More of the same expected at St. Paul

NORWALK — The blueprint is already there. Chris Doughty knows the challenge that awaits. But the first-year St. Paul football head coach also believes there are plenty of advantages. The 2009 St. Paul graduate is taking over for John Livengood, who retired after 33 seasons. The Hall of Fame coach won 310 of his 397 games at the school, which resulted in 22 Firelands Conference titles. The Flyers made 25 playoff appearances that saw eight regional championships, four state runners-up trophies and a state championship in 2009 during his tenure. Not only is Doughty a former player, but he also coached for 10 seasons under Livengood. "We weren't going to change anything unless we could see an immediate impact," Doughty said. "We made some changes to the weight room and practice schedule, but a lot of it was subtle." One example of a subtle change was moving the team's two-minute offense drill to the end of a team period. "It was something we wanted to try so we could see how our kids respond when they are tired," he said. "Just small things like that to try and gain an advantage." But Doughty being just the second head coach at St. Paul since 1991 isn't the only change in 2024 for the Flyers. After an 0-3 start, St. Paul won eight of its next nine games before falling in the third round to Dalton in 2023. The defending FC champions graduated a senior class that included six players who started at least two or three seasons. That being said, the Flyers will return six starters on offense and four on defense in 2024. A first-year coach will have the balance of 10-of-22 returning starters, but also must find replacements for the bulk of the 2023 production. "When you have that many holes to fill, it's obviously difficult," Doughty said. "But Coach Livengood always worked to rotate guys in on the offensive line especially. That will help us drastically this year. "When you look at a team like last year, we also had great leadership and experience with those seniors who helped coach the younger kids as well. They showed the expectation and set the example, which has also had a huge impact on this team as well." OFFENSE Gone from the backfield are Josh Pocos and Ben Burger, who combined for 3,049 yards and 42 TDs in 2023. But seniors Brock Houck (6-foot-1, 190) and Jack Stieber (5-8, 200) have certainly gotten their share of carries over the past two seasons. In 2023, Houck ran 41 times for 278 yards (6.8-yard average) and three touchdowns. Stieber added 183 yards on 43 attempts with 5 TDs, and also had 182 yards and 4 TDs in 2022. "Both are more than willing to sell out for each other, and we're excited to see how they attack this season," Doughty said. "They were outstanding in the offseason. I'm anxious to see once games start how they are going to take off." Sophomores Kade Houck (6-1,180) and Bronson Siesel (5-8, 135) along with freshman River Couch (5-10, 180) will provide depth behind them. Sophomore Grant Kuhnle (6-3, 175) takes over for his graduated brother, Drew, at the quarterback position. Doughty said Grant was strong as the scout team QB in practices in 2023, and his fundamentals are very good. "For being an inexperienced sophomore, Grant has the respect of his teammates," Doughty said. "They know he is the QB and is a leader even though he is so young. He's stepped into that really well and his teammates have responded." One notable challenge for the offense will be finding targets for Kuhnle to throw to. Only Brock Houck's three catches for 148 yards and a TD, and an 11-yard catch by Steiber, is what returns from last season's 63 catches for 1,088 yards and 8 TDs. Junior Landon Fries (5-11, 165) — who scored twice and totaled 138 yards on just four rush attempts in 2023 — will slide out of the backfield to receiver. Sophomores Levi Rospert (5-9, 145), Isaac Kalizewski (5-11, 145) and Zach Roth (5-6, 125) will provide depth. First-year player and senior Korey Frazee (6-0, 175) will be a target from the wingback position. Frazee is a double-digit scorer in basketball and has made multiple All-FC teams while also helping the Flyers to a conference title last season. "We're excited to have him," Doughty said. "He has a great attitude and works hard, and Landon has done a really nice job of stepping in so far. But there is definitely some inexperience and holes to fill there." Junior Connor Lindenberger (6-3, 185) will also be a target. Others working at the various receiving positions include sophomores Nate Griffin (6-0, 120), Joey Alt (5-8, 140) and Jefferson Incorvia (6-2, 155). Up front, St. Paul will be at its strongest. Junior Nick Pocos (6-1, 180) started nearly half the games last season because of injuries and returns to center. Senior Tristan Nickoli (5-8, 200) is back at right guard as an All-FC first team pick, while senior Ben Blum (6-3, 280) is alongside him at right tackle after All-FC honorable mention honors. On the left side, senior Adam Roth (6-0, 200) is at guard, with junior Alex Baca (5-11, 225) and senior Ben Rupp (6-0, 