By John Raffel
Ithaca’s impressive sophomore class of 2013 now figures to be an extraordinary collection of juniors in 2014, one that will be heavily counted upon in the Yellowjackets’ drive for a fifth straight state title.
“They’re a special group of individuals,” coach Terry Hessbrook said. “We had nine of those guys up last year on the varsity. Not all of them were starters. We anticipated a small senior class this year, so we brought all those sophomores up last year and they got to play in a lot of games.”
Ithaca only has five seniors on this year’s roster.
“The thing that makes [the juniors] so special is their work ethic,” Hessbrook said. “They do not shy away from hard work whatsoever. When you combine that with a talented group of kids, then you know you’re going to have success.”
The juniors are expected to see plenty of playing time this fall. Those who saw starting or extensive action last season as sophomores were running back/linebacker Aaron Barnes, linebacker/wide receiver Jace Demenov, defensive lineman/wide receiver Jonah Loomis, quarterback/wide receiver/defensive back Jacob Smith, and two-way linemen Kurtis Ackels and Derek Teed.
Other sophomores last season were wide receivers and defensive backs Ryan Buckley, Spence DeMull, and Tyler Spitzley.
“Those other three guys saw a significant amount of playing time in big games,” Hessbrook added. “Tyler Spitzley was not a starter but saw action in the state championship game.”
That strategy, Hessbrook is confident, can pay off this season. “Any time you bring those kids up, and they have a chance to practice every day against the quality of players we had last year, that helps them improve,” Hessbrook said. “They had a chance to play 14 games last year. This is the fifth year in a row we’ve had four or five extra weeks of practice. I think that’s huge. We bring all those younger players up, and they all get to be a part of what the playoff experience is like. They get a taste of it. It’s a huge advantage.
“We’ve seen tremendous improvement in sophomores that we had up that weren’t necessarily starters, but they were with us in practices all year and got to play in games.”
It was important for Hessbrook, as it is for any high school coach, to get the incoming juniors together with the other classes during the off-season.
“We had a great off-season,” he said. “We had tremendous attendance in the weight room and in our conditioning. They’ve done a fantastic job. I really don’t have any complaints about their work ethic. We’re just going to be young with only having five seniors.”
It’s as young a team as Ithaca has seen on the varsity level in a few years.
“Last year, we had 13 seniors, and there’s been a few years where we’ve had more,” Hessbrook said. “The differences for those nine kids is that it’s going to be like their senior year. They’ve already played 14 games. They have that chance to come back for their junior season and be like their senior season. And then they’re back next year. That’s a huge advantage for us.”