Eastland-Pearl City looking to run, stop the run

LANARK – The key to a successful 2021 for the Eastland-Pearl City Wildcatz on offense will be getting the ground game moving.

The key for the Wildcatz on defense will be stopping other teams from getting their ground game moving.

On both sides of the ball, that’s going to begin in the trenches.

“I’ve seen a lot of guys on our defensive line that have really stepped up and made a lot of improvements from last year, like Christian Fischer, Riley Schauer, Gavin Sigel, Paul Sturtevant, Mason Brenner, all those guys,” EPC wide receiver and cornerback Jaxson Sturtevant said. “It makes our jobs a lot easier with those guys on the line. They stop a lot and don’t let a lot through.”

On the offensive side of things, Fischer is part of a group that brings a lot of size.

“Just talk to each other, make sure everybody is figuring everything out,” Fischer said.

The running game will focus on a trio of backs, with Maddux Hayden, Thomas Owens and Cody Cole. Schauer will also have a chance to carry the ball.

“Whoever has the hot hand will be the guy we put back there,” EPC coach Jared McNutt said. “Maddux can be a speed guy but he’s more of a power guy, straight down the middle. Thomas is a side-to-side guy. Cody is very fast, but he’s not afraid to stick his nose in there. Schauer is our power guy. He’s more of a fullback.”

But in the shortened spring season, it was actually a quarterback who led the Wildcatz in rushing. Kellen Henze had 66 carries for 307 yards and three touchdowns as the Wildcatz went 2-4.

“I’m really excited. I think we’ll be really solid this year,” Henze said. “We’ve got a lot of playmakers all around and our line is pretty solid up front. That will open up our run game which, in turn, will open up our passing game.”

On the defensive side of things, both Sigel and Fischer are near the 300-pound mark, making them hard for opposing offensive lines to move. Brenner has experience at both linebacker and on the defensive line, where Schauer has been a starter since his sophomore year. McNutt sees a group built to stop the run.

“I think hopefully we’re going to be physical,” McNutt said. “We’re going to have to be to be successful.”

With more size up front than in the linebacking corps, McNutt will install some new schemes based off of that size in the trenches.

The Wildcatz are hoping to get back to the playoffs, after not having a state series for the spring 2021 season and missing the playoffs in 2019, when a 22-20 loss to Forreston Week 9 left EPC on the outside looking in.

But this fall, there are some early signs of a turnaround.

“We’re getting better every day,” McNutt said. “With this group, we had a lot of them playing last spring, and they’re still coming together as a group. I’ve noticed a change from Day 1 to now that I think if we keep getting better and better, we’ll be all right.”