Sports
Young Talent and Senior Leadership Look to Combine on Cougar Line
Stoney Creek has high hopes of improving from last season's 2-7 record.
The Stoney Creek High School Cougars are poised to strike this season with their large squad that combines size, strength, and jungle cat-like quickness.
“I am looking forward to coaching them and taking them into battle on Friday nights,” said Calvin Gross, who is going into his 10th season as head coach of the Cougars.
Stoney Creek kicks off its regular season at home at 7 tonight against Port Huron Northern.
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“We have had a good off-season with our weightlifting and speed training. The team is focused on being better than last season and building the foundation for our program to be successful in future seasons,” Gross said.
The Cougars finished last season with a 2-7 record, falling short of the playoffs in a tough OAA White division.
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Again this season, the OAA White division is expected to have an unprecedented level of talent. There is hope for the Cougars, though.
“We are one or two seasons away from competing in our league for a championship,” Gross said.
The Cougars' young talent will be competing for starting positions across the field, with only two returning starters on offense and defense combined.
“We have no returning starters on defense from last year. Our strength should be with the defensive line and inside linebacker play,” Gross said.
The Cougar defense will run a 3-4 scheme on the other side of the ball; it includes three linemen and four linebackers on the defensive front.
Gross predicts Serge Andreou, Nick Gajdzik and Paul Ziemba will give the Cougars senior leadership and defensive toughness at the line of scrimmage.
Andreou and Gajdzik lead the Cougars in experience and will play both ways in their third season on the varsity squad. Ziemba sat last season out because of a school transfer but plans to start on both sides of the ball as a linebacker and running back.
Gross has implemented a gun option offensive scheme where the quarterback starts in shotgun position instead of under the center, and from there he has the option to pass or run the ball.
“We are very young offensively with only two returning starters," Gross said. "Our young players need to pick up the speed quickly for us to be effective with our option-style offense.”
For a full varsity roster and game schedule, see the on Rochester Patch.
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