Bellevue will set tone at line of scrimmage

BELLEVUE — Bellevue lost just one game last season and returns 16 starters, including a bunch of talented seniors. Veteran coach Ed Nasonti, who is in his 31st season leading the Redmen, preaches team first and his system has yielded results. Bellevue has won 72 percent of its games under Nasonti and has finished no worse than third place in conference play in the last 18 years. "I love our kids; we're about the team," Nasonti said. "I don't think year in and year out we have kids that are talented off the charts. We have to play as a team. We got kids that don't particularly run real well, who aren't particularly big or strong, but they're coachable and care. "When you got everybody who understands what a team is, you can play at another level. It's about kids who get it. It's bigger than them; it's about the team." Click here for the Sandusky Register's full high school football preview coverage It's also about the quarterback. Bellevue returns plenty of talent, but Keegan Ray is now at Tiffin University. Ray, the SBC Lake Division's Most Outstanding Performer last year, piled up 2,537 total yards and 27 touchdowns as the QB for an 8-1 team that lost only to state champion Van Wert in the playoffs. Stepping into that key role will be hard-nosed sophomore Jax LaPata, or talented junior Deegan Horn. Whoever takes snaps from senior center Lincoln Claus, one of Bellevue's three returning first-team All-SBC Lake Division picks, will run the ball a lot. Maybe not as much as Ray did (he averaged 30 carries per game), but a lot. "Jax could get the ball 40 times, the quarterback position could get it 40 times, based on the defense," Nasonti said. "He got a ton of backup reps (last year). I like his moxie, his demeanor, his work ethic." The Redmen open the season at Port Clinton and have three nonconference home games before the Lake Division schedule kicks in. Bellevue's home opener is August 27 against Edison. "We're excited, especially when you have kids who can hit the ground running with the experience we have," Nasonti said. "But we also know a lot of the teams we played last year are in the same boat. Tiffin has a lot of guys coming back off a final four team. Norwalk has a lot of guys coming back, Clyde has a lot of guys coming back. "We know that it's going to be very competitive." Offense LaPata carried the football just seven times last season, but Nasonti said his young QB is ready to step into the spotlight. "Jax is an outstanding all-around athlete; he's very competitive," Nasonti said. "We know as with any sophomore quarterback there will be some growing pains, but we're happy with his progress. We had growing pains with Keegan as a sophomore, but it pays off in the end." Horn, who caught 11 passes last year, will start at tailback and could spell LaPata at quarterback. Track speedster Will Hager and Nic Missler, who was a wrecking ball at defensive end last year, also factor into the backfield plans. "Will Hager is the kind of kid who can take it to the house if he gets out in the open," Nasonti said. "There are very few guys in the conference who can catch him." Preston Ray, who led the Redmen with 17 receptions last year, will be one of the top wide receivers, along with Tyler Ray. Missler, Mason Bova and Cole Beltran will be doing a lot of blocking from the H-back position and Bova and Mason Treat are the top tight ends. One luxury LaPata will enjoy is a big, seasoned offensive line that includes four seniors: left tackle Evan Straub, left guard Brock Nunez, center Lincoln Claus and right tackle Hayden Bricker. Junior Zayne Claus will start at right guard. Those five tip the scales at an average of 250 pounds. Straub joined Lincoln Claus on the Lake first team while Nunez made the second team before a fine season on the wrestling mat. "We try to be balanced; we don't go into a Friday night thinking we are going to be quarterback run-heavy tonight," Nasonti said. "It just depends on how people play us. How they perceive they need to stop us is going to dictate what we run." Defense Bellevue's defense was stingy last season, giving up only 20 total points in the first quarter and holding Lake Division opponents to an average of 9.4 points per game. The most eye-popping stat: The Redmen gave up just seven total points in the second half in five division games. The Redmen have the nucleus to build another strong unit, despite the graduation of All-Ohio defensive end Collin Corapi and first-team Lake linebackers Justin Mayes and Grant Nichols. First-team defensive back Max Ray transferred to Tiffin Columbian. Missler, an athletic defensive end who led Bellevue with 72 tackles and seven quarterback sacks last