 |
| Returning All-American (#59) Tyler Steele will be a force for the Linfield Defense in 2012 |
Before the 2011 season kicked off, there were questions about how the ‘Cats would fill the void of departed 1st team All-American Eric Hedin, All-Region DT Paul Nishizaki, and solid vet DT Scotty Ray. The 2010 defensive line combined for 200 tackles, 76 tackles for loss, and 40 sacks. Those were some lofty numbers that were headed by Hedin’s video game-like line of 80 tackles, 36 tackles for loss, and 22 sacks. As you can see, the question about productivity of the ‘Cats defensive going in 2011 was legit.
How did the 2011 defensive front respond? Only with a total stat line of 188 tackles, 58.5 tackles for loss, and 43 sacks. Pretty stinking good if you ask me. It was another stand-out year for the “strongest link” as the ‘Cats were led by 2011 All-American Defensive Tackle Tyler Steele. Tyler had a breakout junior season for Linfield and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The DT was a force of nature as his combination of power, savvy, and agility proved to be too much for offensive lines to handle throughout the season. Obviously, the expectations for his senior campaign will be high but I feel that Tyler will be able to carry those type of expectations with little trouble.
Along with Steele at DT, 2011 seniors Tommy Patrick and Joell Reyes proved to be steady contributors last season but it was sophomore Mike Maierhofer that made an instant impact opposite Steele with his quickness and great explosion/leverage. Mike will be a key member of the ‘Cats 2012 defensive interior as he needs to make teams suffer for paying extra attention to Steele.
Rounding out the 2012 returning DT’s are Nathan Herrick, Jacob Olson, Trey Farber, and Jeremy Girod. Coach Vaughan will speak on this below but Nathan Herrick looks like a different guy this spring. He’s dropped a good amount of weight and looks much more athletic as a result. Girod looks like a good fit at DT after sliding down from Defensive End and you cannot deny the raw power from Sophomore Trey Farber. Each of these guys will have the opportunity to break the rotation but it’s up to them to make it happen.
During the 2011 season opener against CLU, senior defensive end Sparky Gonzalez looked fantastic but suffered a bad high ankle sprain that took him out of a large chunk of the 2011 season and limited him upon his return to the roster. It was a big loss of a talented player but with the loss came opportunity. 2011 senior DE Brent Shimabakuro and the sophomore trio of Brynnan Hyland, KeAlli Poomaihealani, and Michael MacClanathan picked up the ball and ran with it, or rather, they spent a lot of time seeing the guy with the ball and ran them down. Shims proved to be a standout leader and Hyland, Kel, and MacClanathan all grew significantly as the season progressed.
Coach Vaughan has to feel good about his trio of now juniors-to-be as their skill set does a fine job of complimenting each other. Brynnan Hyland has all the tools to be an All-Region caliber player in 2012. Brynnan proved he’s an excellent pass rusher with that long reach of his (11 sacks) and has a nice knack for making plays behind the line of scrimmage (12.5 TFL’s). I feel that this could be a breakout year for Brynnan. KeAlli Poomaihealani is about as rock steady as they come. Kel doesn’t make mistakes very often and is a perfect fit for the Eagle (non-tight end side) defensive end position in the ‘Cats 4-2-5 defensive system. I’m expecting Kel to show significant growth this season and start picking his spots to take more chances. Rounding out the trio is Michael MacClanathan who started off 2011 as a Linebacker and was slid down to defensive end about a week before the season opener. All that Mac did was showcase his speed and terrorized quarterbacks for the remainder of 2011. I feel that Mac’s combination of speed and power is going to be a major asset for Linfield 2012.
The other two returning Defensive End’s Nick Rhoten and Kyle Rehberger have been working very hard this spring to improve upon their skills sets. There is going to be opportunity for each of these players to see time in the rotation if they can continue to improve.
If the 2012 Linfield defensive front can stay healthy and maintain a solid work ethic there is no reason why they cannot be one of the more dominate fronts in Division III. They’re going to have a number of big tests out of the gate but if I was a betting man I’d go all-in on the ‘Cats defensive line.
Returning Starter
Tyler Steele DT 6-1 265 Sr. Salem, OreBrynnan Hyland DE 6-2 240 Jr. Eugene, Ore
KeAlli Poomaihealani DE 6-1 215 Jr. Kahalu'u, Hawaii
Mike Maierhofer DT 5-10 260 Jr. Mission Viejo, Calif.
Steady Vet
Michael MacClanathan DE 6-2 225 Jr. West Linn, Ore. Nathan Herrick DT 6-2 290 Jr. Covington, Wash.
Jacob Olson DT 6-2 260 Sr. Milwaukie, Ore.
Up and Coming
Trey Farber DT 6-0 260 So. Wasilla, Alaska Kyle Rehberger DE 6-0 230 So. Eugene, Ore.
Nick Rhoten DE 6-2 238 Jr. Salem, Ore.
