GENTRY — Rising senior Dylan Ochs was a valuable receiver for Gentry last season, but after a productive spring his talents may lie in throwing passes rather than catching them in the fall.
“That was one of the brightest spots of the whole spring,” Gentry coach Brian Little said. “He’s spent some time under center, but he had just always been behind someone else.”
That all changed with the graduation of starter Austin Millsap, who led the Pioneers back to the playoffs last fall. It also has Little excited for the coming fall.
“He just did a great job fundamentally,” Little said. “ Technically, he’s one of the best I’ve worked with. The down side is he’s unproven as far as true playing time on Friday night. But we believe he’ll be just fine. He has a great attitude and a great understanding of our playbook and scheme.”
The Pioneers finished up spring practice on May 20, but Little also had a couple of newcomers to the football team step forward.
Rising junior Nick DeYoung (6-foot-2, 230 pounds) is vying for a starting spot on the offensive line, after not playing football last season. Elijah Calabaza (6-1, 215) has come over from the soccer team to kick. But the rising senior is also getting a look on the offensive line, Little said.
Rising sophomore Jarod Cousins could also make an impact as a running back/receiver and in the secondary.
Sports, Pages 11 on 06/01/2011