FOOTBALL 2024: Redskins will tackle tough schedule

PORT CLINTON — Port Clinton started the 2023 season with a pair of wins. Then things went downhill quickly. "We started off with Toledo Waite and Rossford and that's who our first two games are this year," third-year coach Eric Leuthold said. "We ended up getting wins, but then we ran into Oak Harbor. They're a pretty good team with a lot of good players and coaches. We ran into some tough opponents with our Lake crossover against Clyde and we played Liberty-Benton. We played some really good teams and we had a tough schedule." The schedule is pretty similar this season for the Redskins, who won't look past early-season games but hope to improve if the start is good. "Waite and Rossford will be challenges certainly in their own right," Leuthold said. "The goal is to look at each week and hopefully go 1-0. We hopefully won't look far beyond that first week. Hopefully we can start get things going once the season starts." Offense Five-foot-10, 165-pound Gabe Koskela is back to run the offense for the Redskins this season. As a junior, he completed 88-of-155 passes for 903 yards with seven touchdowns and eight interceptions. He ran a team-high 79 times for 311 yards and three TDs as well. "His sophomore year he was a receiver for us," Leuthold said. "Fortunately, he's back for us and has a year underneath his belt." The senior quarterback will work with a nice receiving group. Senior Josh Cornell (5-8, 140) led the team with 31 catches for 307 yards while senior Romney Turner (19-154, two TDs) is also back. The experience doesn't stop there as junior Malakii Pinkelton (14-132) and junior Wyatt Siefke (4-53-1) also made impacts last year for Port Clinton. Pinkelton also led the team with 358 yards rushing on 67 carries. "Receivers that stepped up last year for us were Romney Turner, Gavin Cornell, Wyatt Siefke and Josh Cornell," Leuthold said. "All four of those guys are back and it's a blessing. Malakii got a lot of reps as a sophomore at receiver and running back. He is back. We have a lot skilled guys that have played under the Friday night lights." Port Clinton's biggest loss is at offensive line, where the Redskins graduated four of five starters. The team averaged just 127 yards rushing per game, something that will almost certainly need to be improved if Port Clinton wants to take a step in the right direction."I don't think it is any secret that the game of football is won in the trenches," Leuthold said. "Aiden Haynes is the one lone returning letterman. He was a starter for us last year. We have guys like (senior) Griffin Nelson (5-11, 200), (senior) Carter Crum (5-8, 175), (sophomore) Julian Curry (6-1, 230), (junior) Caleb Spencer (6-1, 185), and (sophomore) Axel Blumensaadt (6-2, 245). All of those guys come to mind. "They've all had a very, very good summer. They've bought into the weight room throughout the course of the offseason and they've worked hard. They've grown in their role, but again, young and inexperienced." Defense There's no hiding the struggles the defense had for Port Clinton last year. The Redskins allowed at least 21 points in every game except the opener, a 47-0 shutout win. PC gave up at least 30 points seven times. "The offense and defense play off of each other," Leuthold said. "Our defense, I thought, stepped up at times last year and did a really, really good job for us. We kind of went back to the basics and focused on some of the techniques of tackling and the alignment stuff. We really tried to focus in on improving in that area and continuing to grow in that facet throughout the course of the offseason." The Redskins' top tackler from last year — Briar Rohrer (5-9, 155) with 82 tackles — is back as a senior. Dagan Meyers added 72 tackles and his four sacks paced Port Clinton, but he graduated. Josh Cornell is the top returner with 54 tackles and four interceptions while Siefke added 41 stops. "We moved Malakii from a linebacker position to a defensive end position," Leuthold said. "We have (junior) Trey Armendariz (5-8, 150) and he will see a lot of crucial reps on the defensive