The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Offense on tap for JCU opener
Coach Rick Finotti has long loved the defensive side of the ball. But there might be no denying plenty of offense could be in the offing Sept. 4 at Don Shula Stadium.
Finotti’s Blue Streaks host Washington and Jefferson in a rare Top 20 out-of-conference showdown at 1 p.m. JCU is No. 11 in the D3football.com preseason Top 25 poll, and W&J is No. 19.
The teams feature of abundance of offense.
For JCU, the entire unit returns from the spring season, when it went 2-1 and averaged 30 points.
It’s led by Mentor grad Jake Floriea, who’s been the starting signal-caller since 2019. In 13 career starts, he’s thrown for 22 touchdowns and more than 2,300 yards. The fifth-year senior took advantage of an NCAA COVID-19 waiver granting players an extra year of eligibility.
He’s not the only one. Left tackle Blake Herideen is doing the same, and is a preseason All-America pick. Herideen will anchor the group up front, which also features guard Anthony Amato of Lake Catholic.
Floriea will have his choice of receivers, starting with Keyshwan Colmon, Devin Limerick, Kirtland grad Joey Torok and others. At running back, the 1-2 attack of Demerius Goodwin and Matthew Buser is solid. The tight end spot got a boost when 6-foot-5 Tadas Tatarunas of Mentor switched to the position from QB in preseason camp.
All of which has Floriea excited in more ways than one. The Sept. 4 opener marks the first time since 2019 the Blue Streaks will put on the pads for real in the fall. JCU played three games last spring, mostly in frigid March conditions.
Sept. 4 conditions are expected to be picture-perfect — sunny and in the 70s.
“First time in two years, real fans (in the stands), we’re in the fall, it’s normal football weather, normal football season,” said Floriea. “There will definitely be some emotions. Everyone is going to be juiced up … 75, perfect weather, can’t ask for anything else.”
At the end of 2019, the Blue Streaks lost both of their top assistants as Jeff Fink and Joe Schaefer stepped down as offensive and defensive coordinators. Schaefer is currently the DC at Youngstown State.
The loss of the 2020 fall season to the novel coronavirus pandemic allowed more time as Drew Nostrum and Jeff Long — who were promoted from within the staff as the new OC and DC, respectively — implemented their system in the spring.
Floriea and Co. are hoping a big payoff comes in 2021, starting Sept. 4.
“The spring season was huge for us,” said Floriea. “We’ve got new two new coordinators … getting their system in and getting everyone accustomed to it, that gives us a huge edge.”
Finotti hopes that is the case with his team, but more than anything he is as excited as anyone for a return of football in the fall.
“I’m just excited for the players,” said Finotti, who also had stints as St. Edward’s head coach — where he had two state titles — and at Michigan as an assistant to Jim Harbaugh. “For me, I’ve been doing this a while, but I tell the guys every year I make it like it’s my senior year. I try to put as much into that class while developing the young guys. But for (the seniors), it’s going to be so special.”
Washington and Jefferson also has plenty of offense, and showed it in the spring — going 3-1 and losing to Westminster in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference championship game.
The Presidents’ headliner on offense is wide receiver Andrew Wolf, a second-team preseason All-America pick by D3football.com. In 2018, Wolf lit up opponents for 79 catches, 1,339 yards and 21 touchdowns in 11 games. Injuries cost him most of the 2019 season, but he returned last spring and in four games had 32 receptions for 300 yards and five TDs.
Other top players on offense for W&J include running back Joey Koroly (290 yards, four TDs last spring) and quarterback Justin Heacock, who debuted as the team’s starter last spring and threw for 819 yards and 10 TDs in four games.