Head Coach: Doug Dinan (11th season)
2020 Schedule:
Aug. 21 at Luers
Aug. 28 Snider
Sep. 4 North Side
Sep. 11 at Northrop
Sep. 18 Dwenger
Sep. 25 South Side
Oct. 2 at Homestead
Oct. 9 Concordia
Oct. 16 at Wayne
Key Returning Starters:
QB Jeff Becker
WR Mason Englert
WR Boden Hite
OT/DT Reeve Muncy
MLB Liam Ottenweller
OLB/SS Tucker Steely
CB Cade Dinan
SS Hunter Mertz
Key Losses:
WR Layton Mitchell
OT Nathan Spade
DE Larry Sible
DB Lincoln Lantz
FS Ray Vollmer
K Trevor Horton
Carroll has finished with a winning record in 4 of their first 5 seasons in the SAC. They’ve managed to be very consistent, rarely losing to teams that a 6A school shouldn’t lose to. But there’s a problem. They haven’t been able to put together wins against the trio of Homestead, Dwenger, and Snider, going 1-4 against the big boys this past season. 1 victory is all the Chargers have been able to muster against those teams in a single season since joining the conference in 2015, going 5-15 against them overall. Not to mention, Carroll currently has a 6-game losing streak against their rival Homestead.
However, last season gave the Chargers a reason to believe that they can win the conference in 2020. They beat Snider in sectionals and could have had a chance to beat them in overtime earlier in the season as well, had it not been for a blocked PAT. They only lost to Dwenger by 3. And while a fantastic Homestead team blew out the Chargers twice, they were in one of those games, only trailing the Spartans 14-12 at halftime in their week 7 meeting. While last season should give the Chargers plenty of optimism, head coach Doug Dinan is quick to point out that all of that is in the past.
“We were pleased with the 2019 season,” Coach Dinan said. “Unfortunately that has no impact on today, no implication on the 2020 season. It’s a new group of kids and all of that is history. We look at that and remember 2019 fondly, but we work forward every day to the 2020 season.”
Much of the hype surrounding the 2020 Carroll Chargers has to do with their junior quarterback Jeff Becker. As a sophomore, Becker started every game, passing for 2,039 yds, rushing for 526 yds, and coming up with 26 total touchdowns. He did have trouble turning the ball over, having 12 interceptions and 5 fumbles, as well as with completing passes, with his completion percentage being at 52%. However, both will improve with him now having a season under his belt, making Becker an early favorite to get first team All-SAC honors.
“When you grow into being an upperclassman you start to understand the program more, leadership roles more,” Coach Dinan said of his QB. “I think that’s one of the biggest improvements we’ve seen in Jeff is his leadership skills. His ability continues to improve and we’re looking forward to great things out of him this year.”
Becker returns, but his top receiver from a year ago does not. WR Layton Mitchell (49 rec, 775 yds, 11 TD) carried much of the load in this offense as a star wideout, but with his graduation, receivers Mason Enlgert and Boden Hite will be two of the players that will be challenged with matching his production. Englert was second in receptions on the team last year with 32 for 511 yds and 3 TD, while Hite had 22 rec for 223 yds.
“Our receiving corps is talented,” Englert said. “Some younger receivers are going to step up, we have a lot of weapons.”
One of the weaker positions on last year’s team was at running back, with Becker not only being the leading passer, but the leading rusher as well. Last season, senior Evan Harris (510 yds, 5.2 yds/car) was the leading rusher, but his graduation means the Chargers will have to find a new starting running back, most likely with either Luke Carmody or A.J. Lazoff. Carmody has some experience running the ball, having 34 carries last season for 161 yards, while Lazoff only had 2 attempts on the year for 7 yds.
“They’re all working extremely hard,” Coach Dinan said of his running backs. “We want to be multi-dimensional, be able to run the ball and throw the ball equally. They’re all doing a great job of learning to be great running backs and great teammates.”
The defense last year experienced its ups and downs with a lot of young players, but the secondary in particular was great when they needed to be. And while Lincoln Lantz (53 tackles, 2 TFL, 3 INT) and Ray Vollmer (25 tackles, 8 PD, 3 INT) have moved on, Hunter Mertz and Cade Dinan do return in the secondary. Mertz had 55 tackles, 5 for a loss, and 4 deflections, while Dinan had 19 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 5 deflections.
“I love it, we’ve been with each other for a while,” Cade Dinan said of his fellow defensive backs. “We can communicate on the field and switch easily, so we know what we’re doing together.”
Another player to watch on defense will be junior Tucker Steely. Steely has been playing the rover position, a linebacker/safety hybrid position that allows the player to drop back into coverage on a pass while still providing help on a run play, where he made 39 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 3 pass deflections, and 3 interceptions a year ago. He’ll be joined by a more traditional linebacker, junior Liam Ottenweller, who made 22 tackles and 2 tackles for a loss last season and should see an increase in production now as an upperclassman.
All of this means that the time is now for the Chargers to have a big year. They have their quarterback and he has weapons at his disposal on offense. The defense, especially the DBs, have a lot of experience returning and will create a lot of turnovers. There are some possible problem areas however. The offensive line gave up 25 sacks in 2019, which isn’t awful, but not great either and losing one of their top linemen in Nathan Spade hurts in that regard. They’ll need someone to step up in his place and that will likely be up to the 6’4” 275 lb senior tackle Reeve Muncie. His size will be very important to this offensive line and he could pose a threat on the defensive line too. Overall, this is a very talented team, specifically at the skill positions, and an early favorite to win the conference.
“Every week in the SAC we’re going to have to play very good football if we’re going to compete,” Coach Dinan said.
The first game of the season is scheduled to be at Bishop Luers on Friday, August 21. It’s important to note that this will likely be the last season that Carroll plays at their current stadium. The school’s $23 million dollar project to upgrade their facilities, including a brand new football stadium, is already underway and set to be completed in the summer of 2021. The football stadium will have a capacity of 6,500 and will include an artificial playing surface.
