause for alarm.
Warranted or not, that’s just the way it is.
Over the last three seasons, Bishop Dwenger sports a collective record of 19-15. The number of defeats is the highest for the program in a three-year span since 2012-14.
Interestingly, that skid a decade ago ended with a state championship in 2015. Can this Saints squad make a similar run?
In all likelihood, it will come down to the defense. Bishop Dwenger has allowed opponents to score double-digit points in 24 straight games, and 31 consecutive regular-season contests. That’s not what we expect out of a program that prides itself on toughness and physicality.
Can this year’s defense be a catalyst? Well, it should be. After all, the defense returns 11 players that got starting experience last season.
The Saints will have five players that saw significant playing time last year to rotate between the three spots in the unit’s 3-3 stack base defense. Seniors Pete Thiel (48 tackles, 10 TFL, four sacks) and Tommy Poiry (37 tackles, six TFL) lead the way, with fellow senior Drew Stauffer (14 tackles, two TFL) and juniors Lewis Morris (22 tackles, four TFL, four sacks) and Alex Tippmann (16 tackles, six TFL, three sacks) also in the mix.
The importance of that front line cannot be underestimated. Bishop Dwenger allowed an average of 160 yards rushing per game in 2023.
The second level of the defense returns one of the best linebackers in the SAC in senior Nick Pelkington, who amassed 79 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks last season. He will be flanked by juniors Houston Ellinger and KC Pieper, both of whom earned starts as sophomores.
The defensive backfield returns a pair of athletes with multiple years of starting experience in seniors Brady O’Keefe and Ryan Groves. Junior Jackson Parrish is also back.
Henry Jordan is the undisputed QB1. The junior has put in substantial work in the offseason to elevate an offense that struggled to put up consistent points against some of the heavy hitters on last year’s schedule.
The receiver position has a lot of new faces, with Gus Tippmann as the top returner with just four catches for 19 yards last season, although he could see more time in the backfield. Bishop Dwenger graduated its top six receivers. The Saints may go young at the spot, although senior tight end Grant Douge and junior wideout Beckham Russell are two to watch, as well as sophomore George Hackman.
Running back also has questions, with just two of 14 rushing touchdowns returning from last year – junior Anthony Shefferly and Jordan. Senior Russell Knipscheer, who rushed for 159 yards last season, brings some experience to the unit.
The offensive line returns just one player with starting experience, junior Andrew Trahin. But seniors Isaac Nicholson, Caiden O’Boyle and Mason Voglewede, among others, are set to step up.
Lucas Nguyen was almost as automatic as they come on kickoffs last year, with the sophomore putting half of his 44 kicks in the end zone for touchbacks. The junior hit all but one of his PATs and had a long of 37 yards in field goals. Senior Braden Aguirre is back as the punter.
An undervalued Saint is junior Vance Diepenbrock, who is rated as one of the top long snappers in the Midwest in the Class of 2026.
WHY #8?
With a 6-6 record, last season was the first non-winning campaign for the Saints since 2014 (4-6). A rebound is inevitable. The leadership of 23 seniors will be key, and their desire to end their prep careers with a championship season – whether it be SAC or some hardware in the postseason – will go a long way towards deciding what this team can do.
Jordan is an exceptional leader at quarterback, and there are plenty of able bodies to raise to the level of competition needed to be successful on Friday nights.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
The schedule is brutal and the defense has question marks. Pure and simple, the Saints need to be a better defensive team. A lot returns from a year ago, but will experience lead to significant gains after allowing over 320 yards of offense per game in 2023?
The Saints start the season at Brownsburg, followed by a visit from Cincinnati Moeller. The first three SAC games are at North Side, home against Carroll and at Homestead. That’s a brutal first half. If Bishop Dwenger stumbles out of the gate, can it keep grinding, recover in October and make a run?
CRITICAL GAME
Sept. 20 at Homestead
A year ago, a 1-3 Dwenger squad entered Week 5 desperately needing a victory. It got one with a one-point dub at Shields Field over the Spartans. With the difficulty of the early-season schedule against this fall, the Week 5 date with Homestead could be another critical one.
If Bishop Dwenger knocks off Carroll in Week 4, it has a chance to open the division schedule with a 2-0 mark if it beats Homestead. If the Saints are coming off a loss, dropping to 0-2 will all but eliminate them from SAC title contention.
CRUCIAL PLAYER
Defensive line
While not a singular player, the play of the defensive line will dictate a lot of how this season goes for Bishop Dwenger. The days of being pushed around in the trenches, as has been the case too often in the last few seasons, needs to be over if the Saints are going to return to the apex of the league. This year’s D-line unit has the numbers, the size and the experience necessary to set the tone up front.
3 Trackbacks / Pingbacks