Chatham Clarion
 | |  | |  | |  |
Issue Date: Aug. 26, 2010
Speedy Glenwood to go with sophomore at QB
By Joe Pritchett
Chatham Editor
It's already been an eventful offseason and training camp for the 2010 Chatham Glenwood Titans.
Coming off a strong 8-3 campaign that saw the team notch its first playoff win since 2004 (a 14-0
win over Kankakee), the Titans return several key players but once again must start over at quarterback.
Injuries have already had a big impact. Honorable mention All-State lineman Jake Wienhoff suffered
a knee injury (torn ACL) in June and recently had surgery. He is out for the season. Wienhoff was being
counted on to start on both the offensive and defensive lines. Josh Hobson had shoulder surgery and
is also sidelined.
The top story line of training camp so far has been a 3-way battle for the quarterback position. When
the dust settled last week, Glenwood head coach Dan Rourke decided on sophomore Miles McAdams,
who beat out junior John Nicholson for the job. Senior Mike Fiaush was also in the mix and will be the
back-up.
McAdams will be the first sophomore to start at QB at Glenwood since Griff Jurgens in 1996.
"All those guys did a great job," stated Rourke, entering his 18th season as head coach. "We had a
senior, junior and sophomore, and we were wanting something to pan out and have somebody step to
the forefront.
"These decisions aren't easy, and I'm the one who had to tell John Nicholson he wasn't played
quarterback, and I think it hurt me more than it hurt him. It's been tough on him, it's what he had in his
mind and in his heart to play quarterback. But he's a classy kid, and I asked him, 'what's more
important, team goals or your personal goals?' and he said without question team goals."
Rourke said he has to get Nicholson on the field somehow, and the junior has been moved to tight
end. Fiaush will be starting in the secondary in addition to spot duties at receiver and running back. All
three QB options will be on the field.
"I think Miles has better skills and a higher ceiling, and he's gonna have another year to build on,"
Rourke explained. "He's got good size, he throws it well and has good athletic ability. He's one of those
kids who is really hard on himself, and we have to make sure he doesn't get down on himself."
Starting off his high school career as a sophomore against Sacred Heart-Griffin this Saturday night
for McAdams will obviously be a "big test of out of the box," Rourke said. "It's a baptism by fire."
•But McAdams will have a strong supporting cast around him on offense. Senior Devin
VonNordheim-Moore (92 carries, 847 yards, 19 touchdowns, 9.2 avg.) leads the returnees in the
backfield, along with fellow senior Tony Giovannelli (17-98).
"We need Devin to be our steady guy," Rourke stated. "He averaged 9.2 yards per carry last year,
and I don't know if he can match that this year. He's gonna be our anchor back there, along with Tony.
Tony had a great summer and has emerged as a leader. He knows what we're doing out there, he can
play the 3-back, 2-back, Y, corner and safety. He's got himself where he can be comfortable all over the
field, and that's huge."
Rourke added that senior speedster Jiarre Jackson has stepped up and is a lot more comfortable,
and he will see some time in the backfield. Fiaush, Joey Giovannelli and impressive sophomore
Donovyn Hammonds will also be in the mix.
"Hammonds is a hard-running kid, he's relentless out there," Rourke added. "He's got all kinds of
ability and talent."
At receiver, senior Raz Harris (8 catches, 213 yards) returns as the No. 1 option. Ian Richardson is
expected to start on the opposite side, with Fiaush, Tony G, Jon Calvin, John Petty and Sean Dowling
also in the picture.
At tight end, the Titans are deep with Eric Kerr, Nicholson and Austin Stoll.
On the offensive line, the loss of Wienhoff obviously changes things. He was expected to anchor the
line, along with seniors Tom Cooper and Zach Joos. Those two return, and junior Ethan Adams
appears set at center. Patrick Bennett, Kramer Halverson and Kyle Shadden (currently sidelined with a
concussion) will also be in the mix, and there will be some overlap with players playing on both the
offensive and defensive lines.
