Printer Friendly Version - Guilford Football Ready For its Season of Change

After rushing for more 1,000 yards last season as the signal caller for Guilford football, senior tri-captain and quarterback Jack Jankura looks to lead the Indians in new Head Coach Mike Eagle’s spread offense this fall.

It’s the dawn of a new day for coaches and players alike in the Guilford football program and both parties have the Indians on the fast track toward becoming an emerging upstart squad in SCC Division II.

Former Morgan Head Coach Mike Eagle brings his spread offense to Guilford in his first campaign wearing an Indians’ headset after piloting the Huskies to the Class S State Playoffs in 2013 and an 8-3 record last fall. As Guilford welcomes several veterans back to the gridiron in the midst of a learning process with its new leader, Eagle said the Indians are gliding right through it by taking a piecemeal approach.

“We just continue what we’ve been doing and doing it one day at a time and just look to get better every day. There are going to be mistakes, but we will try to limit them as time goes on,” said Eagle. “I don’t like setting long-term goals because it is a crazy type of sport, yet the only way to get to the playoffs is to take it day by day and win practices. It’s a process for all of us, but the goal is to get better every day.”

Leading the way on the turf for Guilford, which went 2-9 in last season, will be three senior captains in quarterback Jack Jankura (who for 1,002 yards in his first year under center in 2014), inside linebacker/running back Nick Russello, (58 tackles), and center/nose tackle Nick Moscato. Eagle said that each of the three has an uncanny ability to adrenalize their teammates.

“Jack is learning the scheme on offense now and I’m expecting him to be the field general on offense and make the team go. I look for him to settle into the zone read and pose problems for others with his arm and legs. He is also a great competitor,” said Eagle. “Nick Russello is a very fiery guy and energetic. He takes over getting the team hyped up. He has great instincts in the box as a linebacker and has a quick first step. He’s also very aggressive and smart. Nick Moscato missed some time with a back injury, but he dedicated himself to getting healthy and is getting better with setting the pace each day and won’t get pushed back on the line. He’s more of a quiet leader, yet his actions speak for themselves, and he demands the respect of his teammates.”

In addition to some wideouts who Eagle feels have already improved by leaps and bounds in the preseason—such as Ben Fazzina—Guilford will deploy some other solid players on both ends of the ball, including fellow seniors in left guard Connor Peters, lineman Dan McCloskey, and running back/defensive back Mike Filley (499 rushing yards and 5 TDs on 66 carries). Three of the team’s key juniors are middle linebacker Jack Six (51 tackles), junior running back/outside linebacker Ben Currier, and senior free safety Casey Huffman (45 tackles).

“Our receivers are coming along really well. We are asking a lot of them to go from the triple option to the spread, but already in practice, they caught more balls than they did all of last year,” Eagle said. “Jack is very quick and athletic for a bigger kid. His motor never stops. He is quick to the ball and smart inside the box. Ben has a high motor and is very physical. Casey calls all the coverages and is an athletic kid that is not afraid to put his face into things. He’s also a slot receiver that can make big plays. Connor Peters came on about midway through last year and has really picked things up. He is an inspirational guy that always pushes himself and helps in the run game and with pass protection. Mike has great vision and feet and is very good in coverage in our defensive scheme. We look for Ben Fazzina to be a lockdown cornerback that can take away one-third to one-half of the field. He has great hands offensively. Dan is a very technical football player that has worked extremely hard in the offseason to prepare himself.”

While learning many new variables in such a short time frame, Guilford has made the most of it with some stellar showings in scrimmages. When looking at the scope of an entire regular season, Coach Eagle eyes the journey as one snap, one quarter, and one game at a time.

“The whole team is really starting to pick up our philosophy. The team is really only two weeks old, but they’ve limited mistakes. Against Weaver in a scrimmage, they took big steps. I was pleasantly surprised and the kids want to do even better, which is great to see,” Eagle said. “East Haven [Guilford’ first regular season contest on Friday, Sept. 11] is what we are worried about right now. We circle all 10 games on our schedule because they are all important. It has to be our attitude in a SCC with great coaches and teams.”

Eagle’s coaching staff is comprised of Tom Drew (offensive/defensive lines), Mike Aresimowicz (running backs/inside linebackers), Jon Reinecke (quarterbacks/outside linebackers), Chris Skaggs and Kyle Murphy (both wide receivers/defensive backs); Dan Hackett (quarterbacks/defensive backs); and Mike Eagle, Sr. (general manager/administrative assistant).