Morgan hasn't won a title or playoff game since 2000. This team wants to end the streak

McCONNELSVILLE — Chase Bowman spent five years waiting, but his Morgan football team finally cleared a major hurdle in 2022.

Particularly, it was the program's first winning season in his tenure as head coach of his alma mater. It also marked the first time since 2000 that the Raiders made the playoffs in a non-COVID year.

Now a team featuring 13 seniors wants more.

"This is a really good group," Bowman said. "They're extremely enjoyable to be around. The kids want to get better, and anytime you have that it makes things more enjoyable and makes you want to coach even more."

Morgan offense: High hopes for newcomers

Bowman's sixth team will feature three new faces up front, where All-Ohioan Wade Pauley was a dominant force for three seasons. The Muskingum Valley League's Lineman of the Year on offense was even more destructive on defense, where he had 10 tackles-for-loss and five sacks.

Senior guards Owen McCoy and Matt McLean are the lone returning starters, meaning senior tackle Rogan Drobina, sophomore tackle Witten Schaad and sophomore center Devon Waggy are tasked with filling the vacancies from one of the league's top front lines.

Senior Charlie Southall, junior Cooper Burnside and sophomore Charlie Schaad are also competing for time in the trenches.

Bowman has high hopes for the newcomers, especially Witten Schaad, who he hopes can develop much like Pauley did at left tackle.

"We have to try to develop guys to be ready as Friday night guys," Bowman said. "We have names that can, it's a matter of developing them. It's getting them ready as soon as possible. These sophomores have to be ready for Week 1."

Bowman knows there is no replacing Pauley or two-way standout Carson Copeland, the workhorse running back, linebacker play and 43-yard punting average helped earned him All-Ohio status in Division IV.

Despite that, there is still plenty of optimism for an offense that figures to look much different in 2024.

Senior quarterback Logan Niceswanger (6-0, 200) and top target Kole Searl (6-2, 180) lead a deep cast of pass catchers that Bowman says is the deepest in his six years.

Niceswanger finished 127-of-193 passing for 1,598 yards and 17 TDs and ran for 257 markers, with Searl accounting for almost half of the receiving production with 60 catches for 770 yards. Both were school records.

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They're perhaps the MVL's best 1-2 punch this side of Tri-Valley's Max Lyall and Ashton Sensibaugh. Bowman still wants to run the ball — "late in the game, you have to run the football," he said — but this won't be a singular operation.

Senior Adam Cooper and sophomores Hayden Bankes, Haiden Pauley and Arlis Ponchak join running backs William Dodd and Hayden Six, both juniors, and senior speedster Kyle Campbell to form a strong group of skilled players. Six and Campbell are also capable pass catchers.

Niceswanger, also a state qualifier in wrestling and a key member of the baseball team, is the leader of the bunch. Bowman said his growth as a passer, coupled with the talent surrounding him, should help offset the losses.

"At the end of the day, our identity is we want to run the football," Bowman said. "Our job as coaches is to put our teams in positions to be successful, and if we have to throw it 50 percent of the time we will do that. But we want to run the football."

Morgan defense: Five starters return

Bowman calls the shots in the Raiders' 3-4 scheme, which will no doubt miss the hardscrabble efforts of the 6-3, 230-pound Pauley at defensive end and the 6-2, 220-pound Copeland at linebacker. They were arguably the MVL's most impressive physical specimens.

Last year's team allowed 280 yards and 31 total touchdowns, including 40 or more points in three of its final six games. All were losses.

Five starters return, including two up front in McCoy and Dodd, who returns to his natural position at end after being an outside linebacker last year.

Drobina mans the nose tackle spot with junior James McClintock also offering his services, while Witten Schaad and Waggy are also helping man the ends.

Niceswanger leads the linebacker corps, moving from inside to outside. Richard Page, a senior, is back on the inside with newcomer McLean, with Campbell and senior Trey Mendenhall also seeing time on the outside.

A mostly veteran secondary features Bankes at one cornerback after starting half the season as a freshman, while Six is back at one of the safeties.

Searl started last season at cornerback, but the added depth will allow him to focus more on offense as a senior. He can play corner and safety.

Newcomers Ponchak and Haiden Pauley will play corner and safety, respectively, and Cooper provides a veteran presence with safety and cornerback capability.

Like its offense, the back end is the strength.

"It's just figuring out the right combination, what gives us our best 11 as a total unit," Bowman said. "We just (Tuesday) made some of those position changes. Some of those guys will be playing different positions. ... It's figuring out the right combination to put them in the best position to be successful."

Losing Copeland on special teams could be the team's biggest loss this side of Pauley sacking quarterbacks. His thunderous right leg flipped field position on the regular — just ask the Licking County All-Stars back in June.

Six takes over for Copeland as punter, with a troika of Ponchak and soccer products Elliot Voytko and Braylon Miller competing for the placekicking duties.

Morgan outlook: 'They have those goals in mind'

Bowman feels the culture has been successfully shifted since he took the coaching reins in 2017, especially with offseason weight training.

Sparkling new facilities, namely a new stadium next to the school, has only added to the momentum within the program. Last year's seniors, with Pauley, Copeland and Seth Miller leading the charge, played the biggest roles.

It meant the first non-COVID playoff season in 22 years and the first winning record in 16. The MVL title streak now stands at 22 years, something the current group would love nothing more than to change.

Bowman said he doesn't place expectations on his team in terms of wins and losses. He simply wants consistent preparation and a hard-nosed demeanor on game nights.

With the MVL-Small School Division littered with new faces outside of a veteran West Muskingum squad, the Raiders figure to have their say, despite the losses.

He made it clear they're not happy with one winning season.

"We haven't won a league title since 2000 — we want to do that," Bowman said. "We haven't hosted a playoff game since 2000. Our kids want to host one. We've never won a playoff game and our kids want to win one. They have those goals in mind. That makes me feel good as a coach."

sblackbu@gannett.com; Twitter: @SamBlackburnTR

In the huddle

Key returnees: Logan Niceswanger (QB/LB sr.); Kole Searl (WR/DB sr.); Hayden Six (WR/DB jr.); Owen McCoy (OL/DL sr.); Matt McLean (OL/DL sr.); Richard Page (TE/LB sr.).

Key losses: Wade Pauley (OL/DL), Carson Copeland (RB/LB/P/K), Seth Miller (OL/DL); Mason Burnside (WR/DB); Coleman Welsh (WR/DB).

Coaching staff: Chase Bowman (HC/DC), Seth Brown (OC), Cy Copeland, Lake Drake, Sam Elseser, Trace Coleman, Jason Drobina, Josh Pauley.

Classification: Division IV, Region 15

Last Muskingum Valley League title: 2000

Last playoff appearance: 2022

Last playoff win: None

Regional titles: 0

Schedule

Aug. 18: at River View

Aug. 25: Vincent Warren

Sept. 1: Philo

Sept. 8: at Sheridan

Sept. 15: at Coshocton

Sept. 22: Tri-Valley

Sept. 29: at New Lexington

Oct. 6: West Muskingum

Oct. 13: at Meadowbrook

Oct. 20: Crooksville

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Morgan Raiders football team seeking more in 2023