Experienced Flyers seek carryover

NORWALK — The momentum was real. That was how St. Paul head coach Chris Doughty felt when reflecting on his first season guiding the Flyers in 2024. The graduate and former player was taking over for Hall of Fame head coach John Livengood (310 wins), who he played for and also coached under for several years. But St. Paul opened 2024 with a difficult schedule and injuries. An 0-3 start saw them outscored 89-8 without an offensive touchdown. However, by season's end, the Flyers were again Firelands Conference champions and hosting a home playoff game after one of the greatest upsets in program and FC history. The Flyers finished 6-5 overall, which included a 6-1 mark in the FC to share the conference title with Monroeville. They lost to Cuyahoga Heights in the first round of the Division VII playoffs. St. Paul used two game-winning drives in the final seconds — including with no time left at 9-0 Monroeville — to beat Crestview and the Eagles by one point each in two of the final three games of the regular season. "I think looking back, there was a lot of learning that took place with the players, but also the coaches as well," Doughty said. "There were a lot of new things to learn, and then injuries and low numbers in the senior class … it was a big year of growth from beginning to end. "That run at the end of the season definitely put us in a good place, mindset-wise, about how we wanted to attack the season." Though another small senior class (5) awaits, the Flyers bring back nine starters on offense, and six on defense among 15 returning letterwinners. "The five seniors have done a great job of embracing their roles as leaders and understanding the importance of it," Doughty said. "Not just at practice, but also the weight room. They have to be the first ones in and last ones out. "We built good momentum at the end of last year, and we're confident those five can lead this group and continue to build on it." Offense Junior quarterback Grant Kuhnle (6-foot-4, 185 pounds) was a microcosm of the Flyers' finish last season. Overall, he was 77 for 148 (52 percent) with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions, good for about 97 yards per game. But the QB also engineered both game-winning drives in the closing seconds against Crestview and Monroeville. Combined, he was 8 for 10 for 124 yards and a TD to cover the 165 yards needed to score both times. "Grant is another one of those players who had a lot of growth," Doughty said. "I was happy with how he handled situations at the end of the season with two big drives to end games. He plays basketball, but football is a year-round thing for him. "He's worked with different people with his skill and invested a lot of time, but he is the QB of this team. He has settled into that, and I think the kids see him and respect him in that role because he's put in the time to do that." Also back behind Kuhnle are a pair of senior standouts. Landon Fries (5-11, 170) was an All-Ohio first team selection and the team MVP as multi-purpose player. Fries finished 2024 with 609 yards and 11 TDs rushing, 530 yards and 5 TDs receiving, and 427 yards and 2 TDs on kick and punt returns for 1,566 all-purpose yards and 18 TDs. He caught the game-winning 2-point conversion from Kuhnle with no time on the clock at Monroeville. Nick Pocos totaled 609 yards and 11 TDs on 139 attempts after moving from center to the backfield, where he played in nine games. "Nick is more of a bruising-style running back who gets downhill in a hurry," Doughty said. "He put a lot of time in with speed training to put himself in position for his senior year. He played offensive line all the way through youth football till now, so to have a kid like that blocking for another talented back in Landon is huge." Doughty called Fries a rare total package player. "The thing with him is, he's very smart and football intelligent," he said. "Landon allows us to do some things we can't necessarily do with all the players, and it's because he understands the game very well." Other running backs could include juniors Bronson Siesel (5-8, 140) and Zeke Dvorak (5-9, 165). Senior Connor Lindenberger (6-4, 190) is back after catching 12 passes for 214 yards with a TD. Junior Levi Rospert (5-10, 145) returns with 13 catches for 205 yards. Senior Nate Sandor (6-0, 190) returns at tight end, but several new faces will be replacing three graduated starters on the offensive line. Senior left tackle Alex Baca (5-10, 240) is back, as is junior center Adam Dowdell (5-11, 165), who was injured late last season. Among those working at guard are returning All-Ohio linebacker Rafael Gross (6-0, 180) and junior classmate Kade Houck (6-1, 175). Both were moved up front from the backfield. Junior Gunner Kluding (6-2, 225) also moved to the line during last season and is at right tackle. Sophomore Rocco Rizzo (5-9, 170) and junior Krosby Hartman (5-9, 160) are among those expected to also see time on