On the defensive line, Halverson, Cooper, Bennett, Jeff Kirberg, Shadden and junior Zach Finn are
among those in the mix. Rourke applauded the hard work of Finn, who has had to lose 80 pounds to
be in position to compete for a spot.
"I'm very proud of what he's done," Rourke said. "And Kirberg's been a nice surprise for us."
At linebacker, the Titans have several options, but as defensive coordinator/assistant head coach
Len Onken put it, "Right now, we don't have that impact player that we can say, 'that's the one.' Zach's
doing a great job, but he's also a big part of our offensive line. So we're still evaluating that."
Joos has the inside track for the middle linebacker job, and senior Taylor Dace is also receiving
consideration. Dace is still recovering from a broken leg suffered last season, Onken added.
"I'm very confident Zach can play that position," Onken continued. "But can he play it having to anchor
our offensive line and then step over and anchor our defense too? That worries me. We've never asked
our middle linebacker to do that."
Overall, Joos, Dace, Kerr and returning starter Jon Barrows lead the linebacking corps, along with
Stoll and Jackson.
The Titans have a lot of depth and size in the secondary, with the Giovannelli brothers, Joey and
Tony, manning the safety positions. Fiaush should start at one corner spot, and Brandon Bradley, Ian
Groves, Chris Kimball and Richardson are also in the mix, along with Harris at safety.
Tony G and Richardson each had three interceptions last year
"We may not be big size-wise, but we are fast and we have a lot of height on our defense," Rourke
added. "We could have nine guys on the field who are 6' 2" or taller."
Kerr had 53 tackles to lead the returnees from 2009, while Tony G had 45 and Dace 43 before a leg
injury ended his season.
Richardson is expected to be the punter, and Fiaush and senior Louis Jimenez will handle the place-
kicking chores. Jimenez joined the team in training camp after not making the soccer team, and
Rourke said he has looked good and will get a chance to handle some kicking duties.
Several sophomores are expected to contribute, including Hammonds, Chris Simmons, Nik
Courtney, Grant Lee, Zach Lyon, Gabe Phillips and Matt Meyer.
•The Titans will not travel outside of Sangamon County in the 2010 regular season, with non-
conference foe Gateway Tech of St. Louis coming to Chatham in Week 5. But the schedule begins with
games at SHG and Springfield High at Memorial Stadium.
Starting off with Sacred Heart-Griffin, the team's chief rival and a squad Glenwood has faced twice
each of the past two seasons, presents a number of pros and cons. GHS is 5-29 all-time against
Sacred Heart-Griffin/Griffin, and their last victory came in 2001. Glenwood has lost 12 straight games to
SHG, including eight regular season games and four playoff games.
"It's kind of advanced everything for us," Onken stated. "Dan has emphasized to the kids that we
have to be prepared at a higher level than we've been prepared in the past. We have to get tuned up
quicker and increase the amount of information and reps for the kids.
"I have mixed emotions," he continued. "There's no looking forward; this is the focus. We've always
said one week at a time, but sometimes kids start to look ahead when the Griffin game gets closer. But
we don't know what they really have, and they don't know what we have. This is an opportunity to be the
show in week one. They've got a new quarterback (Connor Bland, who graduated from Glenwood
Middle School) and some young guys on the line."
•There have been a few changes on the Glenwood coaching staff. Mainstays Rourke, Onken, Steve
Cox Vondel Edgar and David Hay return, along with Steve Rembusch. Mike Janke is back on the staff,
along with Jeremy Mosier. Newcomers include Trevor Lehnen, former head coach at Morton, and
Klinton "Buddy" Ruff, a volunteer coach who was a defensive lineman at the University of Virginia last
year.
•Asked if this year's team can be as good or better than last year's group, Onken summed up, "This
team needs to find its identity early on. If they do that, they can be very successful. We need to get
some leadership and move forward and improve every week. Last year, we improved each week and
found our identity, it just took too long to do it. If this team says we're gonna be a hard-nosed, fly to the
football, smash mouth, hit you in the face kind of team, we're gonna be okay."
