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Normal: Title? What title? Team seeks status quo
By Randy Kindred
rkindred@pantagraph.com
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NORMAL - There is no theme for Normal Community High School's football season. Coach Hud Venerable has not ordered team T-shirts with a catchy slogan. Forget "Back 2 Back" or "Instant Replay." | Photo gallery | 5 Things to Watch | Team facts

It is business as usual, and why not? Business has been outstanding.

The Ironmen were the Class 6A state runner-up in 2005. Last year, they took the next step, winning the 6A title with a 14-0 record.

As exciting as those seasons were, Venerable can say with confidence - and pride, actually - that "nothing's changed here."

"Our goals are the same, our focus is the same, it's the same work ethic I see every year," he said. "That has been the constant the last several years. I don't feel any different than I did last year or the year before, and I don't think they (the players) do either. We start all over again and go from there."

Venerable will let others speculate on how far these Ironmen can go, saying only, "I think we have a chance to be really good again."

So does senior Alex Buck, who cherishes last season, but has no interest in living off it.

"Last year was a great experience," Buck said. "We could get caught up in all of that, but we got our rings and we did what we had to do. Now, we're just trying to focus on this year."

Senior Dan Moore agreed, saying, "After two years of getting there (the state finals), you know what you're supposed to do. You know you have to work hard every day, from day one."

The Ironmen must overcome significant graduation losses, most notably quarterback Omar Clayton, receiver Marcus King and lineman Nick Price on offense, and linebackers Sam Smith and Jake Detmers and nose guard Kirkland Grant on defense.

Clayton was co-Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Year, and Smith the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Both were Illinois Coaches Association 6A all-staters. The rest were first-team all-Big 12, as were graduates Anthony Guevera (offensive line) and Max Bakana (kicker).

Only defensive back Joey Anderson returns from last year's Big 12 first team, but he is part of a 34-player senior class, the largest in Venerable's 14-year tenure.

Couple that with what Buck called "a great junior class," and another long playoff run is possible.

"They (the juniors) saw what happened last year," said senior Austin Davis. "They saw how close the team was, and that if we work hard at it, what can happen. They're ready."

Still ?

"We can't rest or take a day off," Davis said. "The target's on our back now. We have to come out strong every game, and every practice we have to come out with intensity and be ready to get better."

Davis is part of an impressive stable of running backs, joining seniors Moore, Anderson and Kennedy Freeman. Moore had team highs of 870 yards and 13 touchdowns last year, but Venerable looks at the group as "four starters for two spots."

"All four are probably going to be defensive starters, so it's nice to have that depth so we can platoon and have backfield by committee," he said.

The wealth of talent will allow Venerable to use speedy sophomore Travis Mullen as a wide receiver.

"He has lights-out speed," Davis said. "Let him go 1-on-1 out there, and most likely he'll win."

Junior Zach Johnson is expected to replace Clayton at quarterback, with Buck and senior Matt Lucie also in the mix. Buck is an experienced receiver, and junior Andrew Hamer is back at tight end.

He is on a line which returns senior starters Mark Steadman, Billy Dickson and Derek Logue. They will be joined by senior Mark Osnowitz and junior Brandon Caldwell.

"We're going to have some new starters offensively, but they are kids who performed well at the fresh-soph level or are seniors who didn't start as juniors," Venerable said. "Their time has come."

On defense, senior Jake Kretlow is the lone returning starting lineman and will move from tackle to nose guard. The deepest area is the secondary, where Anderson, Buck, Freeman, Moore and junior Chad Hinshaw have experience. The biggest change will see Davis move from defensive back to Detmers' outside linebacker spot.

"I like it a lot," Davis said. "I get to try to go after the quarterback sometimes, pin my ears back and blitz all-out."

He is on a defense Kretlow termed "resilient," adding, "We're a speedy team. We'll have 11 hats around the ball every play."

The defense will not have coordinator Terry McCombs, who retired after last season and has been replaced by former secondary coach Wes Temples. Also, John McIntyre retired as offensive line coach and has been succeeded by Alec Gordon, last year's sophomore line coach.

"They did such a good job of preparing the guys who took their place," Venerable said. "Even though they're not here in person, they're here in absentia because of the mentoring process."



A season to remember



To view a photo gallery of Normal Community's state championship winning performance, click here.

Take a look
From left, assistant coach Wes Temples and coach Hud Venerable, work with players Joey Anderson, Kenny Freeman (front), Danny Moore, Alex Buck and Austin Davis, during a recent practice. (Pantagraph/STEVE SMEDLEY)
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