In 2008, the Dover High School football team was nothing more than a collection of kids playing in a conference that yielded an all-southern Delaware state championship in both Division I and II.
Despite that fact, the Senators finished the season at 6-4, giving eventual state champ and rival Caesar Rodney a run for their money in the final game, and were just one win or one Newark loss away from earning a tournament spot.
“Last year we had six guys that were sophomores that played offense, and five that played defense,” Head Coach Carlton Brown said. “So they’re still young, but they’re experienced. They’re only going to get better.”
Maybe most important of that group of returning starters, Brown said, are the four offensive lineman who were stellar in protecting the Dover backfield a year ago.
For Brown, this year’s offense rests in the hands of his offensive line. While the Sens are talented in the skill positions, he said all that talent is a waste without a stacked O-line to protect them.
“I’m having more kids that want to play line because they understand to me, this is the most important thing,” Brown said. “When our running back goes over 1,000 yards, he’s not going to get a football; the whole line is. When our quarterback throws for 1,000, the whole line gets a football.
“Without them, those guys can’t do their jobs.”
That line includes right tackle Philip Kizer, senior; right guard Timothy Gray, junior; center Alex Niezgoda, junior; left guard Anthony McPoyle, sophomore; and left tackle Trip Thurman, junior.
Thurman, a team co-captain who stands at 6 feet 6 inches and weighs 280 pounds, might be the most standout of the young lineman. He thinks that with the chemistry he and his line mates continue to develop, the Sens’ offense should be a dangerous force this year.
“It’s been very easy coming back together,” he said. “We’ve been molding together and it’s been a good experience. With the rest of the offense, we’ve been doing all of our drills and over the past couple of days the offense has been outstanding.”
Brown will run the spread offense again this year, attempting to keep defenses honest by presenting various attack options.
This season, however, Brown said the team is more equipped to run the spread as there is more talent dispersed among the skill positions.
