Season-Opening Magic Almost Here for Red Devils
EUREKA – It's almost that magical time again. The time of fall when the crowd gets on its feet, the speakers boom and the sirens blare as the Red Devils come storming on to McKinzie Field for the first time of the season.
It's a time when anything seems possible, a time when all the excitement for what's to come reaches its peak.
Soon, everything that led up to the moment will transform and take the shape of a new product – and the players and coaches on the field and sideline will get to learn about what kind of team they are.
That's the time that 14th-year EC football head coach Kurt Barth will be anticipating and examining closely once it arrives.
"That first test is when you get out on a Saturday afternoon against an opponent where it means something – not a scrimmage or anything – and some things go wrong," said Barth, who is the winningest coach in the program's 119-year history with 64 wins. "How do those guys come together at that point? Do they stay together and keep working together, or do they separate a little bit?
"I think what any coach of any program looks for in Week 1 is, do your guys stay together when the tough times hit? That will be the big test for this group, and to this point, they've passed all the tests that have been in front of them."
For Eureka, that test will come against Nebraska Wesleyan on Saturday in a season-opening afternoon on the turf of McKinzie Field. Kickoff between the Red Devils and the Prairie Wolves is set for 1 p.m.
This fall, the Red Devils are looking to apply the lessons learned from a trying 2-8 2021 campaign and get back on the successful course that the program was on before the pandemic.
Barth is encouraged by what he has seen from this team so far. The key, he says, has been the emphasis and buy-in from the team and coaching staff on strengthening its culture and forging tight-knit bonds.
"Everything that could go wrong, did," Barth said of last year. "I think the big thing that allowed that to keep piling on was that we didn't have those relationships built that we normally have.
"That had to be a No. 1 fix for me – to get our guys into positions where they can grow together and become that close-knit group."
To be successful, the Red Devils can't just be a team of talented individuals that get along well; they have to be a team of talented individuals that know how to work together. It starts with a diverse group of returning leaders setting the standard.
Among them are a trio of fifth-year seniors who are looking to take advantage of their COVID season. Defensive end Bryson Smith returns with a new perspective and the same competitive fire after spending the summer interning with the Austin Peay State University football and strength and condition program.
Running back Peyton Doughty returns after a long road back from a serious injury three years ago, and Pierce Bradford returns as the vocal, high-energy leader of the Red Devils' receiving corps.
They're joined by a handful of third-year players who are sophomores on the field, but are working their way toward becoming steady veterans.
On the offensive line, there are highly-touted juniors Hugo Garza and Jake Benninger, and behind them, there is quarterback Lukas Tinkham, who started seven games under center last year. Another welcome returner who the Red Devils will be looking to as a key producer and leader is sophomore wide receiver Sebastian Hill.
The Red Devils' offensive line is a big group, with the majority weighing in at over 300 pounds. Benninger and Garza will be at left and right tackle, respectively, and Barth has high expectations for the juniors now that they are both coming into a season healthy.
"I thought they could be two of the best that I've had in my time coaching here, and really even in my time of being associated with this program," he said, "so I'm looking forward to seeing them take that step this year."
Junior Edgar Reyes earned the starting spot at center to fill the shoes of four-year starter Corbin Heiken. Sophomore Jeffrey Goble steps into the starting lineup at left guard after getting valuable experience as a freshman, and freshman Tanner Lasech will be the other starter at right guard, with fellow freshman DeAndre Reinhart also looking to be in the mix.
Tinkham, a junior who had an up-and-down seven-game run as QB1 last fall, knew the job was open coming into camp, and he did everything he could to earn it again. He was pushed by freshman newcomer Noah Berlett, as well as Andrew Petrilli and others.
Joining him in the backfield will be senior Ben Bernabei, the Red Devils starting fullback last year who carried the load at tailback at the end of the season. The All-Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Honorable Mention recipient will be joined by senior fullback/tight end Gabe Newlin and fullback/tailback Gabe Townsend. Barth said that Townsend came into camp playing with a newfound confidence and has been among the team's most improved players.
Doughty has had a strong camp and will have an opportunity to be the team's feature back. Angel Garcia, who previously played for Concordia Chicago in 2019, is a promising transfer addition, and Leetrez Smith and Glen Millsap add depth to the group.
At receiver, Bradford is working his way up the program record books. He ranks fourth all-time in program history with 17.1 yards per reception, is tied for fifth all-time in program history with 16 receiving touchdowns and is in the top 10 in program history in receiving yards with 1,279. Hill, meanwhile, is coming off an impressive freshman year in which he hauled in 40 receptions for 599 yards and scored seven touchdowns.
The duo is primed for another big year together, and they'll be supported by senior Kobe Newman and freshman Brock Pollitt. Caelan Webb, Andrew Payne, Austin Swiech and Ethan Keedy are all returners looking to contribute as well.
Defensively, the Red Devils have a good mix of returning and new talent.
On the line, they have a lot of experience. Senior Donovan Hathaway is coming back after a big season at defensive tackle last season, while Alexander Brittain is looking to regain the form at defensive end that made him NACC Freshman of the Year in 2019 after an injury-riddled 2021 campaign. Stepping in to join Smith, Brittain and Hathaway is senior Ben Wright, who has gone back and forth between the D-line and O-line, trying to crack into the lineup. Christian Miller will be another contributor at defensive end.
Senior Brendan Durr leads the linebacking corps. A four-year contributor, Barth describes Durr as the model of a student-athlete – 4.0 in the classroom, does everything the right way, one of the strongest guys in the weight room. Austin Hopkins is of the same mold. He has been a major contributor as a linebacker and secondary in the past and will be counted on to be a force alongside Durr.
The other starter will be promising Carthage transfer Chuck Weathersby. Returners Stefon Humphrey and Wyatt Perkins will factor in as well. Behind them, there's a solid group of freshmen, featuring Willie Cox, Chris Woods and Michael Webb.
The secondary is an area where the Red Devils had some issues last season and are looking for significant improvement. Nine of the 12 defensive backs in the unit are underclassmen.
The exceptions are Jack Arnett and Garrett Wayne, two upperclassmen who have racked up a lot of experience since spring 2021. Malik Jones is another junior with starting experience and sophomore Marcus Toussaint saw some time, too. After that, it's a slew of newcomers, with Taijuan Johnson and Kavion Nichols chief among them. Rob Jenkins, Andrew Peters II, Niyonkurur Rodrique and Jack Geraci have done well, too.
"We feel like we've got a better handle on that (the secondary), even though we're pretty young there," Barth said. "We feel that we've kind of got that corrected."
The Red Devils will also have stability in their kicking game, with the reliable Steven Bartkus and Sam Bartels returning at kicker and punter/kicker, respectively.
"We're better than when we were, no doubt about that," Barth said. "I don't know what that translates to until we get out on the field, but our guys have worked hard, they've done everything we've asked them to do. Now, that first test comes Saturday, and we've got to stay true to who we are, what we've been taught, what we've been working on. And, no matter what happens, staying the course within that."
