Lima Senior could build with some new blocks

Losing has gotten old for Lima Senior. Could part of the answer be to get younger?

A group of sophomores who went 8-2 as freshmen last year will be competing for playing time this season. And age will be no factor, Lima Senior coach Darnell Collins says.

"They come in and know it's open, so they're all working their tails off to try to win a spot," Collins said.

"I tell them if they're a sophomore, I don't care. If you can play, you can play. A lot of those guys may step up and play. Just because you're a senior that doesn't mean you're going to play. You have to earn your spot," he said.

Lima Senior has nine starters back from last year's 2-8 team. Five are on defense and four are on offense.

It was the second consecutive 2-8 season for the Spartans and the sixth time in the last seven seasons they won two games or fewer. The last time Lima Senior saw the break even mark for the season was when it went 5-5 in 2000.

Collins called last season "a good 2-8" because he saw improvement. But it is obvious he wants to see much more of an upgrade in the Spartans' performance on the field this fall.

In its eight losses last season, Lima Senior gave up an average of 38 points a game. Opposing teams had to punt the ball only 22 times all year. Offensively, Lima Senior generated only 164 yards a game.

"We gave up a lot of points, but I think that is going to change this year. And we weren't very consistent on offense, but toward the end of the season we started being more consistent. I think we're going to be more balanced on both sides of the ball this year," Collins said.

Two big reasons for his optimism about offensive improvement are offensive linemen Jarrod Pughsley and Ricky Martin. Pughsley is a 6-foot, 6-inch, 260-pound tackle. Martin is a 6-foot, 2-inch, 280-pound guard. Both are also expected to play on the defensive line.

Tailback Chaz Foster (187 yards on 29 carries) is the leading returning ball carrier. Adrian Nichols (6 catches, 150 yards) is back at wide receiver.

Defensively, the returning starters are: Dion Hurley on the line, Shawn Russell at linebacker and Da'shon Bates, Robert Thompson and Josh Eley in the backfield. Bates started as a freshman last season.

Eley split time at quarterback and threw two touchdown passes in 2007, but will play defense only this season.

The quarterback job will belong to either sophomore Adrian Hutchins or Jason Ward, last year's JV team quarterback.

Sixty upperclassmen and 25 freshman turned out for the Spartans.

"They have just done a really good job this off-season of being committed and doing the things they need to do to get better. Hopefully, they'll continue to do that," Collins said.

Collins was named Lima Senior's coach in late May last year. He hopes having a full off-season in charge will help this time around.

"Last year I did put a lot of my own stuff in but we had a short time frame. But having a full off-season, I think it is really going to make a difference for us," he said.

"We started playing better as the season went on last year. We went 2-8 but it was a good 2-8 because we were competitive. You have to do thing right and I think our program started doing that last season. And I think we'll continue to build off that."

Lima Senior

Coach: Darnell Collins

Years, record at school: 2nd, 2-8

Returning starters: 9

Returning letter winners: 20

Promising newcomers: Adrian Hutchins, Jason Ward, Shondale Walton, Danyel Walton, Chaz Walker, Cortey Edwards

Outlook: Lima Senior is still in a rebuilding mode after seven seasons in which it has averaged two wins a year.  There are no guarantees of success and there are no guarantees of a starting job, with some promising sophomores getting a chance to earn playing time.

Player to watch:  Chaz Foster got a chance to play at running back last season when Ryan Nathan was injured and "carried the load," coach Darnell Collins said.  This year he could be the Spartans' main ball carrier from Week One.

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