Many of the key figures from that Falcon squad are gone. But that doesn’t mean Fenwick is going to lower the bar in 2016.
“I guess opponents would call it rebuilding,” fourth-year coach Joe Snively said. “We’re not rebuilding anything. We’re reloading with other players who’ve been in the same system doing the same things.
“Actually, there’s a little chip on their shoulder. I have it myself just for that fact that we’ve heard all the talk that we should be down and all those things. Our kids are not happy about that, but that’s OK. We like that chip on our shoulder, as many coaches do with their programs.
“I can’t speak for those teams back in the 70s, but this is probably the biggest target a Fenwick football team’s had on their back. That’s a compliment and a challenge at the same time. We’re not surprising anybody. People are going to come after us.”
The Falcons’ roster isn’t void of talent. Senior quarterback Alan Nix, senior offensive tackle Josh Berning and senior linebacker Sammy DeBiasi are among the returning starters from a team that lost 26 seniors.
Fenwick’s schedule continues to be rugged. The nonleague games are against Anderson, Mount Healthy and Lebanon, a Division I opponent that replaced D-IV Monroe this year.
“Things are going really well,” said Snively, who’s 25-9 at the FHS helm. “We just came off a great camp at Ohio Northern University. We have a great group of sophomores and juniors that are coming in and doing a great job. Four or five sophomores will probably play a lot of varsity.”
The senior and freshman groups are small, though Fenwick has a four-class roster around 75 players.
Among the newcomers is senior transfer Sam Simendinger from Mason, a promising offensive skill player and safety. Senior safety Dominic Wyatt, a Falcon lacrosse player who wasn’t a member of the football team in 2015, should also help.
Fenwick’s two scrimmages are set for 10 a.m. on Aug. 13 (on the road against St. Xavier’s “B” team) and 7 p.m. on Aug. 19 (at home against Thurgood Marshall).
The Falcons lost two coaches — Jeff Gephart and Tim Edwards, who died in May — and added one in Patrick Poplis. He will coach halfbacks.
Snively has a full plate as head coach, defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach. He’s also helping Rob Lauer with the offensive line.
“We don’t talk about winning state championships,” Snively said. “We didn’t do that last year, and I don’t want to do it now. We’ve been really pushing hard on the kids to quit thinking about that kind of stuff. Our focus all year is to win today. Win this practice, win this lift, win this drill. All the other stuff will happen because you’re doing that.”
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