year, anchors a strong line. Treat will start at the other end with Straub and Brickner at the tackles. Bova was the team's second-leading tackler last year with 63 stops. He returns at linebacker. Justin Smythe, a first-year senior starter and another standout wrestler, also will start at linebacker along with LaPata. Domanick Zahel also could figure into the linebacker rotation. "It's been awhile since we've let our quarterbacks get some defensive reps, but that tells you what kind of physicality he has," Nasonti said of playing LaPata on both sides of the ball. The secondary is led by cornerbacks Preston (3 interceptions) and Tyler Ray. Hager and Mason Miller also will get reps. Horn and Jakob Hrynciw will play free safety and Carter LaPata starts at rover. Bellevue will approach this season with its usual swagger, something that has been earned through the years. Nasonti, who will be inducted into the Ohio High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame next year, has a 238-94 record leading the Redmen and sets the tone. "The biggest thing we tell our kids is don't get wrapped up with any accolades people are talking about, or last year. It doesn't mean anything except the fact that we have a big bull's eye on our back," he said. "You gotta be ready mentally and physically. "The biggest thing I talk to our kids about is 'be where your feet are.' That means let's focus on what we can control right now." ------ 2021 schedule Aug. 20: at Port Clinton, 7 p.m. Aug. 27: Edison, 7 p.m. Sept. 3: Shelby, 7 p.m. Sept. 10: at Clear Fork, 7 p.m. Sept. 17: Toledo Start, 7 p.m. Sept. 24: Norwalk, 7 p.m. Oct. 1: at Perkins, 7 p.m. Oct. 8: at Columbian, 7 p.m. Oct. 15: Sandusky, 7 p.m. Oct. 22: at Clyde, 7 p.m. ----- 2020 results (8-1) Bellevue 14, Oak Harbor 7 Bellevue 20, Norwalk 6 Bellevue 28, Perkins 14 Bellevue 20, Columbian 13 Bellevue 38, Sandusky 7 Bellevue 16, Clyde 7 Playoffs Bellevue 34, Galion 9 Bellevue 56, Kenton 15 Van Wert 41, Bellevue 22 ----- 2021 roster No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. 1 Nolan Smith RB/LB 5-10 155 9 2 Nick Missler RB/DL 6-0 195 12 3 Nicklas Baker WR/DB 6-1 165 12 4 Ethan Mohr WR/DL 6-5 175 12 5 Domanick Zahel QB/DB 5-11 160 11 6 Joel Ray WR/DB 5-7 130 9 7 Ashton Martin WR/DB 6-3 170 10 8 Cole Beltran RB/LB 5-10 175 11 9 Dawson Hundley WR/DB 5-6 125 10 10 Tyler Ray WR/DB 5-10 148 11 11 Deegan Horn QB/DB 5-11 180 11 12 Sebastian Silcox WR/LB 5-7 130 9 13 Dustin Phelps TE/LB 5-9 159 9 14 Jackson Margin WR/DB 6-1 155 10 15 Clayton Alley RB/LB 5-5 140 11 16 Preston Ray WR/DB 5-11 153 12 17 Dylan Barger WR/DB 5-10 137 10 18 Jax LaPata WR/DB 5-9 148 10 19 Jakob Hrynciw WR/DB 5-8 152 12 20 Carter LaPata WR/DB 5-8 145 12 21 Seth Bova RB/LB 5-6 140 10 22 Will Hager WR/DB 5-9 150 12 23 Logan Hartley WR/DB 6-0 150 10 24 Mason Miller RB/DB 5-8 170 12 25 Aaron Chase WR/DB 6-0 135 12 26 Caleb Stover WR/DB 5-8 155 11 27 Chase Taylor WR/DB 5-8 165 11 28 Justin Smythe RB/LB 6-0 165 12 29 Michael Gardner WR/LB 6-0 147 11 30 Tate Corapi WR/DB 6-2 165 10 32 Wyatt Sumser WR/DB 5-4 95 10 33 Mitchell McMurray RB/LB 5-6 145 9 34 Kaden Cramer RB/DB 5-8 160 9 35 Carson McKenzie WR/DL 6-0 175 10 36 Dorian Silcox RB/LB 5-5 150 10 37 Camden Thompson RB/LB 5-11 143 10 38 Blake Shepherd WR/LB 5-8 155 9 39 Mason Bova TE/LB 5-8 203 12 40 Christopher McCormack TE/DL 5-11 185 12 41 Mason Treat RB/DL 6-2 220 12 42 Brody Horn RB/LB 5-6 155 9 43 Ethan Morrison RB/LB 5-8 136 12 44 Kollen McLaughlin TE/DL 5-5 135 9 45 Haydn Sartor TE/DL 5-5 135 9 47 Andrew Schaffer TE/LB 5-10 150 11 48 Christopher Bauer TE/DL 6-1 180 11 49 Carter Ruffing TE/DL 5-10 160 11 50 Zayne Claus OL/DL 6-2 230 11 51 Donovan Bollenbacher OL/DL 6-0 240 10 52 Lincoln Claus OL/DL 6-0 235 12 53 Evan Straub OL/DL 6-2 230 12 54 Bladen Linkey OL/DL 5-10 220 10 55 Garrett Saleski OL/LB 5-9 191 11 56 Jonathan Zilch OL/DL 5-4 240 9 58 Gabriel Silcox OL/DL 5-7 218 9 61 Dylan Burt OL/DL 5-9 205 10 62 Bryan Boothe TE/DL 5-9 170 10 64 Noah Stewart OL/DL 5-3 145 9 65 Nathanial Jarrett OL/DL 6-3 285 11 66 Trenton Kubach OL/DL 6-2 310 9 67 Talon Mason OL/DL 6-5 260 10 68 Gavin Keller OL/DL 6-1 183 11 69 Nickolas Vollmar OL/DL 5-8 200 9 70 Jamison Brown OL/DL 6-2 280 11 72 Brock Nunez OL/DL 6-1 284 12 73 Caidyn Nunez OL/DL 6-0 246 10 74 Chase Brumbaugh OL/DL 6-3 325 11 75 Ethan Chapman OL/DL 6-3 225 9 76 Hayden Bricker OL/DL 6-2 270 12 77 Brayden Baughn OL/DL 5-11 20 9 80 Mason Flicker QB/DB 5-8 134 9 81 Ethan Smith WR/LB 6-0 150 9 82 Caleb Treat WR/DB 5-5 130 9 83 Jeremiah Hash WR/DB 5-7 125 9 84 Bryson Cruz WR/DB 5-10 140 10 85 Cooper Moyer WR/DB 5-10 138 9 86 Cole Gerhardstein WR/DB 5-10 140 9 87 Joseph Bailey WR/DB 5-9 128 9 88 Isaac Lorow WR/DB 5-9 133 10 89 Layne Begley WR/DB 5-3 106 9