the line. "We're looking for special things from Alex and Gunner, and they are both capable of being dominant linemen when they get their pads low," Doughty said. "Rafael and Kade have both grown well after switching positions. "We feel good that we have seven or eight varsity players on the line, but at this point we're continuing to evaluate things." Defense Likewise, the defensive line is replacing three starters in 2025, including All-Ohioan Tristan Nickoli. Kluding (42 tackles, 4 sacks) is the main anchor back on the line at end. "We're looking for him to be a mainstay and build around him there," Doughty said. Baca will also be a new face at tackle, while Houck is also an end. Other names on the line will include Rizzo, Dowdell and Dvorak. Meanwhile, linebacker will be the strength of the St. Paul defense. Gross earned all-state honorable mention as a sophomore in 10 games for 115 tackles, two sacks and three fumble recoveries. Sophomore Rafael Gross (115 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, two sacks, three fumble recoveries) was honorable mention at linebacker. Pocos (64 tackles, three forced fumbles) joins Gross inside. Sandor (54 tackles, one sack, one interception) is among those on the outside. Others could include Siesel, Hartman, and junior Zach Roth (5-8, 140). "No doubt the strength of our defense and it all kind of goes through them," Doughty said. "We are looking for big things out of all of them this year." In the secondary, the Flyers also lost several starters in the secondary. Fries (44 tackles, four forced fumbles, two recoveries, and a sack) will play strong safety. Sophomores Wyatt Houser (5-9, 145) and Hunter Springer (5-6, 145) are among the corners, with Rospert also with Fries at safety. Lindenberger, juniors Isaac Kalizewski (6-0, 150), Nate Griffin (6-2, 130), and Joey Alt (5-7, 150) are among other candidates. Special teams Griffin is back to kick for a third season for the Flyers. He was 20 for 25 on extra points and made one field goal, a critical kick in the 16-15 win over Crestview. Fries punted 25 times for a 32-yard average last season while leading the return game on both punts and kicks. Pocos, Rospert, and Springer may be among those returning kicks with him. "Those are essential positions, and it's nice to have some depth in an area we really put a strong emphasis on," Doughty said. The Flyers still open with a challenging slate of Port Clinton, Edison and Tiffin Calvert, which will come off the heels of scrimmages against Keystone and Mohawk. "Our kids need to embrace not looking ahead," Doughty said. "Take it day-by-day and don't look at the big picture. We need to understand the big picture is created by putting all the pieces together each day. "So far, they've embraced hitting the reset button, starting over, and making small improvements to avoid regression," he added. "If we can do that, the ceiling for this team is very high. But we're a long way from that, and it can only happen by embracing each day." 2025 schedule Aug. 23: Port Clinton, 7 p.m. Aug. 29: at Edison, 7 p.m. Sept. 5: at Tiffin Calvert, 7 p.m. Sept. 12: Plymouth, 7 p.m. Sept. 19: Western Reserve, 7 p.m. Sept. 26: at New London, 7 p.m. Oct. 3: at Crestview, 7 p.m. Oct. 10: South Central, 7 p.m. Oct. 17: at Mapleton, 7 p.m. Oct. 24: Monroeville, 7 p.m. 2024 results (6-5) Huron 38, St. Paul 0 Edison 41, St. Paul 2 Tiffin Calvert 10, St. Paul 6 St. Paul 30, Mapleton 0 St. Paul 34, Plymouth 0 Western Reserve 28, St. Paul 7 St. Paul 55, New London 0 St. Paul 16, Crestview 15 St. Paul 34, South Central 20 St. Paul 29, Monroeville 28 Playoffs Cuyahoga Heights 37, St. Paul 20 2025 roster No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. 2 Nate Sandor TE/LB 6-0 190 12 3 Ty Reynolds RB/CB 5-4 115 9 4 Mason Heydinger QB/OLB 5-7 140 9 5 Zach Roth WB/OLB 5-8 140 11 7 Jack Baird SE/LB 6-1 155 9 8 Hunter Springer TE/CB 5-6 145 10 9 Wyatt Houser QB/CB 5-9 145 10 10 Joey Alt WB/CB 5-7 150 11 11 Grant Kuhnle QB/S 6-4 185 11 12 Nate Griffin WB/CB 6-2 130 11 13 Braeden Siesel WB/CB 6-1 150 10 15 Jake Rospert TE/OLB 5-7 135 9 16 Connor Lindenberger TE/CB 6-4 190 12 19 River Couch QB/S 5-11 180 10 20 Hudson Davis SE/CB 6-0 125 9 21 Ezekiel Dvorak RB/DT 5-9 165 11 22 Isaac Kalizewski SE/S 6-0 150 11 23 Casey Fries RB/LB 5-6 155 9 24 Landon Fries RB/OLB 5-11 170 12 25 Bronson Siesel RB/LB 5-8 140 11 28 Nick Pocos RB/LB 6-1 190 12 31 Levi Rospert SE/S 5-10 145 11 32 Abel Couch RB/LB 5-9 185 9 51 Wyatt Sumway G/DE 5-9 160 9 52 Rocco Rizzo C/DE 5-9 170 10 53 Krosby Hartman G/LB 5-9 160 11 54 Braday Coetzee G/DE 5-8 190 9 55 EJ Springer G/DE 5-10 185 9 56 Kade Houck G/DE 6-1 175 11 57 Rafael Gross G/LB 6-0 180 11 65 Blake MacDonald T/DT 5-7 185 10 66 Gabe Hernandez G/DE 5-7 235 9 67 Cody Downing T/DT 6-0 210 11 72 Camden Coetzee T/DT 6-3 245 11 73 Alex Baca T/DT 5-10 240 12 75 Adam Dowdell C/DE 5-11 165 11 77 Gunner Kluding T/DE 6-2 225 11 78 Jacob Cabrera G/DT 6-0 265 9 84 Jefferson Incorvia WB/DE 6-2 155 11