By Joe Pritchett
Chatham Editor
It's already been an eventful offseason and training camp for the 2010 Chatham Glenwood Titans.
Coming off a strong 8-3 campaign that saw the team notch its first playoff win since 2004 (a 14-0
win over Kankakee), the Titans return several key players but once again must start over at quarterback.
Injuries have already had a big impact. Honorable mention All-State lineman Jake Wienhoff suffered
a knee injury (torn ACL) in June and recently had surgery. He is out for the season. Wienhoff was being
counted on to start on both the offensive and defensive lines. Josh Hobson had shoulder surgery and
is also sidelined.
The top story line of training camp so far has been a 3-way battle for the quarterback position. When
the dust settled last week, Glenwood head coach Dan Rourke decided on sophomore Miles McAdams,
who beat out junior John Nicholson for the job. Senior Mike Fiaush was also in the mix and will be the
back-up.
McAdams will be the first sophomore to start at QB at Glenwood since Griff Jurgens in 1996.
"All those guys did a great job," stated Rourke, entering his 18th season as head coach. "We had a
senior, junior and sophomore, and we were wanting something to pan out and have somebody step to
the forefront.
"These decisions aren't easy, and I'm the one who had to tell John Nicholson he wasn't played
quarterback, and I think it hurt me more than it hurt him. It's been tough on him, it's what he had in his
mind and in his heart to play quarterback. But he's a classy kid, and I asked him, 'what's more
important, team goals or your personal goals?' and he said without question team goals."
Rourke said he has to get Nicholson on the field somehow, and the junior has been moved to tight
end. Fiaush will be starting in the secondary in addition to spot duties at receiver and running back. All
three QB options will be on the field.
"I think Miles has better skills and a higher ceiling, and he's gonna have another year to build on,"
Rourke explained. "He's got good size, he throws it well and has good athletic ability. He's one of those
kids who is really hard on himself, and we have to make sure he doesn't get down on himself."
Starting off his high school career as a sophomore against Sacred Heart-Griffin this Saturday night
for McAdams will obviously be a "big test of out of the box," Rourke said. "It's a baptism by fire."
•But McAdams will have a strong supporting cast around him on offense. Senior Devin
VonNordheim-Moore (92 carries, 847 yards, 19 touchdowns, 9.2 avg.) leads the returnees in the
backfield, along with fellow senior Tony Giovannelli (17-98).
"We need Devin to be our steady guy," Rourke stated. "He averaged 9.2 yards per carry last year,
and I don't know if he can match that this year. He's gonna be our anchor back there, along with Tony.
Tony had a great summer and has emerged as a leader. He knows what we're doing out there, he can
play the 3-back, 2-back, Y, corner and safety. He's got himself where he can be comfortable all over the
field, and that's huge."
Rourke added that senior speedster Jiarre Jackson has stepped up and is a lot more comfortable,
and he will see some time in the backfield. Fiaush, Joey Giovannelli and impressive sophomore
Donovyn Hammonds will also be in the mix.
"Hammonds is a hard-running kid, he's relentless out there," Rourke added. "He's got all kinds of
ability and talent."
At receiver, senior Raz Harris (8 catches, 213 yards) returns as the No. 1 option. Ian Richardson is
expected to start on the opposite side, with Fiaush, Tony G, Jon Calvin, John Petty and Sean Dowling
also in the picture.
At tight end, the Titans are deep with Eric Kerr, Nicholson and Austin Stoll.
On the offensive line, the loss of Wienhoff obviously changes things. He was expected to anchor the
line, along with seniors Tom Cooper and Zach Joos. Those two return, and junior Ethan Adams
appears set at center. Patrick Bennett, Kramer Halverson and Kyle Shadden (currently sidelined with a
concussion) will also be in the mix, and there will be some overlap with players playing on both the
offensive and defensive lines.
