AA football preview: Flathead has new attitude
Despite having to replace the majority of its starting lineup after losing 33 seniors from a year ago, players are optimistic at Flathead High School football practice.
“I think we can be really good this year,” senior quarterback Matt Tokarz said.
“Everyone’s got a great attitude out there. The last two years we always thought we could be good, but everyone didn’t come out with a great attitude, so I think that will change this year.”
Expectations aren’t high outside of the Flathead camp, the Braves are ranked 13th out of 14 in the Billings Gazette’s preseason coaches poll, but senior safety Tucker Toelke said that doesn’t matter to his teammates.
“This year a lot of kids are believing,” Toelke.
“Our spirits are up and our chemistry is looking pretty good.”
Flathead is coming off a 4-7 season in which it ended a two-year playoff drought. A return trip to the postseason this year will hinge on how well the team can integrate nine new starters on defense and seven new starters on offense.
Looking to provide stability on offense is Tokarz, an all-state honorable mention selection who returns after leading Class AA in total offense as a junior with 2,567 yards. Tokarz’s historic season ranks fifth in Flathead history in total offense, but the quarterback did most of his damage on the ground, rushing for 911 yards with 6.6 yards per carry. This season he’s looking to improve his passing efficiency and cut down his interceptions after throwing 14 as a first-year starter last year.
“Last year I wasn’t the best passer in the state, so I’m really trying to improve on that,” Tokarz said. “Going to camps and watching more film, I’m starting to understand what defenses are all about, and I’m learning our defense too, which helps me pick apart other defenses.”
Flathead head coach Russell McCarvel said Tokarz’s improvement has been on display in practice.
“His growth has come in his decision-making,” McCarvel said. “Especially as it pertains to throwing the ball. That’s where we’re going to see his growth.”
Tokarz will line up behind an inexperienced offensive line that returns just one starter, 6-foot-3, 280-pound center Gage Marcum, who earned an all-conference honorable mention a year ago. McCarvel said Marcum’s presence in the middle of the line should make things easier for the new starters at guard and tackle.
“He’s had a great off-season of work,” McCarvel said of Marcum. “He tells guys where to go, he helps them out. He’s a great leader for the group.”
Six-foot-five, 270-pound junior guard Axel Bladholm will line up next to Marcum to give Flathead a pair of big bodies in the trenches, but the rest of the line is undersized, so McCarvel said technique will be critical.
“We’re not going to roll out there with the biggest guys by any means, so they’re going to have to play with good technique,” he said.
Senior wide receiver Kevin Grosswiler is Flathead’s leading returning pass-catcher after making 11 catches for 120 yards and three touchdowns last season. He was Tokarz’s third target in the passing game a year ago behind graduated seniors George Sherwood and Matt McClain, but the quarterback says Grosswiler is ready to be the go-to target.
“He’s really being a leader with the wide receivers,” Tokarz said. “He’s running crisp routes and always catching the ball.”
After battling injuries a year ago, running back Austin Root is healthy and ready to lead Flathead’s ground game. The physical 6-1, 215-pound Root played in just six games a year ago, running for 197 yards and two touchdowns on 41 carries.
“He’s going to give us a ton this year,” Tokarz said. “We didn’t have a starting running back most games last year. He’s super fast and explosive and hits hard, so we’ll be seeing a lot of good things out of him this year if he can stay healthy.”
A newcomer poised to make an impact is 5-11, 170-pound speedster Jerum AuClaire, a Class C all-state quarterback and linebacker who transferred from Lincoln High School to Flathead for his senior year. McCarvel said AuClaire will return kicks in addition to playing running back and wide receiver.
Defensively, Flathead will look to improve from last season when it finished last in Class AA in total defense. Just two starters, Toelke and senior outside linebacker Nick Iavicoli return, but talented newcomers like AuClaire and Tokarz, who will play on both sides of the ball this season, could make Flathead’s defense a more imposing unit.
“We have a lot of skilled players on defense, especially if Tokarz is playing,” Toelke said.
After playing a 3-4 defense last season, the Braves will operate out of a 4-3 alignment, which McCarvel hopes will make the team more successful against the run.
“We felt like we needed to get more guys to occupy the line of scrimmage,” he said.
The defensive line will be anchored by Marcum and Bladholm while senior Brett Handford will have a key role at defensive end.
Iavicoli will be joined by AuClaire and senior Robert Heavilin at linebacker, while Toelke will switch from linebacker to strong safety, a position he says suits him better.
“It gives me a better view of the field, and being experienced, I can see where everyone’s at and get them in the right place, make calls and adjust to the offense,” Toelke said.
Senior Dylan Torgerson returns at kicker and punter after receiving an all-conference honorable mention last season. Torgerson was 3 of 6 on field goals and 33 of 36 on extra points a year ago.
The Braves open their season today against Billings Senior at 7 p.m. at Legends Stadium. Senior beat Flathead 56-28 in Billings in last year’s season opener, but Tokarz thinks the result will be different this time.
“Last year it was my first varsity start, so I had a lot of nerves getting out there,” Tokarz said. “We definitely didn’t play as a team the way we did the rest of the season, so we’re coming back as a different team to go against them.”
Toelke said the key against Senior will be containing its speed, especially running back Nolan Saraceni, who won Class AA’s 100- and 200-meter dash titles during track season.
“He’s a track star, so basically we’ve been focusing on shutting him down,” Toelke said. “Making sure we keep him inside and not let him get outside for those breakaway runs.”
2012 Flathead Football Schedule
Aug. 24 — 7 p.m. Billings Senior at Flathead
Aug. 31 — 4 p.m. at Missoula Big Sky
Sept. 7 — 7 p.m. Great Falls High at Flathead
Sept. 14 — 7 p.m. Helena High at Flathead
Sept. 21 — 7 p.m. at Missoula Sentinel
Sept. 28 — 7 p.m. at Glacier
Oct. 5 — 7 p.m. at Helena Capital
Oct. 12 — 7 p.m. Bozeman at Flathead
Oct. 19 — 7:30 p.m. at Great Falls CMR
Oct. 26 — 7 p.m. Missoula Hellgate at Flathead
Returning starters:
4 offense, 2 defense
Players to watch:
QB Matt Tokarz, all-state honorable mention, second-team all-conference
C/DT Gage Marcum, all-conference honorable mention
SS Tucker Toelke