TVC West
Name: Merrill
Nickname: Vandals
Coach: Jeff Buckley
2012 record: 6-4
Players lost: Austin Coty, Cody Mellon, Dustin DeBeau
Players returning: Austin Glazier, Kyle Jugnitsch, Hunter DeBeau, Tom Siler
Coach’s comment: “We’re really excited. We’ve got five guys back on each side of the ball and two or three other kids coming back who saw a lot of playing time. We had a great summer, and the kids worked hard to get better. Attitudes have been fantastic, and coming in as a new coach, you’re not sure they’re going to accept you. We’ve made the playoffs 12 of the last 14 years, so for being a small school program, we’re awfully proud of that. Not too many small schools around the state can boast that accomplishment. But we’re not real deep, and injuries at one or two positions could put us in trouble. We’re a little thin at receiver and offensive line.”
Name: Michigan Lutheran Seminary
Nickname: Cardinals
Coach: Karl Schmugge
2012 record: 5-4
Players lost: Mike Greenwood, Stephen Dietrich, Andy Wall, Eli Van Sice
Players returning: Wyatt Towne, Nathaniel Schroeder, Ethan Doble, Caleb Selves
Coach’s comment: “I feel like we can take the next step and get back in the playoffs after coming so close last year. We’re hoping we built some momentum by ending last year on three-game win streak. We will be young with our junior class, but I think we’ll be more athletic this year. We were seven points away from being 7-2. We lost by five points to Valley Lutheran and two points to St. Charles, and those are two games that could have gone our way. We’re the smallest school in the conference, and we have to battle every night with the teams we have to play against.”
Name: Valley Lutheran
Nickname: Chargers
Coach: Randy Finney
2012 record: 6-4
Players lost: Travis Welch, Evan Howard, Christopher Deneen, Darien Benner, Jacob Kaufmann, Chad Jaskiewicz, Cody Rajewski
Players returning: Tim Ilpis, Logan Gatza, Royden Pett, Paul Schoenow, Justin Houthoofd, Royce Houthoofd, Ricky Butler
Coach’s comment: “It feels good [making the playoffs for the first time], but we have a complete rebuild right off the bat. We have to find out what we’re made of this year. I think we’ll be competitive at the very least. Last year we were a power running team, and this year we will throw a lot more. We have some good receivers, and that will become a good part of our arsenal. We lost both runners, and each went over 1,000 yards last year. We’d never had one go over 800 yards. We lost all six games to playoff teams two years ago, and all of our losses last year were to playoff teams. We’re not losing games that we shouldn’t lose.”
Name: Carrollton
Nickname: Cavaliers
Coach: Greg Wasmer
2012 record: 8-2
Players lost: Derrick Nash, Dom Williams
Players returning: Ishmail Rembert, Jacob Jolin, Glenn Washington, Austin Morley
Coach’s comment: “We lost 19 seniors from last year and have just nine seniors this year, but our goals never change year in and year out. We want to compete for a TVC championship. I hope the guys returning can carry the team early on while we develop some of our other players. They have big shoes to fill, and these kids understand what the expectations are.”
Name: Ithaca
Nickname: Yellowjackets
Coach: Terry Hessbrook
2012 record: 14-0
Players lost: Josh Capen, Mike Mallory, Bradley Martyn, Jordan Hessbrook, Tyler Gibson
Players returning: Travis Smith, Bryan Shaw, Logan Hessbrook, Eli Villalobos, Seth Capen, Jake Smith.
Noteworthy: The Yellowjackets have won 42 consecutive games dating back to November 20, 2009, when they lost to Montague in the state semifinals. Ithaca finished 11-2 that year, and after capturing three-straight Division 6 state titles, the program is 53-2 over the past four seasons.
Name: St. Charles
Nickname: Bulldogs
Coach: Jason Dinninger
2012 record: 3-6
Noteworthy: The Bulldogs were outscored 293-97 last year and suffered their first losing season in nine years. St. Charles hasn’t won the league title since 2007, when it finished 10-1.
Name: Breckenridge
Nickname: Huskies
Coach: Kris Robinson
2012 record: 1-8
Noteworthy: Robinson takes over a program that hasn’t had a winning season since 1997 and hasn’t reached the playoffs since 1993. The Huskies were outscored 348-84 last season with their lone victory a 36-22 win over St. Louis.
Name: St. Louis
Nickname: Sharks
Coach: Aaron Munderlough
2012 record: 0-9
Noteworthy: Munderlough takes over a St. Louis program that finished 0-9 last season. The Sharks were outscored 457-62. St. Louis has had one winning season since 1995 and just two winning seasons since 1990.