Morrison more comfortable, confident entering Year 2 under Snider

MORRISON – At the end of the 2021 high school football season, the Morrison Mustangs couldn’t help but feel disappointed in themselves. A 2-7 season is not what they wanted or envisioned at the beginning of the year, especially being just two years removed from an 11-1 season in 2019.

But the disappointing record was only fuel to the fire this offseason, as returning players showed up to the practice field, film room and weight room reinvigorated and full of energy, while encouraging their new teammates to follow suit.

Now that the Mustangs have had a year to adjust to coach Steve Snider, they’re feeling a higher level of confidence heading into 2022.

“My expectations are to come together as a team more now that it’s not the first year having this coach and we’re kind of used to him,” senior running back/linebacker Logan Baker said. “We’ve been hitting the weight room hard, and I think we’re going to be doing pretty good with how we’ve been working out here at the practice field and in the weight room. We’ve got about 30 to 40 kids in the weight room every day. Everybody’s showing up to practice, everybody’s showing up to all team things, meetings, everything.”

“We’ve been putting in a lot of work in the offseason. Just being with Coach when he’s here for a whole year, it makes a huge difference,” junior fullback/linebacker Carson Strating said. “So expectations are kind of high for us as a team. Obviously, the rankings didn’t have us that high, which was unfortunate, but we hope to build off of that.”

Returning to lead Morrison this year are senior quarterback Danny Mouw, who threw for over 600 yards last year while the team averaged only six pass attempts per game; junior running back/defensive back Chase Newman, who led the team in tackles in 2021; and the aforementioned Strating, who was the team’s leading rusher and among its leading tacklers last season.

Last year, the Mustangs were senior-heavy. This year, they’ll face the challenge of replacing roughly eight starters. The starting offensive line will be entirely new this season, but not without experience.

“Quite a few starters [to replace], especially on the offensive line. I think we’ve got five new starters on the offensive line, but we have four guys that saw significant varsity playing time last year at one position or another,” Snider said. “So again, replacing the starters, but when it comes down to it, we’re replacing them with guys that have a lot of varsity experience, just not starting experience.”

Baker and Strating have gotten good early impressions of their younger teammates as they’ve gone through summer camp and the first few practices of the offseason.

“I think this year we definitely have a lot of younger guys that are going to step up and play. Last year, we were senior-heavy, you could say. I think we had about 20 kids that were seniors,” Strating said. “We probably had about eight of them that were starters, so we lost them, but they’re gonna get replaced by some kids that are younger, and they’re willing to work pretty hard for us.”

“A lot of these guys also played up in those varsity positions,” Baker said. “We’ve got some underclassmen that are playing up this year, and they’re working pretty hard for their spots.”

This year’s team is a mix of youth and experience, Snider says, but most importantly, it’s a cohesive and close-knit group.

“It’s a big mix; it’s a hodgepodge, and I like it that way. It’s fun because even though you have a hodgepodge – it’s not a senior-laden group by any stretch of the imagination – they’re all cohesive,” he said. “They all get along. They all want to do things together. They’re really a true team.”

Morrison will continue to run its traditional Delaware Wing-T offense this year, while varying defensive looks each week to counter its opponents’ strengths. One area Snider expects to be significantly improved in is offensive line play.

“I think we’re going to be much, much better blocking on offense. Last year, we had a lot of contact behind the line of scrimmage, and I think our backs and offensive line are devoted and ready to get after that. And they’re very, very coachable. They’re really good kids,” Snider said. “We have two guards that have never played offensive line before; they have stepped in and are playing offensive line for us, and they look really good. They are dedicated to making sure that the team is better.

“So you take guys that have played receiver and running back and tight end and defensive back, and now all of a sudden, they’re playing offensive line. Sometimes the reception is not very well. We had the conversation with those guys, and it was instant. ‘I want to do whatever we have to do to be the best possible team.’ And that’s what you want. That’s what you look for in a team.”

A potential difference-maker this year from the freshman class is Brady Anderson, according to Snider and Strating.

“A freshman, Brady Anderson. His brother Alex was a senior for us last year,” Snider said. “I look for him to step up and do some big things in some key role positions for us.”

“Brady Anderson, he’s an incoming freshman. He’s pretty fast, and he’s just an all-around athlete,” Strating said. “So I think he’ll step up and do a good job for us on offense.”

Snider also pointed to sophomore Donny Reavy as a potential impact player this season.

“You look at Donny Reavy, he’s going to be a sophomore. He could possibly be a starter for us on both sides of the ball as a running back and as a defensive back,” Snider said. “He’s put in a lot of time and effort in the weight room and in the film room to figure out not only what to do, but make sure that he’s physically capable of doing it. I look for him to have a big year for an underclassman.”

With Riverdale unable to play a varsity schedule this year, Morrison will have six varsity home games this season. Instead of facing the Rams in Week 8 as initially planned, the Mustangs will host LeRoy.

Last year, there were two teams with winning records in the Three Rivers Rock: Erie-Prophetstown (8-3) and Monmouth-Roseville (6-4). Morrison expects more tough competition this year, but won’t shy away from the challenge.

“It’s a tough schedule, it’s a tough conference, but when you look at having six varsity home games, that’s awesome. That’s a favorable schedule,” Snider said.

“I think there’s gonna be a lot of tough competition out there, but I think we won’t have a problem with competing each game,” Strating said.