A new era — or "air-a" — of Ottawa Pirate football has begun with one of its own and a familiar name leading the way.

Chad Gross, a 2003 Ottawa High School graduate and the grandson of legendary OHS coach June Gross, takes over the reigns of the storied gridiron program this fall from Trent Swords, who resigned as head coach last December after a 1-8 season and a decade-plus (12 years) at the helm.

"They've come in knowing a lot more at this point than I even expected them to," Gross said of his squad, "even though we were going through the stuff this summer and I knew the kids were putting in the time and the work. They're ahead of where I thought they'd be going into Week 1. So I'm very happy where we're at.

"As a group, I've been very pleased with how consistent they are day in and day out with their level of play and their effort level that they're giving us in practice. These kids are really working hard to understand what we're trying to do both offensively and defensively; they're putting in that time, and I think it's going to really pay off for them."

Gross' 41-player roster consists of 20 seniors, 19 juniors and a pair of sophomores.

"We don't have a lot of size, but we have a lot of kids that are very athletic and can play multiple positions," Gross said. "We do have a lot of kids that are going to have big roles on this team.

"Our team speed overall, I'm pretty excited about that."

Ottawa's new-look offense will be reminiscent of Sterling's.

"We're going to look to spread people out a little bit more," Gross said. "I mean, we're going to take what the defense gives us. If we're able to run the football, which I want to do, to control the game ... but we are definitely going to be able to throw the ball. We'll probably throw the ball more than any Ottawa team has ever thrown the ball.

"We definitely won't be one-dimensional; you won't be able to just take one thing away to stop Ottawa. You know, we have three to four options on a play that we're fine getting the ball to."

The offense will feature explosive junior running back Tray Fisher, who attended OHS at the beginning of his freshman year before transferring to Streator, where he gained 935 yards — at a 6.7 per-carry clip — and scored 10 touchdowns last season.

"Tray has a skill set that fits what we want to do offensively," said Gross, who proclaimed Fisher will be "as good as anybody" in the NIB 12 Conference. "He's a kid that will warrant a lot of attention for defensive coordinators."

Flinging the pigskin will be promising sophomore quarterback Brett Galletti, a transfer from Marquette.

"He has a strong arm. He sees the field pretty well," Gross said of Galletti, who is believed to be the first 10th-grader to start at QB for Ottawa since Dan Battles in 1962. "He really is working hard at learning this kind of spread offense. So I see him having a very successful season throwing the football."

Among the receiving targets will be returning 12th-grader Jared Herzog and senior newcomer Ben Lundy. Sophomore Matt Ahearn will be an H-back type. The O-line will be anchored by seniors Jake Ahearn (center), Jaxson Callahan (tackle) and Ryan Gleason (tackle), all starters back.

The heart and soul of the Ottawa defense — now under the direction of Mark Andrews, whose base alignment will be a 3-4 — will be the middle-linebacking tandem of senior Bryce Phelps (46 total tackles, two sacks) and junior Jake Ovanic (51 total tackles, three fumble recoveries).

Other expected playmakers on that side of the ball include junior defensive end Zak Maslanka, outside linebacker Matt Ahearn, active safety Fisher, as well as corners Herzog and Lundy.

The campaign marks a fresh start, and the 2018 Pirates have an opportunity to lay the foundation for the future.

"Right after I was hired and I met with the kids the next day at school," Gross said, "I just told them, 'You know, you guys have a chance to be a building block for turning this program around,' and I think they've taken pride in that. Our senior group definitely, they want to go out as a winner. This is their chance to write their own chapter of Ottawa Pirate football history.

"I am very optimistic. I definitely think this group has a chance to have a great season. These kids are hungry."

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3 QUESTIONS FACING THE PIRATES:

1) Can Ottawa's team speed and versatility offset its general lack of size?

2) How big of an impact will skill-position transfers Brett Galletti at quarterback and Tray Fisher at running back have on an offense that has lacked big-play capability in recent years?

3) What kind of start can the Pirates get off to against another team with a new head coach and new-look offense in Week 1 — the Sandwich Indians?

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2018 SCHEDULE

Date Opponent Time

8/24 SANDWICH 7 p.m.

8/31 WOODSTOCK 7 p.m.

9/7 at Kankakee 7 p.m.

9/14 at La Salle-Peru 7:15 p.m.

9/21 MORRIS 7:15 p.m.

9/28 at Sterling 7:15 p.m.

10/5 GENESEO 7:15 p.m.

10/12 ROCHELLE 7:15 p.m.

10/19 at Yorkville 7:15 p.m.