Pirates enter season with competition

Gary Dudgeon
Greensburg Daily News

August 20, 2008 12:08 am

— The Greensburg Pirates come into the season with some uncertainty at some key positions. In
this case the uncertainty is probably good. There was very close
competition for playing time on the offensive line, particularly at
tackle and in the offensive backfield, namely at quarterback.
Mitch Tuttle came out of last week’s scrimmage at Indian Creek as
the probable starter at quarterback after a heated three-way race that
included Chris Blankman who had some time there last year and
sophomore Joe Vanderbur. Blankman will likely start at one of the
halfback spots along side Quentin Wells or Aaron Hoeing who will
not play in the Marsh Invitational game because of an injury. At fullback
will be big Chris Denton who will be larger than most of the offensive
linemen playing in front of him.
That line will consist of five upperclassmen but just two seniors -
center George Meyer and Joe Rosfeld. Jon Cunnington, Dallas
Colley and Jacob Evans are slotted to start on the line but they are
being pressured by juniors Luke Schmidt and Isaac French and
sophomore Steve Adams. Adams is the biggest of the candidates at
6 feet, 4 inches and 265 pounds. With the exception of Cunnington
and Schmidt, all of the other players are cut from about the same
mold ranging in height from 5 feet 11 inches to six feet four inches
and weighing between 210 and 215 pounds.
The Pirates offense will likely not surprise anyone. They will run the
option with the first read being to Denton. The second option is to
either halfback depending on which way the play is being run. A third
option will be a reverse to the opposite back. Any one of the four
backs may be called upon to run on any given play. When the Pirates
choose to pass, both Tuttle and Blankman have shown an ability to
get the ball to the intended targets, which will include Jacob Slusher,
Jay Meyer and Nick Booker.
Defensively the secondary will consist of some combination of
Blankman, Tuttle, Wells, Jacob Powers, Booker and Brett Caldwell
The linebacking corps will include Slusher, Jay Meyer, Andy Jobe
and Colley and the starting line will have Cunnington and
Rosfeld at the tackles and George Meyer and Nick Springmeyer at
the ends.
Coach Eric Schreiber sees his team as being competitive with the
principle challenge in the Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference
(EIAC) coming from a traditional foe, East Central. The primary
sectional foe will again be Indianapolis Chatard.
“We have a good group of seniors and expectations are high among
them,” Schreiber said. “We’ve been working hard and when you
work hard you can expect good things to happen.”

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