Scouting the HOIC Small Division: 2023 IHSA football season preview

Fieldcrest

2022 record: 1-8

Coach: Nick Meyer

Worth noting: The Knights took their lumps last season as they did not win a game on the field (their lone win came via a forfeit from Fisher), but Fieldcrest was young and now has a big group of experienced players. Senior WR/DB Jozia Johnson (16 rec., 367 yards, TD), junior RB/DB Eddie Lorton (275 rushing yards, 2 TDs; 82 receiving yards), junior TE/LB Jackson Hakes, senior OL/DL Aydin Stimpert and senior QB/DB Brady Ruestman (57-142-13, 749 yards, 2 TDs) each started every game on both sides of the ball last season. Lorton, Hakes, Stimpert and Ruestman were voted Fieldcrest’s captains for this season. “We have experienced skill players, size, strength and commitment to the process,” Meyer said about the team’s strengths. Sophomore OL/DL Chance Hedrick and sophomore WR/DB Braden Hahn are newcomers to the varsity who are expected to be contributors this season as the Knights will play in the HOIC Small for the first time since the league division into large and small divisions in 2015. Fieldcrest looks to snap a 17-game losing streak. The Knights’ last on-the-field win was a 45-14 victory over El Paso-Gridley on April 9, 2021.

Fisher

2022 record: No varsity team

Coach: Matt Sinclair

Worth noting: After not fielding a varsity team last fall due to low numbers, the Bunnies are back in 2023 with a new coach at the helm. Sinclair played football at the University of Illinois before a stint in the NFL as he played one season with the Miami Dolphins and two seasons with Washington. Sinclair has been an assistant coach at North Central College and Washington University in St. Louis. The Bunnies will run a spread offense with multiple formations and a 4-3 defense. Players expected to make an impact for Fisher are seniors Aiden Cheek (OL/DL), Cody Hinton (WR/DB) and Tim Snyder (OL/DL) and juniors Ryan Hopkins (QB/FS), Jacob Howell (WR/LB) and Jeremiah Todd (RB/LB). While the Bunnies have had struggles recently, including a 1-8 season in the fall of 2021, their last playoff appearance wasn’t that long ago as they were 8-3 in 2019.

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley

2022 record: 4-5

Coach: Chad Augspurger

Worth noting: With defending HOIC Small Division champion Ridgeview/Lexington moving to the HOIC Large, the Falcons look to move into the top spot with an experienced group that went 3-1 in the conference last year. Ten of GCMS’s projected starters on offense started at least one game last year. Senior running back Aiden Sancken, junior quarterback Brayden Elliott and senior linebacker Connor Mueller were all Second-Team All-HOIC picks last season. Sancken ran for 804 yards and 10 touchdowns, Elliott threw for 1,119 yards and six TDs and Mueller made a team-best 101 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss. Other key returnees for the Falcons are senior RB Ty Cribbet (216 rushing yards, 141 receiving yards), senior WR/DB Carson Massey (117 receiving yards, three interceptions), senior LB/DB Alex Wards, senior defensive back/receiver Alain Nettleton, senior OL/DL Gavin Johnson and junior OL/DL Matt Allen. “We have lots of experience coming back,” Augspurger said. “Kids are now familiar with our system on offense and defense and have been working very hard to improve strength and speed.” Varsity newcomers to watch for the Falcons are junior WR/DB Austin Kasper, junior TE/LB Ryker Grayer, junior OL/DL Cohen Kean and sophomore OL/DL Logan Ward and Kale Holzhauer. Augspurger said the Falcons’ goal is to win the division and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

Heyworth

2022 record: 2-7

Coach: Nate Albaugh

Worth noting: In Albaugh’s third season at the helm, he’ll have his largest roster. “We are finally getting our program back to health and are expecting to have 40-plus kids for the first time in my tenure,” Albaugh said. The Hornets only won one game on the field last year, a 50-16 victory over Tri-County in the season opener. Heyworth’s other win came via a forfeit by Fisher. Sophomores Parker Bell and Brayden Rucker will lead the offense at quarterback and running back, respectively. Bell played part time as a freshman, completing 63% of his passes for 360 yards and three touchdowns. Brucker will be the primary ball carrier. Cooper Johnson also will get carries after rushing for 569 yards and seven touchdowns last fall. Tyler Wills, Gage Gebur and Devyn Porzelius will be the team’s top defenders. Wills is the team’s leading returning tackler after making 82 stops last season. “We think we can play competitive football this year and represent our community well on Friday nights,” Albaugh said.