Jeremy Girod DT 5-11 245 Jr. Vancouver, Wash
Talking Ball with Linfield Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach Jackson Vaughan:
 |
| Jackson Vaughan will be in this 7th season heading up the 'Cats defense and 17th year on staff. |
(Wildcat 11) As usual, thank you for taking time to speak with us. Doing double duty with your elite softball program and coaching spring football has to be a little crazy for you. Right out of the gates, the question people are going to ask headed into 2012 is how does Linfield replace that defensive backfield?
(Jackson Vaughan) Well, I certainly don’t think we can just expect to replace them. In that group of seniors, there was not only a very talented group of players but also a ton of experience. Those guys had been in our system for a number of years and played in a ton of games. So I don’t think we are just going to replace that kind of knowledge and savvy. But with the graduation of guys comes opportunity and with opportunity comes enthusiasm. So I think the guys that are going to step in are excited about their chance to make a mark on the defense. We also know that many of those guys have been elite special teams players for us and if we can get them up to speed and able to play fast they should be a group that can be very good for us. I think our biggest concern right now is just getting them the experience they need and developing a solid two-deep at each position.
(WC11) Coach Vaughan, you have to like the fact that you that you have another season with Tyler Steele anchoring the middle of your defense. From what I’ve seen of Tyler this spring, he looks bigger and stronger from last fall, and that’s bad news for the rest of the NWC. What are some of the qualities of Tyler’s that led to a tremendous 2011? What should we look for out Steele in 2012 and what does he need to improve upon this spring and summer?
(JV) Tyler is certainly one of the elite defensive players we have had in my time at Linfield. He is strong, very explosive off the ball, and is great at getting off blocks. But as a three-year starter last season he really stepped up his mental game. He studied offenses and began to take more chances and he happened to be right a lot of the time. This led to a lot more playmaking opportunities for him. With what I have seen of Tyler so far this spring I think another great year is on the horizon – we just have to manage his reps in the pre-season and keep him healthy and I think pass rush is always something that he can improve upon.
(WC11) You have a fantastic trio of defensive ends in Hyland, Poomaihealani and MacClanathan. They’re 3 starting quality players sharing 2 spots on the field. Is that fact each of these players have different strengths make them work so well together as a trio and what is the ceiling on these guys in terms of production?
(JV) It is nice that all three guys do have different strengths and weaknesses that complement each other rather well. They have all added some weight and strength this off-season which is promising because they have been on the lighter side in the early part of their careers. Now I am looking for each of them to take their game up another notch. They each have quite a bit of playing time under their belt and the game should start to slow down for them. This is the time when you start looking for guys to be more aggressive, anticipate plays, and make more of an impact on the game from a play-making and disruption standpoint. I am anxious to see how these three guys continue to develop and improve their game heading into next fall because we certainly will need them to be major contributors.
(WC11) Also, there are a number of young DE’s in the program right now. How are they progressing and what have you been stressing to them this spring?
(JV) The other DE’s in the program have made some strides this spring with their technique and knowledge of the defense. They are a hard working group and we really have just stressed a lot of technique to them as that has to be a great strength if they wish to push some of the other guys for playing time.
(WC11) One thing I’m a little concerned about is the number of bodies at the defensive tackle position. Maierhofer came on strong last season with his quickness and leverage but once you get past Steele and Maierhofer it seems like you have a group of guys looking to get establish in the rotation. What are your thoughts about your depth at DT and what do you think about the group backing up Steele and Maierhofer?
(JV) I am actually quite pleased with our DT’s so far this spring. Nathan Herrick worked hard in the off-season to drop some weight and has been moving around much better and gives us some size in the middle. Jeremy Girod moved down to DT from DE and he plays with a great motor and does a nice job separating and getting off blocks. I also have been happy to see the improvements made by freshman, Trey Farber. Trey is one of the strongest guys on the team but was way behind in his technique and knowledge of the defense last year. But he is playing faster and attacking more this spring so I am anxious to see what he is capable of next fall.
(WC11) I’m excited about this defense next season. You’ll have an experienced group at defensive line and linebacker and a group of talented but untested defensive backs. I wouldn’t expect much of a style change in 2012 but they will have a different identity/leadership this season. Have you seen early glimpses of this during the spring and what have you found encouraging about this defensive group?
(JV) I think the guys are still finding their way a bit in the identity area. The upcoming junior class has a lot of talent and they are pretty close as a group but we are still waiting for a few guys to emerge as THE leaders of the group. I would like to see some of our LB’s and safeties really step up and take some ownership over the whole defense because there are some talented guys in those that group and those positions have always served such a huge role in the communication and decision making of our defense. But we are pleased with the work they have put in so far and think a lot of the pieces are in place. We certainly will be able to put a lot of speed on the field at all three levels of the defense, so I would expect us to be flying around, causing some chaos, and making plays again once this fall rolls around.
No comments:
Post a Comment