On the defensive line, Halverson, Cooper, Bennett, Jeff Kirberg, Shadden and junior Zach Finn are
among those in the mix. Rourke applauded the hard work of Finn, who has had to lose 80 pounds to
be in position to compete for a spot.
"I'm very proud of what he's done," Rourke said. "And Kirberg's been a nice surprise for us."
At linebacker, the Titans have several options, but as defensive coordinator/assistant head coach
Len Onken put it, "Right now, we don't have that impact player that we can say, 'that's the one.' Zach's
doing a great job, but he's also a big part of our offensive line. So we're still evaluating that."
Joos has the inside track for the middle linebacker job, and senior Taylor Dace is also receiving
consideration. Dace is still recovering from a broken leg suffered last season, Onken added.
"I'm very confident Zach can play that position," Onken continued. "But can he play it having to anchor
our offensive line and then step over and anchor our defense too? That worries me. We've never asked
our middle linebacker to do that."
Overall, Joos, Dace, Kerr and returning starter Jon Barrows lead the linebacking corps, along with
Stoll and Jackson.
The Titans have a lot of depth and size in the secondary, with the Giovannelli brothers, Joey and
Tony, manning the safety positions. Fiaush should start at one corner spot, and Brandon Bradley, Ian
Groves, Chris Kimball and Richardson are also in the mix, along with Harris at safety.
Tony G and Richardson each had three interceptions last year
"We may not be big size-wise, but we are fast and we have a lot of height on our defense," Rourke
added. "We could have nine guys on the field who are 6' 2" or taller."
Kerr had 53 tackles to lead the returnees from 2009, while Tony G had 45 and Dace 43 before a leg
injury ended his season.
Richardson is expected to be the punter, and Fiaush and senior Louis Jimenez will handle the place-
kicking chores. Jimenez joined the team in training camp after not making the soccer team, and
Rourke said he has looked good and will get a chance to handle some kicking duties.
Several sophomores are expected to contribute, including Hammonds, Chris Simmons, Nik
Courtney, Grant Lee, Zach Lyon, Gabe Phillips and Matt Meyer.
•The Titans will not travel outside of Sangamon County in the 2010 regular season, with non-
conference foe Gateway Tech of St. Louis coming to Chatham in Week 5. But the schedule begins with
games at SHG and Springfield High at Memorial Stadium.
Starting off with Sacred Heart-Griffin, the team's chief rival and a squad Glenwood has faced twice
each of the past two seasons, presents a number of pros and cons. GHS is 5-29 all-time against
Sacred Heart-Griffin/Griffin, and their last victory came in 2001. Glenwood has lost 12 straight games to
SHG, including eight regular season games and four playoff games.
"It's kind of advanced everything for us," Onken stated. "Dan has emphasized to the kids that we
have to be prepared at a higher level than we've been prepared in the past. We have to get tuned up
quicker and increase the amount of information and reps for the kids.
"I have mixed emotions," he continued. "There's no looking forward; this is the focus. We've always
said one week at a time, but sometimes kids start to look ahead when the Griffin game gets closer. But
we don't know what they really have, and they don't know what we have. This is an opportunity to be the
show in week one. They've got a new quarterback (Connor Bland, who graduated from Glenwood
Middle School) and some young guys on the line."
•There have been a few changes on the Glenwood coaching staff. Mainstays Rourke, Onken, Steve
Cox Vondel Edgar and David Hay return, along with Steve Rembusch. Mike Janke is back on the staff,
along with Jeremy Mosier. Newcomers include Trevor Lehnen, former head coach at Morton, and
Klinton "Buddy" Ruff, a volunteer coach who was a defensive lineman at the University of Virginia last
year.
•Asked if this year's team can be as good or better than last year's group, Onken summed up, "This
team needs to find its identity early on. If they do that, they can be very successful. We need to get
some leadership and move forward and improve every week. Last year, we improved each week and
found our identity, it just took too long to do it. If this team says we're gonna be a hard-nosed, fly to the
football, smash mouth, hit you in the face kind of team, we're gonna be okay."