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| SportsMonday, August 27, 2007 11:26 PM CDT |
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ISU football preview: New LBs have big shoes to fill
NORMAL — They have watched as standout linebackers Boomer Grigsby, Cameron Siskowic and Kye Stewart have racked up tackle after tackle, ready to sprint onto the field if relief was needed even though it seldom was. They have labored on special teams, knowing that might be their only chance to make an impact on the game. The opportunity finally has arrived for Illinois State linebackers Bill Hronec and Pat Cucci. And how they handle the newfound responsibility will play a critical role in the Redbirds’ season. “They don’t have the fanfare, maybe not the pizzazz, of some of those guys,” ISU coach Denver Johnson said. “But they are good, solid players, leaders, the whole bit.” Hronec and Cucci arrived at ISU in 2004. Hronec contributed off the bench in his first season, while Cucci was redshirted. “We roomed together freshman and sophomore years. We’re great friends,” Hronec said. “We do little rituals together, little inside jokes.” A 6-foot-2, 225-pound senior, Hronec takes over the middle linebacker position vacated by Niall Campbell. “It feels great. It’s so much more exciting being the No. 1 guy, knowing you’re going to be out there starting,” said Hronec. “I’ll be trying to contribute as much as I can and make as many tackles as I can to help the team win.” A junior, the 6-1, 240-pound Cucci is battling a knee sprain but is expected to be in the lineup for Thursday’s 6:30 p.m. season opener against Drake at Hancock Stadium. He will man the outside linebacker position handled last season by Siskowic, the reigning Gateway Conference Defensive Player of the Year. “I’ve only had limited time playing behind Cameron and those guys,” said Cucci. “I just want to get out there and get that experience. I feel like I’m ready to go. We’ll see what (defensive coordinator) Coach (Galen) Scott thinks.” Cucci will be concentrating on consistent effort while on the field. “I need to work hard. My effort needs to get better,” he said. “I have to run to the ball every play, make sure I know what they are doing before they do it. I want to pretty much be on the ball every time.” The transition into additional playing time will be eased for Hronec and Cucci by the veteran presence of Stewart. “Playing with Kye makes everything a little easier,” Cucci said. “He makes everything look easy.” A returning all-Gateway performer, Stewart ranked second on the Redbirds and in the Gateway behind Siskowic last season with 126 tackles. “Once they get a little bit of game experience and get their feet wet, I think they will be all right,” Stewart said of his linebacker cohorts. “They are just as talented as the linebackers we’ve had in the past. They’re smart. They will catch on, pick up things and learn from their mistakes.” Ironically, Hronec and Cucci have each made one career start. That came last season at Kansas State when Campbell and Siskowic were late for a team bus to practice the day before the game. Get area high school sports scores and statistics at Varsity Sports. E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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