SMALL TOWN TEAM, MORGAN MARAUDERS LOOK TO MAKE BIG
TIME IMPACT AT AA LEVEL
Team preview by: Jared Neumeier
MORGAN – Probably the best thing to have ever happened to the Morgan Marauders was the AAA/ AA split. This is a team that is tailor-made for AA competition.
Small town, small team (both in size and numbers), but a large love for the game of football… and some VERY talented local players to boot.
This is not to say that the Marauders could not beat a AAA level team, they came pretty close last season by storming out to a 19-0 lead over the Utah Wolverines before the Wolverines came back late to win 21-19. Certainly, there is no doubt that they are a quality AA level team.
Against other AA opponents last season, the Marauders beat the Muddogs and Scorpions and lost to the Vipers in the final game of the season, which was relatively meaningless by the time it was played.
I was able to see this team play their first game, last season against the Muddogs, which they won, by the way, 20-6. I remember thinking… “gee, with this Mitch Clark, this team is capable of winning A LOT of games!” Well, guess what? Mitch Clark gets injured early in the season, and even without Clark however, the Marauders had a very good inaugural season in the RMFL… but it coulda been better.
If nothing else, the return of Clark and a full AA schedule will keep this team in the hunt all season long, however, they have also added a true quarterback in Andrew “Drew” Olsen out of Roy High School. Olsen has great speed and a good arm and becomes yet another offensive weapon on this football team. They also picked up a little more offensive line size in Austin Rowser (6’3, 280), big by Marauder standards… average by league standards; however, Rowser will make a big impact with three true weapons operating out of the backfield.
Without some of the size that many of even the AA teams have, the Marauders will once again rely upon speed, athleticism and solid coaching to parlay themselves into a playoff spot in 2006. I’m really pretty impressed by the offense, but I also wonder what happened to defensive/offensive/kick return star, Joe Wiscombe from the Marauders roster. Joe was near the tops in the RMFL in interceptions last season with 6 and was the Marauders main special teams threat, garnering an All-star selection for his play. If his is not on the field, that would be one key loss for this team that cannot afford many of those.
If Clark stays healthy and Olsen performs and the defense plays big, this will be a playoff team in 2006. However, I wouldn’t be too quick to bet the farm on all three of those things all happening enough.
The Marauders are team you will love to watch, and root for. Small team, small town, big expectations.
Expectations which are just as likely as not… to come true.
KEY ADDITIONS:
Austin Rouser – Offensive Line
Andrew “Drew” Olsen – Quarterback
Zach Russell – Defensive Back
David Reese – Place kicker/wide receiver
OFFENSE:
Simply looking at the stats, one might wonder how the Morgan Marauders won 2 games in 2005. They finished 19th in both team offense and team defense out of 21 teams… more of a formula for a last place bottom-feeder than a team with real playoff possibilities heading in the final two weeks of the regular season. The answer might be as simple as that this team, the Marauders matched up and competed well against AA level teams… and were routed by bigger teams that had a much larger recruitment base. This Marauder offense is truly capable of exploding. The only true fault I can find, if you want to call it that, is lack of size on the offensive line. Adding quarterback Olsen to the backfield allows them to move Ben Wiscombe, who had to play quarterback much of last season, to the other running back spot with Mitch Clark. Wiscombe, actually set an RMFL passing record that will, in all likelihood, stand for all eternity, passing 30 times against the Colorado Scorpions… without completing a single pass! Any of the three Marauder backfield players can burn opposing defenses. I cannot emphasize enough, however, how dangerous Clark is, both as a runner and pass receiver. He is athletic, runs hard and breaks tackles. He will be a key to how far this offense takes the team. Split out wide will be James Morgan and Ronnie Wiggle again who will need to step up on ’06. Morgan was the second leading receiver on the team with only 129 yards on 5 receptions, Clark was first after playing in only 3-1/2 games. Newcomer, Blake Hawkes takes over at tight end and at 6’1, 225 pounds has the size to really help on run support as well as pass-catching responsibilities. The offensive line has been remodeled a bit from the 2005 version, which is a good thing, since the 2005 version finished 20th out of 21 teams, with weaknesses in run support (2.95 yard/carry average) and pass blocking (2.25 sacks per 15 pass attempts). This is why the addition of Rowser is such a good thing. For guys like Clark, Wiscombe and Olsen to “do their thing”, they will need better offensive line support. Rowser joins returning starters, Ashton Hoopes (6’3, 275) , the teams other quality big body and Tim Rhoades (6’3, 200) who also plays d-line, as well as other additions, Ian Feik (6’0, 270) and Robert Wadman (6’1, 205). The Marauders are also excited to pick up former Madison Lionz player, David Reese, to do their place-kicking. Reese, a Morgan High grad, will also factor into the wide receiver mix during the season. If the Marauder coaches have figured out how to use this line effectively AND keep their weapons on the field, this offense could really take off in 2006. Projected Offensive Rank: 8th.
