Offseason report: Van Wert Cougars

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

The 2018 high school football season will kick off in less than 50 days, and the Van Wert Cougars are among the many teams using their 10 days of offseason work to prepare for the upcoming games.

While trying to improve on last year’s 5-5 (4-5 WBL) season, head coach Keith Recker’s Cougars are taking a multifaceted approach in hopes of getting the most out of those 10 days allowed by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.

“We used an hour every Thursday in June to begin installing basic pass routes and our main coverage defensively,” Recker said. “We gave our players the entire week of July 4 off, and we’re using our remaining days during the next two weeks of July with a lot of technique and position skill work, along with 7-on-7’s.”

“We have our annual overnight camping trip July 12 & 13, and we do a 7-on-7 & Line Challenge on the way up to our trip at Oak Harbor,” Recker added. “We then head to East Harbor State Park and have a great time playing games and swimming. It has been a great trip in the past and we really get to know each other much better during this trip.”

An area that Recker is keeping an eye on ahead of the season is the offensive line, a unit that lost a good deal of talent to graduation.

“Coming into this summer our biggest concern was the offensive line,” Recker explained. “We had two senior starters last year, with another two seniors filling in quite a bit in spots.”

“As the summer has progressed I really feel like we have a solid group there and will be able to find five very capable starters along with having enough guys to provide depth.”

The Cougars do have talent back at various other positions, including Nate Place at quarterback, Owen Treece at quarterback/running back, Jake Hilleary at running back, Tanner Barnhart at wide receiver, along with Jalen McCracken at defensive back.

It’s no secret that most, if not all success teams have high numbers in the weight room during the offseason. It can be difficult, because a number of football players play other sports and need to devote time an energy preparing for those activities.

“The guys that we expect to be there (the weight room) and that need to be there have been very good with attendance,” Recker stated. “We need to continue to work on getting all of our athletes to be there during the summer.”

“We had 10 kids with perfect attendance in June and we are proud of those kids, but wish we had many more in that group,” Recker continued. “We understand that there are many things going on in June and have no issues with guys that go on church trips, vacations, or other camps.”

“Coach Bagley and I work together very well to make sure we have no conflicts with our schedules so our athletes don’t have to make a choice between one or the other.”

As far as the Western Buckeye League race, Recker says the defending champions will be tough again, and he believe the rest of the league will be balanced.

“Until someone knocks them off, St. Marys would have to be the favorite at the top,” Recker said of the WBL. “Then the way things have been in our league you could probably throw the next 7-9 teams in a hat and pick a winner. There are some very good quarterbacks back at Shawnee, Kenton, and Celina. Bath and Defiance, although they finished at the bottom of the league last year, will likely be much improved.”

Van Wert will scrimmage three times before the season – August 7 vs. Parkway, August 10 at Versailles and August 17 at Crestview. The Cougars will begin the 2018 regular season at home August 24 against Bryan, before opening WBL competition at Wapakoneta.