MASCOUTAH -- As good a receiver as Matt Milton was last season, first-year Mascoutah coach Scott Battas believes the best is yet to come for the Tennessee recruit.
"He would touch the ball three times a game," said Battas, 29, an assistant at Mascoutah the last two seasons under Terry Moeller. "Think about if he had touched the ball six times a game, what his numbers could have been. He's a special kid, but we just didn't get him the ball that much."
Count on that to change. With the graduation of running back Melvin Banks, the 6-foot-6, 212-pound Milton --who recently chose Tennessee over several other big-time programs --will be the centerpiece of the Indians' offense and public enemy No. 1 of every opposing defense.
Milton's presence alone, said Battas, will open the door for a couple of unheralded players to be candidates for the all-Mississippi Valley Conference team.
"He's going to have to carry the weight when we need a big play," Battas said. "He's going to be the focal point of a lot of defenses, and we're going to have to use that to our advantage to get other people the ball."
Milton caught 40 passes for 797 yards and five touchdowns last season as Mascoutah finished 8-4 and reached the quarterfinals of the Class 4A playoffs. He covers 40 yards in 4.5 seconds, which gives him the ability to get behind the secondary or catch the ball underneath and blow by defenders. On defense, Milton had 45 tackles and four sacks at end.
"We'll use him all over the field as far as the receiver spots," Battas said. "We'll use him in the slot, we'll use him out wide, we'll put him at the flex end. Our offense is designed to be able to get him the ball in a lot of different places."
Jacob Gruber, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound junior, takes over at quarterback for Austin Givens, who graduated. Battas said Gruber should gain confidence rapidly, knowing he won't have to make perfect throws to hook up with Milton.
"He's a deceptively athletic kid," Battas said of Gruber. "He's got a nice arm, he's a strong kid and he understands the position. He's more of a pocket-type quarterback, although if he gets out, he can do some damage with his feet."
Junior Rodney Montgomery (5-7, 140) takes over for Banks at tailback. Montgomery is not related to Chris Montgomery, who graduated in 2008.
"He's a scat-type back," Battas said. "He has the gift of finding the seam and going. He doesn't need much daylight. He reminds me a lot of Chris Montgomery. He's a lighter guy on his feet, but he knows when to hit the hole and he knows when to get his hand on the back of a tackle and ride him through the hole.
"He's a little guy, and we're putting him into a conference that has some good players on defense. He's going to get banged around a little bit, but he's shown no signs of backing off from anybody."
Juniors Mike Graf (5-10, 195) and Joe Belsom (5-10, 190) will split time at fullback. Seniors Trent Hujler (6-2, 190) and Brett Bowman (5-10, 170) are receivers.
Battas likes his offensive line, which includes junior left tackle Cody Brooks (6-1, 212), senior right guard Allen Horowitz (5-11, 205), senior right tackle Stephen Carberry (6-6, 265) and junior left guard Lawrence Bass (6-2, 265). Senior Tim Chapman (5-10, 270) has the inside track on the center spot, with junior Frank Campbell (6-2, 245) providing depth.
"Bass is a beast," Battas said. "He's really going to be a special player."
The Indians have eight experienced players returning on defense, with Milton and senior linebacker Logan Wager (6-2, 205) leading the way.
Bass, Carberry and senior Scott Moyers (5-10, 255) join Milton on the line, along with Campbell. Brooks, Graf, Belsom, Bowman, Wager and junior Mark Spyker (5-10, 185) give the Indians plenty of depth at linebacker.
Hujler at strong safety and senior B.J. Witts (6-1, 190) at cornerback are Mascoutah's top players in the secondary.
Battas said the Indians have enough talent to reach the playoffs again.
"There's not a game on the schedule we can't win," he said. "But there are some games on there that if we don't buckle it up and bring the wood, we're going to get ourselves beat."
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