Lance Moler
The Edmond Sun
EDMOND —
Apparently, no one told Edmond North coach Jeremy Dombek this is supposed to be a rebuilding year.
The Huskies graduated nine offensive starters — rebuild, right?
What about the six gone on the defensive side?
With those now-college freshman on the field last year, the Huskies went 8-3 and made it to the playoffs in a tough 6A-2 district.
And after all that, returning running back Jared Benway is out indefinitely with a leg injury suffered during an intrasquad scrimmage.
Maybe no one tells Dombeck because he has been building for the past three seasons, building and rebuilding. And the brick and mortar he’s been using are this year’s seniors, juniors and sophomores whom he’s had on a chalk line in preparation for this 2010 season.
They’ve got the talent and the knowledge. Now they need the experience.
Experience like that found with senior quarterback Travis Townsend (6-0, 165 pounds), back from his junior year as a starter when he threw no interceptions in the first six games.
Townsend is smart, consistent and able to play mistake-free football. He demonstrated his courage by playing with a hurt ankle near the end of the season.
“When you have a guy coming back like that… and the game starts to slow down for him, you can tell the difference,” Dombek said.
Townsend will miss backfield companion Benway, but Texas move-in Jarion Tudman brings highly capable skill at running back. “It was a big blow losing Jared,” Dombek said. “Fortunately we’ve got a new player (Tudman) who people are going to hear a lot from… he’s got 4.4-speed and is explosive.”
The Husky faithful can expect to see the ball in the air more this year with an experienced QB and his multiple targets. Townsend distributed the football to eight different receivers during the Moore scrimmage, including classmate and returning starter DonQuay Hammons, showing depth in the hands department that North hasn’t seen.
Townsend will have the opportunity to find his receivers while behind his big offensive line. Averaging nearly 275 pounds across the front, the line returns three players from last year. Senior left guard Phillip White, (6-1, 270), senior right tackle Lex Rosson, (6-2, 256) and sophomore center Heath Newland, (6-2, 275) will be back with pass-blocker Cole Parsons and senior Parker Cobbs putting the finish on this cohesive unit. The unit has already shown they can own the line, averaging 5.6 yards per rushing play during their first scrimmage with Moore.
The defensive line has experience. Returning starter Brayden Prough will be in the middle of things and noseguard Evan Whitt played as much as anyone last year. “He’s very serviceable and hard to block,” Dombek said about the 5-foot-10-inch, 208-pound Whitt.
Ready to shake things up at the end is Kyle Ashenbrenner.
“He’s everything you want in a defensive end… he’s 6 foot 6, weighs 220 pounds, he’s real rangey and athletic,” Dombeck said. Keeping the other side of the line safe are senior Nick Washburn and lone junior James Duncun.
If offenses do make it past the D-line, they’ll run into a solid linebacking corps with three-year starter Ryan Adams’ nose on the ball.
“He’s just a solid, solid player,” Dombek said. “Just a tremendous player and leader.”
It doesn’t end with Adams. The Huskies go five-deep at linebacker with senior Drew Appleyard, junior Brynden Pitzer and hard-hitting sophomore middle linebacker Brock Byford leading a stable of upcoming talent.
“It’s just experience,” Dombek said. “The more they play, the better they’re going to get.”
Punter Camden Bohnert is back, who averaged 44 yards per punt last year, good enough for third in the state. Bohnert’s duties this year will keep him busy. He’s starting in the secondary, punting and place-kicking — and Dombek is hoping the junior will spend a lot of his time kicking off.
North will have plenty of competition to test their foundation, going up against always-tough teams including Lawton, Del City and crosstown rival Santa Fe.
Dombek has built a sturdy structure, now he gets to see if it will endure the upcoming storm in the form of District 6A-2.
The Huskies will start the season at Wantland Stadium against Southmoore Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. Week two finds them traveling to Choctaw, then coming home to a tough Memorial matchup at Wantland Stadium.
