Brian Hohn makes a reception during practice at the high school on Aug. 14, 2013. (Staff photo by Samantha Sciarrotta.)
Quarterback Austin Fellows prepares a handoff during practice Aug. 14, 2013. (Staff photo by Samantha Sciarrotta.)
After going 4-6 and struggling on offense last season, the Hopewell Valley Central High School football team needed to shake things up a bit this year.
The team, known in years past for its defense, needed a little push on the other side of the ball. It turns out the Bulldogs had the perfect solution: they picked up former West Windsor Plainsboro-South head coach Todd Smith, who stepped down from his post at the end of last season, and took him on as offensive coordinator.
Head coach Dave Caldwell said Smith’s impressive track record with players like Brian Schoenauer, Dave Twanley and Chris Evans bodes well for the Bulldogs.
“He’s been to the playoffs eight years,” Caldwell said. “He has coached a lot of record holders in the county. He’s respected in the state as an offensive coordinator. Personally, I know he’s a great teacher, a great motivator, a great educator. He’s a guy that has high expectations of his players. I think bringing our athletes and his offensive style together hopefully will produce a lot of points on the scoreboard.”
Players have already noticed a change.
“He brings a different look and a new style that really fits us,” guard-nose tackle Mike Markulec said. “Coach Smith came in, and he has a good system. We’ve really bought into it and worked hard. He speaks his mind a lot. He’s a fun guy, and he’s a good guy, but when it comes time to do business, we do business. We do everything we have to do to make sure we’re our best.”
Markulec said he and his teammates were ready to succeed on both sides of the ball.
“For the past couple of years, our defense has been tenacious,” he said. “We’ve been one of the top defenses in the county. We have great coaches teaching us to be tenacious in every play we get after. We’ve gone after it. I think it’s finally time we make our offense like that.”
Smith keeps his philosophy simple.
“The offense is basically just there to take care of the mistakes the defense gets,” he said. “I guess we really just try to capitalize on what we see so we’re able to adjust on the fly. I want to help them establish a winning tradition, hopefully get to the playoffs for the first time. Hopefully we can put together an offense that can move the ball on the field.”
Adapting to a new team has not been hard.
“It’s not much different,” he said. “The age group is still the same. The kids are hard workers, so it’s been a really easy transition.”
The squad returns nine starters, including all but one member of the offensive line, as well as several sophomores who made the jump from last year’s freshman team. Caldwell said the Bulldogs have some big shoes to fill in losing Alec Haase, Chaz Bell and Jordan Stella, but he trusts his players to do just that.
“This could be a year where we make a push to be even more competitive,” he said. “We’ve returned a lot of athletes. It’s much of the same team.”
Caldwell expects veterans Austin Fellows (quarterback), outside linebacker-running back Drew Wiley and linemen Miles Davis, Will Cusma and Markulec to make an impact. These players, he said, play roles that are not limited to the field.
“They bring a certain expectation,” he said. “They bring leadership. They learned a lot about our expectations last year and they got that varsity experience so they know what it’s like. When they come back with that experience, it definitely helps the team not only on the field, but during practice and bringing along the younger players.”
Caldwell has many athletes competing for starting spots.
“In high school football, you want to put your best 11 on the field,” he said. “This year, we’re fortunate. We have some very capable guys who can compete for some playing time. When there’s that internal competition, they all want to play, so they’re going to push each other to get on the field.”
Davis sees that at every practice, and special teams, he said, is the unsung hero.
“That’s one of the things that will lead us to success,” he said. “We practice special teams every day. We have kids that don’t get out into a varsity game going out on special teams and working just as hard as the starters and pushing each other to be better.”
The squad hopes to make its first playoff appearance this season. Markulec said if each player continues to fight for his spot during practices, everything will fall into place.
“We just want to work hard and to be the best players to our ability,” he said. “We want to work our hardest to be our best, and we’ll let the wins and losses take care of themselves.”
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