Offseason growth leads to higher expectations for Coshocton football

COSHOCTON — The struggles of a 2-8 campaign last year led to reflection this offseason for Coshocton.

Steve Smith, who enters his fourth season, has been impressed with what he and his staff have seen. He hopes the growth and maturity will translate to better results on the gridiron.

"Our main focus has been working on ourselves," Smith said. "We developed our leadership by following the BOLT program Philo has. We used our program to power this group over the summer. We've also focused on building mental toughness. You need that, along with strong leadership, so we can get back to where we want to be."

Offense: Cohesion to spur offense's improvement

There are plenty of familiar faces in the backfield and up front for the Redskins, led by senior running back Antwone Johns, who had more than 700 all-purpose yards.

Junior Colton Conkle enters his second season as the starting quarterback, while senior split end Israel Rice and senior fullback Riley Woodie also return to the backfield.

Seniors Gage Wright (split end) and Evan Unger (tight end) highlight the pass catchers when Coshocton goes to the air.

Smith also noted those players will be the main offensive cogs, while sophomore Coen Phillips, junior Isaih Bronston and freshmen Logan Wince and Champ Haley will provide depth.

"We're not making the same mistakes we were last year. Another year in the offense has helped our execution," Smith said. "Gage came on for us last year, and he has size and good hands to help us. We like the mix in our backfield, but we also have some young talent to back them up."

The line also features plenty of experience after several took over starting roles during the second half of last season. Junior Joe Walters is back at left tackle with senior Ellzye Smith at left guard, junior Allan Harstine at center, sophomore Severeign Workman at right guard and junior Julian Rivera at right tackle.

Senior Aiden Cox and sophomores Austin Freetage and Koltin Tidwell could also rotate in when needed.

"Our offensive line had an excellent summer and did a great job in the weight room," Smith said. "These guys are some of the hardest workers on our team. They're bigger and stronger, and this whole group has matured. That combination of additional strength and maturity should help us."

Defense: New look relies on athleticism

Coshocton will lean on its strength at linebacker in its new 3-5 alignment. Unger will move from the MIKE role to the SAM spot, while junior JT Newell takes over the MIKE and sophomore Aiden Garabrandt joins him in the middle.

The outside backer spots are still up for grabs with Phillips, Woodie, Bronston and sophomore JJ Herman battling for those the starting roles.

"We wanted to take advantage of our speed and athleticism. This alignment lets us play to our strengths," Smith said.

Smith, Workman, Freetage, Walters and Rivera make up the rotation on the defensive line, while the secondary sees Johns move to safety with Rice and Conkle as the cornerbacks.

Wright and juniors Jackson Smith and Blayden Workman bring depth to the defensive backfield.

"We have depth, and the competition will help our guys," Smith said. "We wanted to get 11 guys on the field who could run to the football. We're working every day to get more comfortable in this scheme, and the guys have shown improvement. It comes down to each guy knowing and doing their job."

Outlook: Returning to respect

Coshocton has a long tradition of success and winning, and Smith has aspirations to get the program back to that level.

Starting strong against rival Ridgewood is a focus, as the Redskins have not beaten the Generals since the two restarted the series in 2017. They did not play in 2020 during the COVID-shortened schedule.

Coshocton then welcomes Johnstown in Week 2 and heads to Maysville in Week 3 before a Muskingum Valley League crossover with John Glenn in Week 4.

"We've dug ourselves into a hole then have to fight uphill. That isn't an easy thing to do, especially with our schedule," Smith noted. "We're going to go into a tough environment in Week 1, and we need to be able to handle that, which we haven't done in recent years.

"The kids have worked extremely hard to build this up, and they've been coachable," he added. "We've had good leadership, and the foundation has been built. Now, it comes down to the guys stepping up and performing well on Friday nights. They know the expectations, and we want to get back to the tradition this program has had."

bhannahs@gannett.com; @brandonhannahs

In the huddle

Key returnees: Antwone Johns (RB/DB, sr.), Israel Rice (SE/DB, sr.), Colton Conkle (QB/DB, jr.), Riley Woodie (RB/DL, sr.), Gage Wright (SE/DB, sr.), Evan Unger (TE/LB, sr.), Ellzye Smith (OL/DL, sr.), Joe Walters (OL/DL, jr.)

Key losses: Cadin Whiteus (RB), Michael Walters (OL/DL), Braxton Wilson (OL/DL), Travin Berry (LB), Dalcin Smith (WR/DB), Dustin Hall (RB/LB)

Coaching staff: Head coach Steve Smith, Josh Coffman, Jerry Shook, Judd Baker, Nate Prati, Joe Pachuta, Jim Woodrum, Nick Shaw, Beau Lonsinger, James Herman

Classification: Division V, Region 17

Last Muskingum Valley League title: None

Last playoff appearance: 2021

Last playoff win: 2020

Regional titles: 2

Coshocton 2023 schedule

Aug. 18: at Ridgewood

Aug. 25: Johnstown

Sept. 1: at Maysville

Sept. 8: John Glenn

Sept. 15: Morgan

Sept. 22: at New Lexington

Sept. 29: Meadowbrook

Oct. 6: at Crooksville

Oct. 13: West Muskingum

Oct. 20: at River View

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Higher aspirations come with offseason growth for Coshocton football