Fort Loramie, Minster highlight area Week 1 games

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Loramie coach Whit Parks still giddy for start of play

By Bryant Billing
[email protected]

FORT LORAMIE — Whit Parks has been coaching football for over 40 years, but he said the anticipation for the first game of the season makes him as giddy as it did his first season.

“That’s why I’m still doing this,” Parks said. “I still feel the same excitement I felt back when first started as a head coach in 1975. It never changes. I think anyone that’s been around any game of athletics understands that thrill of the game and the competition.”

After months of work, Parks and all others involved with area football teams will see that giddiness turn into exhilaration — or disappointment — on Friday night as regular season play begins.

Though no league championships or playoff berths will be decided in the first few weeks, Parks said playing well and winning early-season games is crucial.

“Winning your first game is huge,” Parks said. “I’ve always thought that winning your opener and starting on a good note makes things easier.”

Though Anna coach Nick Marino hasn’t coached nearly as long as Parks, he’s already seen the difference early success can make. Marino started coaching at Urbana in 2013, and the Hillclimbers started 3-0 that year and 1-2 the next season. In his two years at Anna, the Rockets have started the first three weeks with 0-3 and 2-1 records.

“Early success in football is very important,” Marino said. “Winning early ballgames really helps to build momentum. I think it helps with the kids’ enthusiasm and makes them want to keep working hard. If you don’t win those early ones it just makes things a lot harder when you get into conference play.”

Fort Loramie travels to Minster on Friday for one of the area’s biggest Week 1 games. The two schools have opened the season against each other since Loramie started a program in 2005. Minster has won the last three openers, including a 26-20 overtime victory last season.

“Openers are always big, but playing a rival I think just provides a ton more motivation for both of us,” Parks said. “It doesn’t need anything extra.”

Parks said he’s been pleased with Loramie’s improvement through preseason practice, but he wasn’t happy with a slow start in a scrimmage against New Bremen last Thursday. Though the Redskins won 22-7, they had several early penalties and struggled to move the ball in the first quarter.

“Credit New Bremen for some of that and being physical, but there were a lot of mistakes by us,” Parks said. “We did get ourselves under control a bit and played a bit better in the second quarter. That’s not going to be able to happen this week. We’re going to have to get a fast start this week, and hopefully with it being a big-game situation, we will get started faster.

“You try to learn things in those scrimmages, and I had to get after them there a little bit in the start of the second quarter, and we did wake up. Hopefully they can turn that switch on themselves on Friday and not have to have a coach turn that on for them.”

Loramie has only seven seniors on its roster of over 50 players, and Parks said they have led the underclassmen well in practice.

“Our senior veteran players have been playing well,” Parks said. “… There are a lot of underclassmen that will be playing in their first game. As a coach, that makes you a little nervous. But through our scrimmages, our underclassmen have shown they can get the job done. We’ll see how they handle game conditions.”

Senior quarterback Austin Siegel leads Fort Loramie’s returnees. He threw for 904 yards and 11 touchdowns last year. Four other seniors have stood out to Parks so far: running back Mike Hoying, lineman Sam Puthoff and linebackers Cody Barhorst and Nolan Holthaus.

Minster returns six starters on defense and four on offense, including senior running back Bryce Schmiesing and senior quarterback Jared Huelsman, who were first team all-Midwest Athletic Conference last year.

“Their two backs are outstanding, Huelsman and Schmiesing,” Parks said. “Those two are outstanding backs. They both can run, and obviously Huelsman is an adept passer too. They have some weapons that you have to deal with.

“They’re a good football team. They play really hard. They’re really well-coached and you know what kind of game you’re going to get from them because they play so hard. There’s not a lot of surprises. We’ve just got to be ready to play a good, physical game.”

Fort Loramie’s Mike Hoying runs the ball while being chased by Upper Scioto Valley defenders during a game last season. Hoying is one of several key returnees for the Redskins this season.
http://www.sidneydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/47/2017/08/web1_SDN102416FridayLights1.jpgFort Loramie’s Mike Hoying runs the ball while being chased by Upper Scioto Valley defenders during a game last season. Hoying is one of several key returnees for the Redskins this season.
Loramie coach Whit Parks still giddy for start of play

By Bryant Billing

[email protected]

Contact Bryant Billing at (937) 538-4818, or follow @SidneyOHSports on Twitter.

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