BATH TOWNSHIP – Bath jumped some big hurdles in 2015.
The Wildcats had their first winning record and first seven-win season since 2003.
But they came one spot short of making the top eight teams in the region which qualified for the playoffs.
Now the Wildcats want more.
“When I took the program over (now in his fourth year) I said the first step was to win six games because we had not done that since 2003,” Bath coach Bill Garland said. “And that was also the last year we had a winning record in the WBL (Western Buckeye League). … And there’s a lot of kids coming back from that team (last year), who had big roles on that football team. And we tied for the final spot in the playoffs and got beat in that third-level tie-breaker.
“So even though we took a big step last year and went 7-3 and had a winning record for the first time since 2003, and the kids were excited about that, but they felt there was something missing at the end and that was not getting into the playoffs. So that’s a big goal for our football team.”
The Wildcats are loaded with experience, but several key members from last year are gone. Among the graduated are defensive lineman Tyler Shobe (second team all-state, first team all-district, first team all-WBL, Lima News Dream Team) and defensive back Chase Clark (special mention all-state, first team all-WBL, first team all-district, Lima News Dream Team with seven interceptions).
Shobe has moved on to Cincinnati Christian College, while Clark is playing at St. Francis (Ind.).
The Wildcats will return eight starters on offense and six on defense.
“We’re excited about our football team,” Garland said.
The kingpin returnee is 6-foot-1, 221-pound linebacker/running back Bo Gross, who was second-team all-state at linebacker. He was also first team all-district, first team all-WBL and a member of The Lima News Dream Team.
Gross led the team with 128 tackles and two sacks. He also rushed for 725 yards (5.8 average) with 16 TDs.
“By trade, he’s (Gross) an all-league linebacker, but he was also a second team all-league running back,” Garland said. “And Bo is a between-the-tackles, downhill, physical running back. And if you have to tackle him 10-to-15 times a game, you have your work cut out for you. He’s a man. … And he’s our leading tackler on defense. Bo is the real deal. He wants to play at the next level and has had a lot of (Division I and Division II) interest from colleges.”
Quarterback Kaden Sullivan (6-2, 185) returns and he led the club in rushing with 1,367 yards and 12 TDs. He threw for 679 yards with six TDs.
“Kaden was a running back who was converted to quarterback last year,” Garland said. “But we’ve challenged him this offseason to become a quarterback. We know Kaden can do it with his legs. With a young, inexperienced offensive line, we might have to throw the ball more. And with the receivers we have coming back, we’ve challenged Kaden to convert to being a full-time quarterback.”
Another returning running back is Tre Terry, who ran for 364 yards and three TDs.
When Sullivan does go to the air, he will look to a veteran receiving group with 6-2 Logan Shafer (13 receptions, 214 yards, 1 TD), slot receiver Ryan Kalb, Jordan Berens and tight end Elijah Mather.
The lone starter back on the offensive line is Cole McKinney (6-1, 255), who started at center last year, but may move out to tackle this year.
“He’s the anchor up there,” Garland said.
The defense has six veterans, but only one on the line. The veteran is defensive tackle Jon Lieurance (6-foot, 198), who made 73 tackles.
The 3-4 defense has three starters back at linebacker in battering ram Gross, Bailey Cotrell (74 tackles) and Terry (100 tackles).
The returnees in the secondary are cornerback Isaac Ingram and cornerback/safety Kalb.
With 14 starters back, the playoffs are a realistic goal. The key will be how soon both lines advances with only one returner on both.
“It (both lines) will decide our season,” Garland said. “Obviously, we have good running backs and good athletes and they can make an average offensive line look a lot better. But the question for us is how quickly our offensive and defensive lines develop. That will determine our success.”
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