DAVID COOK
Sports Scene
Over the past few football seasons, Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart experienced plenty of success playing 8-man football. This year, the clock is turned back as the Irish are returning to 11-man football and are excited about the move.
“We’re excited,” said Sacred Heart coach Josh Wheaton. “It’s always been the goal ever since I took over the job three years ago. We had a five-year plan to bring back 11-man football. We needed to be at a certain number to be able to play 11-man and once we reached that number we decided to do it. We are a little bit below where we’d like to be but with the type of kids that we have we knew we were ready to make the move.”
The Irish have a solid core of veterans to lean on as they make the move to 11-man football. Sacred Heart is especially solid in the trenches led by senior two-way lineman Brendan Ervin (6-3, 305) who is stationed at left tackle on offense and defensive tackle on defense.
“I think that our offensive line is one of the best in Division 8,” Ervin said. “We have a lot of experience and a lot of size.”
Senior Caleb Strauch (6-1, 270) also returns to the lines and likes what he sees on the offensive side of the ball.
“We have a lot of strength up front,” Strauch said. “We like to run a lot of power on offense and I think we have one of the best running backs around.”
That running back is senior Teegan Duffy (5-9, 150). Duffy rushed for over 650 yards last season and with a big, powerful and experienced line paving the way an even more productive season is in the cards.
“I’m so confident in our guys up front,” Duffy said. “With the offensive line we have I can run for days. I’m hoping to get over 1,000 yards this season.”
Sacred Heart has a new face at quarterback but it’s a player familiar with the position. Junior Nathan Siler (6-3, 180) played tight end last season but played quarterback in the past and is looking forward to running the offense this season. Siler will also play cornerback on defense.
“Moving to quarterback will be an easy switch,” Siler said. “We have some nice athletes on offense and that will make it a smooth transition. With Teegan at running back and the line we have that will help out a lot.”
The Irish also have plenty of veterans returning at the receiver positions. Senior Brody Collin (5-9, 150) will be at wide receiver and cornerback. Sophomore Jacob Morrison (5-10, 155) is also at receiver and safety while freshman Leelynd Martinez (6-4, 190) is a wide receiver and linebacker.
The Irish also return starters in senior Nico Vasquez and juniors Levi Lynch and Marin Ite.
Newcomers looking to step up include juniors Hank MacDonald and Joey Endres, sophomore Zack Simon and freshmen Maxin Lynch and Walt MacDonald.
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