COLUMBUS ― Thrown into the fire as freshmen, some of Lakewood’s most experienced players are now juniors and find themselves leaders on a still youthful football team.
“We’re really young, but we have a lot of kids who have played a lot of football,” said Jeremy Walpole, the Lancers’ fourth head coach in as many seasons as he tries to snap Lakewood out of its 17-game losing streak. “We have 14 or 15 who are all in, all the time, and about 30 so far who have been coming regularly. We had 40 kids at our biddy camp, and we’re trying to find that culture and build it back. We want to make stuff fun for them again.”
The Lancers had their share of fun on June 26 at Franklin Heights, during 7 on 7s against the host Falcons and Columbus Briggs, a pair of Division II programs. After a slow start against Heights, when they were stopped twice inside the 10, Lakewood scored four times against the Bruins and all came from familiar names.
Freshman quarterback Landon Buehler, subbing in for sophomore starter Andrew Bebout who was not available, showed a nice arm and some accuracy as he found sophomore Jaxson Hollar, along with juniors Colton Bartell, Lukka Vines and Cohen Shinault for touchdowns. He also broke up a pass in the end zone from his cornerback spot.
“He’s a really good athlete,” Walpole said.
The rangy Hollar (6-foot-2, 175) turned a simple crossing route into a long score. Buehler found Bartell over the middle in the end zone, then hit Vines in the flat for a TD on a 4th-and-goal pass. The small but mighty Shinault, a defensive standout last year and a state wrestling qualifier, made a highlight reel play. On a deep route down the right sideline, he held on to a ball tipped by a defender, maintained stride and knifed into the end zone, where he was mobbed by teammates.
“After he tipped it, I kept my eyes up and just followed it through,” Shinault said. “I’m playing a little more offense this year. We’re actually moving the ball, and playing more as a team on defense. Being successful in moving the ball, there’s a lot of positivity.”
Vines has already shown he can be a weapon as a returner, receiver and running back.
“It’s a lot of work, being a leader, and I’m trying to pick up the younger guys,” he said. “It’s trusting the process, this year and next, and we’re all buying in. We’re throwing deep, and they can get us the ball when we’re open. We’re all learning, and everyone has the ability to eat on offense.”
The Lancers also have juniors Kolten Huntsman at tight end and Ashton Tackett at fullback, and sophomore Eli Ayers at wide receiver. This was their third 7 on 7.
“At Westfall, it was a little bigger competition, but we responded well and competed really well,” Walpole said. “Against Amanda-Clearcreek, we played really well. We match up well with teams our size.”
On June 10, Lakewood will be at Crooksville against the Ceramics, Millersport and Monroe Central.
Strength and conditioning under new coach Daniel Logan has been a plus. “It’s really specific. It’s already helping us this season and will show up in the future,” Walpole said.
Walpole was an all-league and all-district lineman for highly successful Licking Valley teams, which went to the state semifinals in 2000 and the state finals in 2001. He has 20 years coaching experience in junior high, JV and varsity, most recently serving as JV head coach and varsity line coach for perennial league and playoff contender Heath.
“I come from two winning programs, at Valley and Heath,” he said. “I’ve been in every situation and put in a lot of work. I learned a lot of Xs and Os from Randy Baughman at Valley, and coach (Tim) Ward at Heath has been really great, as far as building relationships.”
He said the Lakewood community is buying into the program.
“We want to give guys a chance to succeed, and be able to do what they’re good at,” Walpole said. “On offense, trying to get guys in the open field. On defense, putting guys where they can use their best athleticism.”
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Lakewood making strides during 7 on 7s under new coach Jeremy Walpole
Reporting by Dave Weidig, Newark Advocate / Newark Advocate
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dave Weidig, Newark Advocate | USA TODAY Network