215) at left tackle. Doughty noted sophomore Gunner Kluding (6-2, 215) is working at both guard and tackle. Junior Nate Sandor (6-0, 185) and Kade Houck are the tight ends. "With Jack and Brock running behind Ben and Tristan, those are guys who not only run hard, but are willing to block hard," Doughty said. "Anytime you can pair a group up like that, you have to feel good about it." DEFENSE Though the Flyers graduated seven starters from the defense, the four returners were also all-conference players in 2023. And, in the case of Nickoli, St. Paul will look to a returning All-Ohioan. Nickoli was first team All-FC and Northwest District, then earned All-Ohio second team honors in Div. VII after he finished with 107 tackles (11 for loss) and nine sacks last season. "He is a great player and a great leader, and that's the type of kid you want running your defense," Doughty said of Nickoli. After also being forced into starting action last season, Roth (23 tackles) will take over duties on the defensive line along with Kluding and Blum. "Ben is a big body for us and not someone we looked at much there last year," Doughty said. "But he embraced his conditioning in the offseason to where he improved his quickness and stamina." Rupp and Baca will also look to see time along the defensive front. At linebacker, Stieber was third on the team in tackles last season with 86 (10 for loss) and added a sack, which earned him second team honors. "That's a huge benefit having Jack in the middle and Tristan in front of him," Doughty said. Fries was also a second team FC choice after he had 55 tackles (nine for loss) with one sack, one interception and eight pass break-ups. He will again be an outside linebacker and safety, while other outside linebackers will include Pocos and Sandor. "Landon does a nice job of attacking the ball and stopping the run, and we're anxious to see what he can do after what he did last year," Doughty said. " Kade Houck, Roth, Siesel, Krosby Hartman (5-10, 150) and Hunter Springer (5-7, 130) are other depth names at the position. At safety, Brock Houck made 36 tackles with an interception, one sack and two fumble recoveries to earn honorable mention FC. He'll be joined by Kuhnle, while Lindenberger is working at both safety and corner. Frazee and Rospert are also working at the outside cover corner positions. "We've got some nice athleticism there, and with Connor you have great size as well," Doughty said. "A lot of it will be fine-tuning techniques and figuring out who will be most consistent. By the time the season rolls around, we'll be in good shape." SPECIAL TEAMS After making 45-of-55 extra point attempts in 2023, Griffin returns to handle the place kicking duties for the Flyers. After the first scrimmage, Stieber was the first team punter, with Fries and Lindenberger also taking some preseason reps. Doughty said Griffin is in a strong position to continue a long line of solid kickers that have come through the St. Paul program. "He got so much better as last year went along, and we're looking for really big things out of him," he said. "Nate works on his craft 12 months out of the year. He is always working on his kicking. This is not something that starts in August and ends in November for him." ----------------------------- 2024 scheduleAug. 23: at Huron, 7 p.m.Aug. 30: Edison, 7 p.m.Sept. 7: Tiffin Calvert, 7 p.m.Sept. 14: Mapleton, 7 p.m.Sept. 20: at Plymouth, 7 p.m.Sept. 27: at Western Reserve, 7 p.m.Oct. 4: New London, 7 p.m.Oct. 12: Crestview, 7 p.m.Oct. 18: at South Central, 7 p.m.Oct. 25: at Monroeville, 7 p.m. 2023 results (8-5)Huron 31, St. Paul 28Edison 42, St. Paul 6Tiffin Calvert 35, St. Paul 25St. Paul 49, Mapleton 30St. Paul 49, Plymouth 0St. Paul 28, Western Reserve 14Ft. Loramie 35, St. Paul 28St. Paul 33, Crestview 7St. Paul 54, South Central 6St. Paul 41, Monroeville 14PlayoffsSt. Paul 56, Toronto 20St. Paul 20, Malvern 14Dalton 48, St. Paul 28 2024 rosterNo. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr.2 Nate Sandor TE/LB 6-0 185 115 Zach Roth WB/DB 5-6 125 107 Korey Frazee WB/DB 6-0 175 128 Hunter Springer SE/DB 5-7 130 99 Wyatt Houser QB/DB 5-8 125 910 Joey Alt WB/DB 5-8 140 1011 Grant Kuhnle QB/S 6-3 175 1012 Nate Griffin WB/DB 6-0 120 1013 Braeden Siesel WB/DB 5-10 130 914 Tristan Schlachter WB/DB 5-6 125 916 Connor Lindenberger WB/DB 6-3 185 1119 River Couch RB/LB 5-10 180 922 Isaac Kalizewski SE/S 5-11 145 1024 Landon Fries SE/OLB 5-11 165 1125 Bronson Siesel RB/LB 5-8 135 1026 Brock Houck RB/S 6-1 190 1227 Kade Houck RB/OLB 6-1 180 1031 Levi Rospert WB/DB 5-9 145 1032 Jack Stieber RB/LB 5-8 200 1252 Rocco Rizzo OC/DE 5-9 155 953 Krosby Hartman OG/DE 5-10 150 1054 Tristan Nickoli OG/DE 5-8 200 1255 Nick Pocos OC/DE 5-1 180 1159 Ben Rupp OT/DT 6-0 215 1263 Blake Macdonald OT/DT 5-7 175 967 Cody Downing OT/DT 5-11 220 1070 JP Lawson OG/DE 5-9 160 1071 Adam Roth OG/DT 6-0 200 1272 Camden Coetzee OT/DT 6-2 210 1073 Alex Baca OG/DT 5-11 225 1177 Gunner Kluding 6-2 215 OT/DE 1078 Ben Blum OT/DT 6-3 280 1284 Jefferson Incorvia WB/DE 6-2 155 10