Veteran Players To Lead Pups Coach Don Anderson Hoping To Bring Inexperienced Depth To Competitive Level

Gonzaga Prep football

Gonzaga Prep’s football team faces a dilemma. The Bullpups return a group of superb players, a reason they’re among the league favorites.

They also lack the kind of depth that coach Don Anderson says breeds in-house competition and improvement.

“We have some seniors who are playing for a third year and are counting on them,” said Anderson. “But our style is two-platoon football, and we’ve been kind of hampered getting numbers on the field.”

The problem is a smaller-than-usual junior class. Gonzaga Prep’s turnout of seniors and sophomores is a different mix for Anderson.

This will be his last season of a quarter century of Greater Spokane League dominance. Gonzaga has won 14 league championships, finished lower than third just three times and reached the state finals five times, winning two titles.

“This is my last hurrah,” said Anderson. “The time has come. I want to enjoy everything that happened and have the energy to work in an unknown future.”

The Bullpups have a chance to make this year memorable.

Kevin O’Connell returns for his third season at quarterback.

“We expect a big year out of him,” said Anderson. “He’s a good, hard-nosed runner who has really improved his throwing.”

Guys who can catch the ball are wide receivers Shane Hartnett, Kelvin Bacon and Chris Shogan, tight ends Tony Valentine and Doug O’Coyne and back Damien Ramirez.

Also in the backfield will be Shane Wharton, who played defensive line last year out of necessity, and Brandon Kendall. All but Bacon and O’Coyne are seniors.

Senior Sean O’Connor, who played defense, and Zach Yarborough, who played tight end, are now in the offensive line, along with veteran Matt Betts, Dominic Severino, and junior center Tom Treloar. Others who will play are junior Ryan Gum, a starter last year, and John Blakesley.

Hartnett and Ramirez are two-way performers, both in the defensive backfield. They’ll be joined by returning starters Jeremy Rash and Tom Black, veteran Matt McIntyre, junior Garth Erickson and sophomore Matt Cronin.

Junior Kyle Gleason returns at linebacker, joined by seniors Kevin Cronin, Sean Thacker, junior Ryan Clifford and sophomore transfer Travis Pascoe.

Defensive linemen are former running back Nick Bliss, Chris Gum, Ben Coffman, newcomers sophomore Will Tombari, and juniors Mike Bradley and Eli Hansen.

“The seniors really have to improve initially without any real competition from the ranks,” said Anderson. “The next element is how soon the sophomores can come up to the level with which we can win.”

If everything falls in place for a team which plays Lewis and Clark tonight at 7:30 in Albi, Anderson’s career will have a happy ending.

, DataTimes