Centennial
Visit ThisWeekNews.com for Live Friday Night Football Coverage
Stars
add old
wrinkle
to offense
By JARROD ULREY
ThisWeek Staff Writer
Senior running back Owen Gor-
don didn’t know what he was in for
when he received the Centennial High
School football team’s playbook at
the beginning of the summer.
Not that it was surprising that the
Stars were making changes after
going just 1-9 a year ago, but one of
the offensive alterations was noth-
ing like he and his teammates had
seen before because of what it lacked:
A quarterback.
With Clayton Clever having grad-
uated after completing 39 of 91 passes
for 335 yards for just four touch-
downs a year ago, coach Pat Sergio
went into the offseason knowing he
had to choose between juniors Tyler
Hilliard and Derek Edwards as the
new quarterback.
Considering both are athletic but
that the strength of neither is pass-
ing the ball, it seemed logical to cre-
ate an offense — or in this case, rein-
vent an approach from the past —
which could utilize both while tak-
ing the pressure off the passing game.
The offense will be a variation of the
single wing, an offense which Ser-
gio also calls a shotgun wing-T.
“Everybody likes it pretty well,”
said Gordon, whose team opens Fri-
day against visiting Hartley. “We’ve
been learning the new plays and
incorporating them in practice. Nor-
mally we have a lot of kids skipping
practice, but everybody is pretty
excited. When we got the playbook,
it looked nothing like what we were
used to.”
Hilliard was the team’s second-
leading rusher with 222 yards and
one touchdown on 72 carries a year
ago behind graduate Tyrell Richard-
son (706 yards, 7 touchdowns). He
will be a starter in the backfield along
with Edwards, and either could be
snapped the ball in the setup.
Gordon, who had 16 catches for
171 yards and two touchdowns last
season and has been a starter since
his freshman season, will be the slot-
back. Sophomore Anthony Aulette
also will see time in the backfield.
Senior Cecil Hill and junior
Chinedu Ifedi are at wide receiver
and junior Aaron McTurner will be
the wingback. Seniors Youssef
Kasheer, Jordan Singh and Derek
Riofrio have been competing at tight
end.
Sergio, who has a 48-152 record
in 20 seasons with the Stars, believes
the new offensive approach could
work because of his offensive line’s
size. Senior Naveed Sadaqat (6-0,
211) or classmate Harold Stepp (6-
The Stars’ Owen Gordon turns the corner Aug. 11 during a scrimmage
against the Columbus Crusaders.
3, 300) will be at center, with the
other expected to be at tackle. Senior
Zach Eberlyn (6-0, 250) is a return-
ing starter at tackle.
Singh and seniors Julian Bedalli
(6-1, 239), Landis Johnson (6-1, 295)
and Carlton Reaves (5-11, 270) are
others who should see action on the
offensive line.
“Last year we had a running back
but we didn’t have the line that we
needed,” Sergio said. “We’ve got two
real good athletes in Derek Edwards
and Tyler Hilliard and for the last
two years we’ve been trying to make
them quarterbacks, so then I started
looking into the single-wing offense.
We maybe have one of the biggest
offensive lines physically that I’ve
had.”
The Stars will utilize a 4-4 defense, Hartley ....................................L, 25-7 four touchdowns on 79 carries. He is
with Bedalli, Eberlyn, Johnson,
Reaves, Singh and Stepp all seeing
action on the line. Sadaqat and
Edwards will be at inside linebacker
along with Aulette, and senior Owen
O’Grady will play outside linebacker
along with Hilliard.
Hill and Gordon will be at cor-
nerback and Ifedi and junior Stephen
Parish also will be in the secondary.
Edwards and Turner are battling
for kicker and punter positions.
“Last year was the first time in my
career that we didn’t get shut out in
any of our games,” Sergio said. “I’m ing and depth and that we’re not quit- are playing at Tiffin University.
not saying we’re content with that, ters. We’ve got 43 out, and I think
but it all comes down to condition- that’s a great number.”
Beechcroft
Sophomores,
Stewart will
lead Cougars
By JARROD ULREY
ThisWeek Staff Writer
By Steven Rodriguez/ThisWeek is the smallest numbers in our school
At a glance
CENTENNIAL STARS
Colors: Red, white and blue
Coach: Pat Sergio, 21st season
Key players: Zach Eberlyn, Derek
Edwards, Owen Gordon, Cecil Hill, Tyler
Hilliard, Chinedu Ifedi, Aaron McTurner,
Naveed Sadaqat and Jordan Singh
On the Web: columbus.k12.oh.us/cen-
tennial/index.html
2007 SCHEDULE
Aug. 24.......Hartley ...................Home
Aug. 31.......Africentric.................Away
Sept. 7 .......Ready.....................Home
Sept. 14 .....Mifflin.....................Home
Sept. 21 .....Northland.................Away
Sept. 28 .....Brookhaven..............Away
Oct. 5 .........East .......................Home
Oct. 12 .......Beechcroft ...............Away
Oct. 19 .......Linden....................Home
Oct. 26 .......Whetstone ...............Away
2006 RESULTS
(1-9 overall, 1-6 City-North)
Belmont Union Local ................L, 41-8
Ready....................................L, 48-20
Northland ..............................L, 35-14
Brookhaven ...........................L, 40-21
East ......................................L, 34-14
Beechcroft...............................L, 43-6
Linden ..................................W, 31-20
Mifflin......................................L, 14-6 touchdowns, has been replaced at
Whetstone.................................L, 7-6
BE THE ONE to
champion
life for patients in need.