side. Another name that comes to mind on the defensive line is (senior) Steele Joseph (6-2, 180). He got injured in that Oak Harbor game last year. He had started to really turn it on after the Rossford game. I thought he was playing really well early. Unfortunately, he ended up getting an elbow injury and was out the rest of the season. He's back and I think he's had a really good offseason preparing for that role." Port Clinton forced just five fumbles as a team and recovered three. Pinkelton added two interceptions. "Gavin Cornell and Wyatt Siefke are playing some linebacker for us," Leuthold said. "Wyatt Yarbrough (6-2, 175) was a freshman that started at outside linebacker for us and he is back. He did a good job for us last year and he's continuing to improve throughout the course of the offseason." Even after Port Clinton gets through a tough non-league schedule that includes home contests against Oak Harbor and Sandusky and trips to Ottawa Hills and Clyde, the Redskins will be in the tough Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division. Heavyweights like Huron, Edison and Bellevue await. "It's tough to sit and guess where you end up, but there's a lot of tough opponents," Leuthold said. "Last year was Bellevue's first year in the Bay and they're always a tough program with great tradition. Edison won it and they did some really great things throughout the course of last year. Huron has a tradition of excellence. Vermilion is an up-and-coming program. I think they've grown each and every year underneath their coach. Our schedule is tough." The season is hard and the season is long. There's no gimmes on Port Clinton's schedule, so the Redskins will have to be ready to rock every single week. "Football is a marathon of sprints," Leuthold said. "Each week you have to reset and it's a new opponent and a new game plan. That's challenging itself and tough in that consistency to bring that effort, intensity, and focus each and every week. That's something we've tried to focus on in the course of our offseason as we've approached practices. We want to see consistenteffort in each and every phase of our practice or workouts." 2024 scheduleAug. 23: Toledo WaiteAug. 30: at RossfordSept. 6: Oak HarborSept. 13: at Ottawa HillsSept. 20: at ClydeSept. 27: HuronOct. 4: VermilionOct. 11: at EdisonOct. 18: at BellevueOct. 25: Sandusky 2023 results (3-7)Port Clinton 47, Toledo Waite 0Port Clinton, 52, Rossford 21Oak Harbor 42, Port Clinton 7Liberty-Benton 50, Port Clinton 14Clyde 34, Port Clinton 13Huron 38, Port Clinton 7Port Clinton 24, Vermilion 21Edison 30, Port Clinton 0Bellevue 30, Port Clinton 14Sandusky 37, Port Clinton 13 2024 rosterNo. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr.1 Gavin Cornell QB/DB 5-9 155 112 Gabe Koskela QB/DB 5-10 165 123 Malakii Pinkelton RB/LB 5-8 180 114 Romney Turner WR/DB 6-3 170 125 Wyatt Siefke TE/LB 6-2 190 116 Josh Cornell WR/DB 5-8 140 127 Aidan Miester WR/DB 5-11 140 108 Christian Miller WR/DB 5-6 145 99 Jace Cornell WR/LB 5-9 140 1010 Garrett Schuck WR/DB 5-4 115 911 Cole Bishop WR/DB 5-3 110 912 Brody Bollinger WR/DB 5-11 140 1014 Elliot Laird RB/LB 5-8 135 915 Beckett Mizener RB/LB 5-9 170 1016 Jonny Peck WR/DB 5-11 155 1117 Landon Leis QB/DB 6-1 190 918 Martez Wilson WR/DB 5-9 135 1019 Wyatt Yarbrough QB/DB 6-2 175 1020 Steele Joseph TE/LB 6-1 180 1221 Liam Johnson TE/LB 6-0 140 1022 Lucas Bodie WR/LB 5-9 150 1025 Boe Mominee K 5-11 160 1126 Payton Wadsworth WR/DB 5-1 105 933 Briar Rohrer RB/DB 5-9 155 1239 Adam Fitt K 5-8 140 1047 Ayden Kozlok WR/DB 6-0 150 1151 Cameron Borror OL/LB 5-7 130 1052 Tre Armendariz OL/DL 5-8 150 1154 Parker Howard OL/LB 5-8 150 955 Carter Crum OL/DL 5-8 175 1256 Caleb Spencer OL/DL 6-1 185 1159 Patrick McManus OL/DL 5-8 170 961 Zeke Iiams OL/DL 5-11 245 1162 Griffin Nelson OL/DL 5-11 200 1264 Shadon Pollard OL/DL 5-7 170 1067 Eli Cuevas OL/DL 5-7 175 1070 Aidan Haynes OL/DL 6-2 195 1272 Axel Blumensaadt OL/DL 6-2 245 1074 Bryce Rich OL/DL 5-11 200 975 Zamari Knopp OL/DL 6-2 215 976 Brian Salyers OL/DL 6-0 310 978 Julian Curry OL/DL 6-1 230 1081 Thaddeus Wierzba TE/DL 6-2 150 9