Sandy Valley Cardinals 2023 football preview

SANDY VALLEY CARDINALS

HEAD COACH: Brian Gamble, seventh year, 39-23

LAST YEAR: 4-6, 2-3

POSTSEASON: Division V, Region 17

RETURNING LETTERMEN (19)

• Shawn Brooks, WR-OLB, 5-8, 155, Jr.

• Chad Davis, RB-LB, 5-10, 175, Sr.

• Jaiden Flory, RB-LB, 5-8, 185, Jr.

• Lukas Gilland, WR-DB, 6-1, 145, Jr.

• Drew Graybill, QB-DB, 5-8, 140, So.

• Chapin Greer, WR-DB, 6-1, 175, Sr.

• Russell Hummel, OL-DL, 5-6, 195, Sr.

• Westin Little, OL-DL, 5-11, 265, Jr.

• Cohen Mace, WR-DB-K, 5-10, 165, Sr.

• Jason Morris, WR-OLB, 5-8, 160, Sr.

• Jack Murphy, RB-LB, 5-11, 160, Jr.

• Andrew Neary, OL-DL, 6-2, 265, Sr.

• Nick Petro, QB-DB, 5-10, 175, Sr.

• Anthony Ross, WR-DB, 5-11, 150, Jr.

• Angelo Rossi, WR-DB, 5-10, 145, Jr.

• Trenton Russell, OL-DL, 6-2, 205, Sr.

• Troy Snyder, WR-DB, 6-1, 180, Sr.

• Alec Trent, OL-DL, 5-7, 280, Sr.

• Luke Williams, QB-OLB, 5-8, 155 , Jr.

IMPACT PLAYERS: Chad Davis, Troy Snyder, Andrew Neary and Trenton Russell are seasoned players for head coach Brian Gamble's team. Davis rushed for a team-leading 721 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. At linebacker, he also was the Cardinals' leading tackler with 82. ... Snyder has a nose for the football out of the secondary. Neary and Russell are exceptional linemen. All four players are three-year lettermen and first team All-Inter Valley Conference South Division selections. ... Davis, Jack Murphy are a formidable tandem at linebacker. Murphy recorded 80 tackles a year ago. ... Quarterback Nick Petro his hoping for a healthy and successful senior year. Despite missing almost half the 2022 season, he still threw for 1,024 yards and eight touchdowns.

See Sandy Valley's football schedule: Stark County-area team-by-team 2023 high school football schedules

WHAT'S NEW: After a one-year absence, neighboring Malvern is back on Sandy Valley's schedule in Week 5. The Hornets have been one of the top teams in the IVC North the past few seasons. It will be a great test for the Cardinals leading into back-to-back games with IVC South powers Indian Valley and Ridgewood.

OUTLOOK: Sandy Valley will be one of the area's most experienced teams. The Cardinals return nine starters on offense and seven on defense. They have four four-year starters and three three-year starters back. "We are excited for the playmakers we have back on both sides of the football," Gamble said. "We are starting to see that the experience we gained last year really pay off so far in every aspect." With all this experience back, the Cardinals hope to return to the playoffs after a one-year absence. Gamble said this year's team has the most skill returning since Sandy Valley's 2019 and 2020 teams. "We are excited to see our growth and veteran leadership as we continue to get better," he said.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Ohio high school football: Sandy Valley Cardinals 2023 football preview