Friday, Aug. 28, 2009

COLLLINSVILLE: Kahoks looking to get out of SWC basement this season

COLLINSVILLE -- It was a season of progress for the Collinsville Kahoks in 2008, but in a bottom-line business when victories are what matter the most, it wasn't nearly enough.

The Kahoks had two of the most exciting players in the area in quarterback Jevon Hawkins and receiver Andre Borney and, along with Edwardsville, had the second-most productive offense in the Southwestern Conference with 253 points.

Even with Hawkins and Borney, Collinsville finished 2-7 and missed the playoffs for the 10th consecutive year. Once again, defense was the downfall. The Kahoks surrendered a league-high 325 points, including 65 to East St. Louis, 54 to O'Fallon and 42 to Alton.

"In the negative aspect, we still just won two games," seventh-year Collinsville coach Mike Liljegren said. "But in the positive aspect, we could have very easily been 8-1 or 7-2. We lost a few games on the last play of the game. If we can just get over that hump, we're focused on being a playoff team. That's been the goal since I got here."

Hawkins passed for 1,995 yards and 15 touchdowns last year and rushed for 559 yards and 11 TDs. Borney had 65 receptions for 973 yards and nine TDs. Both graduated, leaving gaping holes at their respective positions.

But Liljegren said the Kahoks have found capable replacements. Austin Hails, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound junior, takes over at quarterback, while senior Chris Marshall becomes the featured receiver. Marshall, a 5-10, 190-pounder, had 26 catches for 484 yards and three touchdowns last year.

"I thought Borney was as good as anybody in the league," Liljegren said. "We see Marshall as being in that same category. He's an explosive kid."

Hails has only a couple of things in common with Hawkins.

"He's got a good arm and he's a smart kid. Those are two traits that Jevon had," Liljegren said. "But they're different types of physical players. Austin's a big, thick kid. Jevon wasn't. Jevon was a blazer. Austin's not slow, but I wouldn't say he was a blazer, either. He's not going to run around like Jevon, but he'll scramble when he has to. He plays basketball and baseball, too, so he's athletic."

The Kahoks' best player is expected to be senior safety Georg Boddie (5-10, 210). Last year, Boddie led Collinsville with 134 tackles, 54 more than the Kahoks' second-leading tackler.

"Smart, dedicated, the hardest worker we've got, strong, fast," Liljegren said. "He could be our every-down tailback, but we need him on the defensive side of the ball. We're going to play him at safety, but it's a glorified linebacker. He's athletic enough and fast enough that he can play that."

Boddie will be the focal point of a defense that must show dramatic improvement.

"We think we're going to be vastly improved on defense, with one caveat: We're going to have four sophomore starters," Liljegren said. "That's a good thing because they're pretty good football players. But they're still going to be sophomores."

The sophomore starters will be Luke Stewart or Erik Brown at end, Charles Miller at linebacker, Cole Newingham at linebacker and Gus Wellmaker at cornerback.

Other players on defense include senior Matt Reichert (6-3, 215) at end, junior Jared Blaylock (6-0, 285) at tackle, senior Dan Mueller (6-1, 225) at tackle, junior Brady Hails at linebacker, senior Alex Schimpf at safety and junior Chris Tidwell at cornerback.

Collinsville's offensive line should be a strength, as four starters return in senior left tackle Nate Rawdon (6-2, 190), senior center Stephen Bennett (6-0, 220), senior right guard Leonard Ramirez (5-10, 240), and senior right tackle Anthony Womack (6-1, 185). Junior Alex Ramatowski (6-3, 250) and senior Eduardo Oseguera (6-0, 210) were battling for the left-guard spot late in camp.

"They're not big, huge, strong kids that are going to come out and knock people 5 yards off the ball like you're going to see from Belleville East and East St. Louis and even Granite and Edwardsville. That's not the type of kids they are," Liljegren said. "But they're very smart and experienced."

Tidwell, Wellmaker and Tre Lewis, a junior, will join Marshall as wideouts. Senior Paul Henderson is a tight end.

Boddie will see limited action at running back, where most of the work will be absorbed by the 6-2, 205-pound Miller, 5-9, 180-pound Schimpf and junior James Wellmaker, who transferred from Madison before the start of last season.