1-800-GIVE-LIFE
BloodSavesLives.org
Things aren’t as they appear for
the Beechcroft High School football
team when simply taking a glance at
its roster.
There are only 10 seniors in the
program, which is the lowest that
coach Tom Dunlap — who is in his
22nd season as head coach — can
remember.
The Cougars also must replace
most of their offensive line from last
year and have lost two Division I
players from a defense which allowed
a combined six points over its final
four games in lineman Julian Miller
(West Virginia) and Markus Burton
(Kent State).
Those might add up to a rebuild-
ing season for some, but Beechcroft
has a sophomore class with enough
depth and talent to compensate for
its lack of upperclassmen.
Three freshmen started a year ago,
and half a dozen or more could end
up as starters for the opener Friday
at Independence.
“We’ve got 71 kids out total, which
history,” said Dunlap, who has a 158-
62 career record and said that this
season or next likely will be his last.
“We’ve only got 10 seniors, but the
strength of our program is the sopho-
more class.”
The Cougars, who went 7-3 and
won a share of their first league cham-
pionship since 2001 a year ago, will
be led by senior quarterback Marvin
Stewart (6-foot-1, 220 pounds).
He became a starter midway
through his sophomore season and
blossomed last year by completing
84 of 143 passes for 1,243 yards and
nine touchdowns. He also rushed 58
times for 348 yards and four scores
and was special mention all-district
in Division II a year ago. Senior Deion
King is the backup.
Senior running back Darrian
Cordell also is back after leading the
team in rushing with 575 yards and
joined in the backfield by sophomore
B.J. Watkins and senior Shane Math-
urin, a transfer from Brooklyn, N.Y.
Miller, who was the leading
receiver with 25 receptions and five
tight end by junior Chaz Nelson (6-
2, 225). Sophomores Ron Walton and
William Croom will be the top
receivers.
Matt Jones and Tim Patrick, who
were starters on the offensive line as
Travis Coates started at wide receiver
and also contributed on defense, now
Expected to start on the offensive
line are senior Jordan Spivey at left
At a glance
BEECHCROFT COUGARS
Colors: Brown and gold
Coach: Tom Dunlap, 22nd season
Key players: Darrian Cordell, Wallace
Hale, John Howell, Eric Matthews,
Jordan Spivey, Marvin Stewart, Ron Wal-
ton and B.J. Watkins
On the Web: columbus.k12.oh.us/
beech/index.html
2007 SCHEDULE
Aug. 24 ........Independence.........Away
Aug. 31 ........Teays Valley...........Home
Sept. 7.........St. Charles............Home
Sept. 14.......Linden....................Away
Sept. 21.......Mifflin.....................Away
Sept. 28.......East .......................Away
Oct. 5...........Brookhaven ...........Home
Oct. 12.........Centennial ............Home
Oct. 19.........Whetstone..............Away
Oct. 26.........Northland..............Home
2006 RESULTS
(7-3 overall, 6-1 City-North)
Independence .......................W, 44-19
St. Charles ..............................L, 28-0
Licking Valley ...........................L, 34-6
Mifflin...................................W, 34-20
East .......................................W, 22-2
Brookhaven ...........................L, 28-20
Centennial ..............................W, 43-6
Whetstone ..............................W, 33-0
Linden ....................................W, 38-6
Northland .................................W, 8-0
BE THE ONE to
champion
life for patients in need.
1-800-GIVE-LIFE
BloodSavesLives.org
tackle and sophomore Ryan Marks
at left guard. Seniors Eric Matthews
(6-2, 260) and John Howell (6-3, 210)
have seen action at right tackle and
junior Jereaul White (5-9, 250) is at
right guard. Sophomores Darian
Smith and Chauncey Hilson have
seen action at center along with
Matthews.
August 22, 2007 • Central Ohio High School Football Preview ’07
Defensively, Howell, King (6-4,
220) and Nelson (6-1, 230) are
expected to be at end and Spivey and
Christopher Noble will be at tackle
in a 4-4 front.
Sophomore Larez Harper is a
returning starter at outside linebacker
and classmates Wallace Hale and
Watkins are returning starters at inside
linebacker. Stewart is expected to be
the roverback, with juniors Timothy
Hill and Raynard Transou and Math-
urin at cornerback.
Stewart is expected to be the kicker
and Croom will be the punter. Junior
Joseph Simpson also could punt and
should serve as the long snapper.
Last season, Beechcroft opened
with a 44-19 victory over Indepen-
dence, but non-league losses to St.
Charles (28-0) and Licking Valley
(34-6) the next two weeks ultimately
kept it from a playoff berth.
Last season marked the second
time in three seasons that Beechcroft
failed to advance to the playoffs. It
again will compete in Division II after
53
placing 11th in Region 7 last season.