LeRoy

2022 record: 3-6

Coach: B.J. Zeleznik

Worth noting: The Panthers, who play seven home games this season, have 27 upperclassmen on the roster, including 16 returning starters, as they look to improve on a three-win season last fall. Senior running back Matt Stuepfert ran for 682 yards and eight touchdowns last season, while junior Bo Zeleznik moves to quarterback after rushing for 737 yards and four TDs as the team’s fullback last season. Senior running back Brody Bennett, who was injured most of 2022, is “highly skilled” according to B.J. Zeleznik and will be a key contributor for LeRoy this season. Junior LB Brock Owens, junior OL/DL Mason Schultz, junior DB Kobe Brent and junior RB/LB Landon Welte are expected to be impact players for the Panthers. “We want to be competitive week in and week out and play our best football at the end of the season,” B.J. Zeleznik said.

FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH

Brayden Brucker, Heyworth, So., RB: The sophomore may be only 130 pounds, but “he’s just special,” said Heyworth coach Nate Albaugh. He will be the primary ball carrier for the Hornets this fall.

Eddie Lorton, Fieldcrest, jr., RB/DB: Lorton was the Knights’ leading rusher last season and ended the season on a high note as he ran for 106 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries in the finale. He also made 10 receptions for 85 yards on the season.

Connor Mueller, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, Sr., LB: Mueller was the team’s leading tackler with 101 stops last fall. He also made 10 tackles for loss. He was named second-team all-conference.

Aiden Sancken, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, sr., RB: Sancken was the Falcons’ leading rusher a year ago and will once again headline the GCMS backfield. He ran for 804 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.

Bo Zeleznik, LeRoy, jr., QB: Zeleznik moves to quarterback for his father’s Panthers after playing fullback last season. Zeleznik ran for 737 yards and four touchdowns last fall.

SCHEDULES

FIVE CAN’T MISS MATCHUPS

Ridgeview-Lexington at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, 7 p.m., Aug. 25: Ridgeview-Lexington, which has played in the 1A semifinals the last two seasons, has moved to the HOIC Large, but the crossover in the season opener will be a good test for the Falcons, who are considered the favorite in the HOIC Small.

Fisher at Dakota, 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26: The Bunnies return to varsity action with a nonconference game against a tough Indians program. Fisher did not field a varsity team last fall and went 1-8 in 2021 but in 2019 the Bunnies were a playoff team at 8-3. Former University of Illinois and NFL player Matt Sinclair takes over as head coach and looks to get Fisher back on track.

Fieldcrest at El Paso-Gridley, 7 p.m., Sept. 1: The Knights are hoping for a turn around season with plenty of experience back from last year’s team. Fieldcrest’s Week 2 game will be a solid measuring stick as the Titans went 7-3 last year. Fieldcrest’s last on-the-field victory came over El Paso-Gridley as the Knights beat the Titans 45-14 on April 9, 2021.

Fieldcrest at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, 7 p.m., Sept. 29: The Knights have not won a game on the field the last two seasons, but they were young then and now have an experienced roster. Fieldcrest drops into the HOIC Small for the first time and looks to challenge the Falcons. Fieldcrest and GCMS played in a crossover last fall and the Knights played the Falcons tougher than anyone who is still in the small division as GCMS won 23-14.

LeRoy at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, 7 p.m., Oct. 13: The Week 8 matchup could decide the division title. GCMS coach Chad Augspurger said LeRoy will be a tough challenge, while LeRoy coach B.J. Zeneznik said of the conference race, “It’s GCMS and everyone else.” GCMS won last year’s game 29-12.

STEVE SOUCIE’S PREDICTED FINISH