Bearkats kick off with reason for hope
Lorenzo Olguin leads the group, which includes Collin Reedy and Reed Evans.
“Those three guys right there are really going to anchor us,” Hallmark said.
Olguin, an all-district pick and team captain, reminds Hallmark of a smaller Ben Weaver in his style of play.
“He’s the smartest player on our team,” Hallmark said. “He’s probably going to go to Stanford or someplace like that, MIT. He’s a hard-nosed football player and a student of the game. He doesn’t take false steps.
“He’s a very sure tackler.”
Outside of the linebackers, Klein’s young on defense. The defensive line may have two sophomore starters and the secondary is equally inexperienced. Free safety Kyle Halliday is back after playing a handful of minutes last year.
“We’re just young and inexperienced, and we don’t have a lot of team size,” Hallmark said. “We run pretty well, but you worry about our league being so physical, and how good everybody is. It’s just going to be tough every week. We’ve just got to play hard and hope we don’t get all beat up again.”
The Bearkats’ quarterbacks didn’t survive the pounding last seaosn.
Kevin Roliard broke a bone in his throwing hand and Mac Odom injured his shoulder, forcing Nick Kohler into action.
Kohler started against Klein Oak and Westfield, showing good leadership in his opportunities.
“The kids really like him,” Hallmark said. “They have a lot of confidence in him when he’s back there, and that is very important. He’s very smart and he knows what we want on the field as coaches.”
Guard Wesley Black and John West, who is moving from left tackle to center, spearhead an experience offensive line. Tight end Thomas Reynolds also returns.
“Those guys are usually super intelligent kids who are football savvy, so we really like the way they’re coming together,” Hallmark said. “We just don’t have a lot of depth there. We’re really only about six deep right now, who can play at the varsity level, so we’ve got to develop, and we’re probably going to play kids both ways.”
Hallmark’s especially accepted about wide receiver Austin Trammell and Colton Chelootz.
Trammell is a capable returner who also earned all-district honors at corner, and Chelootz is a promising sophomore talent who also will return kicks.
Sophomore Abbett Garrett highlights what Hallmark expects to be a running back by committee.
Garrett’s a 6-0, 170-pound back with inside-out ability.
“He’s a good running back,” Hallmark said. “He’s a real tall, rangy runner, but he has good acceleration and he’s a lot stronger than he looks. He looks thin but he’s got tremendous strength. He runs real hard and he’s fast.”
Klein scrimmages Jersey Village at 8:30 a.m. Friday at home.
“We’ve got a long way to go but I think it will come together just fine,” Hallmark said. “We’ve just got to stay healthy and be lucky.