DEFENSE:
Although the bad news for the Morgan defense is they were ranked 19th in team defense last season, the good news is there were two AA teams that were ranked worse, Bear River Valley (Brigham City in 2005) and Snake River. I suppose the other good news is that this is one of those teams whose numbers were skewed to the bad because of a particularly more difficult schedule. They played 5 current AAA teams to contribute to those high number, including the Rhino-Raiders. The offenses they see week in and week out this season should be a bit easier to contain. But then we are back to the bad news, what happened to Joe Wiscombe? The teams second leading tackler and interception leader in 2005 would be a big loss if he doesn’t play for the 2006 Marauders, although the Marauders are high on his replacement, newcomer, Zach Russell who the Marauders say has “a nose for the football and can blitz too”; Wiscombe cleats will be hard to fill. The defensive front, which was part of a respectable 19 sack output will include two-way playing, Blake Hawkes, JR Winn (6’0, 160), a smallish defensive lineman, but quick ala Troy Peterson of the Vipers/Pitbulls, Tyler Timothy (5’8, 190), and Tim Rhoades (6’3, 200 lbs) at the other defensive end position. Colby Ball, the teams defensive leader who lead the Marauders with 43 tackles, 3-1/2 sacks and an interception in 2005 is back to anchor the linebacking corps, along with Jason Ball who chipped in 35 tackles and 3-1/2 sacks himself , Chad Mikesell (7 tackles in ’05) and Mike Mellot (8 tackles in ’05). Brax Tomney, who was good for 35 tackles last season will also figure in to the Marauders front 7 as the team gets ready for a strong season. The defensive backfield will return Aaron Preece, the cornerback that was the teams third leading tackler in 2005. Preece also had 3 interceptions including one returned for a score. Ronnie Wiggle will play the other cornerback spot when he is not in at wide receiver and Zach Russell, will fill out Joe Wiscombe’s free safety spot and will be a big key in making this defense work. Ben Wiscombe, who also worked a lot on defense in 2005 should also factor in when needed, both as a linebacker or a defensive back when the Marauders, who will probably have to play plenty of 4-4 defenses to support an undersized defensive line, go to a 4 defensive back scheme. It will be interesting to see how this defense does against a bigger, run pounding football team. If this scrappy bunch can hold their own in those games, they have a legitimate shot at playing deep into June. Projected Defensive Ranking: 8th.
I INTANGIBLES AND COACHING:
Anyone that has not yet been to Morgan High School to see a football game is really missing out. I have to give a lot of credit to head coach, Ren Hoopes, and General Manager, Terry Allen, and their team for really knowing how to not only field a quality football team with class, but have a nice presentation around their games as well. The backdrop is spectacular and the atmosphere is wonderful. This well-coached, talented, young, albeit undersized team could be the “sleeper” pick of the pre-season as their one identified shortcoming isn’t nearly as much of a problem at the AA level. A team like this, from a small community such as Morgan will always be dangerous when they have as much talent as they do. The Madison Lionz, one of the AAA’s best teams year in and year out, also draw from very small player base and yet compete at a high level every year. Although the town of Morgan is actually smaller than the town of Rexburg, this team could pick up a little more size or simply compete at a high enough level at any time to take them to a championship. As an opposing coach, this team would worry me even more than some of the teams that I may personally rank higher. My rankings will keep the Marauders out of most of the AA’s immediate periscope, however, I will guarantee that these Marauders will be sitting with a playoff shot going into the final two weeks of the season.
OVERALL RANKING: 8th
