Woodcreek aiming for league title

The last few seasons the goal of Woodcreek's varsity football team has been to win a league championship, something the team has never done. The goal this year is the same, as Kyle Stowers takes over as head coach for Brad Hunkins. Stowers is not new to Woodcreek, as he previously coached at the school from 2013-2018. Despite inheriting a team coming off a rough season and installing a new offense, Stowers said camp has been positive and he believes this team can win a league championship. Last season the Timberwolves were decimated by injuries in a 4-6 season, which saw the team qualify for the playoffs and even win a game. Of the six losses in the regular season, four were one-possession games, so despite all the injuries, Woodcreek wasn't too far off from an 8-2 season. "The kids have adapted well," Stowers said. "Credit to them. They've worked hard throughout the spring in the classroom and in the field. Day by day they've gotten better." Stowers brought with him the pistol offense, which will feature more passing than the flexbone/veer offense that Woodcreek ran the last few seasons. It's an offense that the players like, starting with senior quarterback Joey Melendez. "What I like about the offense is that it gives me more freedom," Melendez said. "Also, I throw the ball a lot more. There are times where I can still keep it and run with it, but just being in the shotgun allows me to see the field more and that makes it easier to read the defense. It's a more versatile offense and it's attack heavy and we're here to score." As Melendez said, he will be passing the ball a lot more than last season and what's exciting to him is the players around him. Trace Murchison, Jack Torrey, Blake Hastings and Keegan Nitterhouse, among others, will be the beneficiaries of the offense. "Jack is great on the outside because he's super fast and has great hands," Melendez said. "Trace is super shifty, super fast and will be our main weapon on offense. He's always open and reliable and he gets in and out of breaks very well. "Then you've got Blake Hastings and Keegan Nitterhouse at running back. Those two are really good at what they do. Either one of them can run over somebody. "Ethan Keim has the best hands on the team and Donovan Swift is a possession guy and he will make sure we get the first downs. Both of our tight ends, Roman Pereyda and Tilden Hull, can block and catch." Last year, Murchison rushed for 407 yards and six touchdowns, caught five passes for a touchdown and also played quarterback. He's looking forward to playing in the offense this season. "The offense was easy to pick up and it's more fun," Murchison said. "We're going to throw the ball more. I'll be in the slot and I've got a lot of responsibility. I'll get the ball a lot and it will be a pleasure." Up front on the line, the Timberwolves will be led by returning all-league selection Jasper Liggins. "The line is looking great," Liggins said. "We've got some bigger bodies this year, and we're more in tune with what we've got to do. "I like the offense because there's not as much run as before. It's more balanced and more complex and I think that give us an advantage. I think we'll be a better team. We're more skilled and more seasoned this year." Up front, the Timberwolves have Liggins at left guard along with Marcus Mauck at left tackle, Lucca Antonini at center, Danny Morton at right guard and Dylan Gregg at right tackle. "This is one of the biggest lines I've had at Woodcreek," Stowers said. "We'll see what they have in them." Pereyda said the new offense will help the program. "The offense has been a change for everyone but it's been a good change," Pereyda said. "It's more responsibility on us, but the depth of the plays we get to run and the level of football we get to play are higher now. I feel like this opens up new doors for us because we have players who can play." On the defensive side of the ball, Pereyda is the leader at linebacker. "I think our defense has a lot of talent from our front line through our linebackers and to our secondary," Pereyda said. "We've got a high ceiling. I think our strength will be stopping the run. That's what we're geared to do." Jacob Madsen and Dylan Gregg are leaders on the defensive line, while Pereyda and Carson Schilhabel are the leaders at linebacker. Murchison will lead the secondary that also consists of Keim, who Stowers said had the best offseason of any player, and DJ Mosley. The team's goal is to win a league championship, among other things. "Our goal is to prove that last year was not us," Melendez said. "We had a ton of injuries and tons of problems with people being out on and off the field. We're going to go out this year and whip some tail." Said Murchison, "We want to dominate every game. When you go out there, you want to have no regrets and leave it all on the field. With all that, the league championship will come. Wins will come. The section will come." Stowers added, "We want to win a league championship. Woodcreek's never done it. We want to be the first team to win a league championship and do something no team has ever done."