L-W Central Football Looking at Lucky 7s

Lincoln Way Central Knights

Coach: Brett Hefner (second season).

Last year: 1-8 overall, 1-6 in the Southwest Suburban Blue.

Opener: Aug. 26 at Lincoln-Way North, 7 p.m.

Outlook: Slot players often become instantly rich after seeing “777” on a slot machine. Lincoln-Way Central coach Brett Hefner has the first two sevens with seven returning offensive starters and seven returning defensive starters. He’s optimistic that will correlate to more than a single win this season, but isn’t ready to say he’s got a seven-win team on his hands yet, either. “With a high number of starters back on both sides of the ball, we look to be much improved this season,” he said. “The kids have worked their tails off for the last 15 months and had a great off-season and outstanding summer. The big key for us is to stay healthy and play the way we’re capable.”

Offense

Backs: All but a freshman are competing for the starting quarterback position. Senior Cobi Christiansen, junior Jeremy Williams and sophomore Cale Hayes are all being considered this fall to lead the Knights. There’s more certainty at running back where Brett Ditchman is expected to be the go-to guy. Ditchman was a backup and special teams guy last year. At fullback, the Knights will turn to Vinny Schnayer and Cory Richard.

Line: RT Charlie Athans, RG Brendon Hennessy, C Jake Martinsen, LG Blake Huddlestun and LT Liam Sears are all returning starters and give the Knights an offensive line with experience and stability.

Tight ends/receivers: The Knights boast a pair of wide receivers who combined for 24 catches a season ago. Kevin Ward (11 receptions, 233 yards, 3 TDs) and Matt Doherty (13 receptions, 132 yards, 2 TDs) give the team two experienced options at wide receiver. Look for newcomer TE Brent Swanberg, a track and field star in the spring, to play a prominent role in the team’s offensive attack this fall.

Placekicker: Hefner isn’t sure who will handle the kicking duties. Nick Bertucci returns, while Nick Kowalkowski looks to bring his soccer talents to the football field.

Defense

Linebackers: Mike Leibovitz is coming off a 55-tackle season, so the Knights will look to him for leadership and another strong campaign. Tom Gianares also returns and Matt Schneider is a highly touted newcomer.

Line: DE Evan Panill (42 tackles, 3 sacks, 5 tackles for loss) and DT Ryan Gromnicki bring experience to the Knights’ defensive line. Look for newcomers such as DE Grant Bartel and DT David Burnson, as well as Joe Lyman, to play crucial roles.

Secondary: SS Matt Quinn (65 tackles, 1 interception), DB Ryan Thome (35 tackles, 2 interceptions) and Joey Strain are all back, while FS Steve Beck is a key newcomer. Another player to watch is DB Ryan Wildman.

Punter: Somebody will need to emerge here. Bertucci punted for the Knights last year, but Swanberg also can punt and would bring his athleticism to the position, something many punters lack.

Coach Brent Hefner said: The season will be a success if  “we can get past the growing pains. The nice thing for us is we had a lot of underclassmen who played last year, and it’s just the second year of the new system. They got a lot of varsity experience last year and should be much better understanding the schemes. Fundamentally, the kids are light years ahead of where they were last year Now, we have kids who are used to playing that 7:30 game on Friday night.”