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By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
SPENCER – The Spencer/Columbus Catholic football team is not focusing on an encore for its incredible 2015 season that saw the Rockets roll through the Cloverbelt Conference and reach the WIAA Division 5 state finals before losing to Amherst.
This year’s SC squad returns only three full-time starters and will have to replace 13 seniors that graduated. The team brings back a lot of experienced players however, many of whom saw a ton of time on the field as the Rockets blew out nearly all of their opponents a year ago. Now, they will have to step into full-time roles.
“One thing we notice, having that group of 13 seniors, we were able to do less big-picture explaining with the offense and you really could get into the fine details right away,” Spencer/Columbus head coach Jason Gorst said. “These guys, they have a lot of experience, but it’s a lot more review than we had to do last year at this time. It’s a big puzzle we’re trying to put together.”
The Rockets have only seven seniors on the roster, but two of them are returning all-Cloverbelt performers, as is one junior.
Offensive/defensive lineman Max Johnson and running back/safety Noah Zastrow, both seniors, and junior running back/linebacker Hunter Luepke are back after earning first-team all-Cloverbelt honors on offense a year ago.
Luepke was the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year, racking up 1,249 yards rushing and 24 touchdowns as a sophomore as the Rockets went 7-0 in the Cloverbelt and ran off 13 straight wins before losing to Amherst 42-0 in the D-5 state championship game in Madison.
Zastrow had 1,100 yards rushing, 196 more receiving, and 11 offensive touchdowns, and Johnson helped an offensive line that propelled a Rockets’ offense that produced 4,300 rushing yards and 62 rushing touchdowns.
“We’ve got a lot of guys coming back, so I’m hoping we can do something special again like last year,” Zastrow said. “Just making the playoffs is fun, so anything from there on up to state would be awesome.”
Zastrow may also see time at quarterback, along with sophomore Jarred Mandel, as the Rockets will have to replace the graduated Calvin Lenz, who started at the position since late in his freshman season.
Luepke said the new starters have jumped on board, ready to contribute.
“Last year they got a lot of playing time in the second half of games,” Luepke said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that have placed varsity games. The freshmen are learning the offense and defense really well, so I think we’re looking pretty good as of now.”
Johnson agreed, saying the newcomers in the lineup will step right in.
“We lost a lot of good seniors, of course, but I think we have the talent to step up and do as good as we did last year,” Johnson said. “We may not have the experience, but we have the skill and the talent to do it.”
Gorst said he expects sophomore Logan Zschernitz will be a force on both lines at an athletic 260 pounds.
“Overall, quickness is definitely a strength of ours,” Gorst said. “We’re not going to be bigger than many teams, if any at all, and that’s the same as last year. Defensively, aggressiveness and I think their willingness to prepare for an opponent (will be strengths). They like watching film, they like reading the scouting reports.”
This story, and much more, will appear in a special 2016 Football Preview section in this weekend’s Hub City Times, part of your Marshfield Area Buyer’s Guide.