By John Raffel
Ithaca is again loaded with talented football players, and that includes Jace Demenov.
The Yellowjackets are coming off the end of their 69-game winning streak following the Divison 6 state title game loss to St. Mary Catholic Central.
“I thought we had a very good season,” Demenov said. “It didn’t end the way we wanted it to. But we had some really good wins in the playoffs. We had a good win against Millington and shut them out. It was a very exciting win against Madison Heights Madison. That was a great game to play and a great game to be a part of. The same with Boyne City.
“In the state finals, I felt we played our best. We didn’t lose because we weren’t trying. That’s for sure.”
Demenov was happy with his season. “Other than breaking my foot the last regular-season game and having to play with that during the playoffs, and I missed the first playoff game, that was a minor setback,” he said. “But I still had a great season.”
Demenov, who was special mention all state, is back to 100 percent health.
“The week after our season ended, we got the week off, and the week after that, most of us were back in the weight room,” Demenov said. “We worked to get strong. Once the spring game came around, we ran some routes and tossed the ball around. During summer, we got going and went through some 7-on-7s and did some conditioning. It doesn’t stop. We do football year round.”
Demenov, an inside linebacker, has played offensive line but has been moved to a tight end or fullback spot.
His role defensively “will be the same, other than now that I’m a senior, I’ll be in more of a leadership role,” he said. “Other than that, I’ll be in the same spot still calling most of the plays. I’ll just lead my defense.
“My strongest areas are reading blocks and getting to the ball. I really worked on my speed and agility over the off-season. I’ll be a lot faster. Working on finishing to the tackles is one of my biggest goals this year, being able to finish.”
On offense, Demenov is likely to be used for blocking purposes in various positions. “I can get out in space and block down field,” he said.
Demenov likes the makeup of this team. “I think we’ll make a good run for the state title,” he said. “We have a bigger senior class, a good-sized junor class, too. We’ll have more experience.”
The loss in the 2014 state final hurt, but Demenov said his teammates want to start another streak.’”Everyone knows what kind of talent we have coming back,” he said. “We’ll still get everyone’s best shot. We know the pressure is on.”