ESCANABA - The Escanaba jayvees made the 2009 football season a very successful one, earning the Great Northern Conference championship and finishing 7-1 overall.
"Our only loss was at Antigo by two points," said coach Terry Duval. "This was an extremely satisfying year, watching the talent develop and the young men growing into even better young men. This was a very unselfish, coachable and respectful team."
The Eskymos, who clinched the GNC title in a 50-26 conquest of Kingsford, were led by sophomore quarterback Austin Young.
"Austin is as talented as any quarterback I have ever coached," said Duval. "He reminds me of Nick Bink (a 1990 Esky graduate), and that is quite a compliment. He can throw and run, and he knows how to lead and get the best out of his teammates."
Young often handed off to 5-foot-9, 170-pound tailback Jake Drage, who had key runs against Marquette, Menominee and Kingsford. Providing some of the blocking was 5-11, 235 guard Chris Lynch.
"Jake developed on both sides of the ball," said Duval. "He was tough, powerful and extremely fast for his size. Chris was also tough, powerful and very quick for his size and developed into a varsity lineman."
Other leaders were 6-4, 225 tackle Kevin Noel, tight end/linebacker Mike Dombrowski (6-1, 215), defensive back Alex DeHaan and tight end Austin Neveau.
"Kevin and Mike are big, aggressive and smart kids," said Duval. "They also played at the varsity level and were keys to our offense and defense. Alex was a leader on defense and student of the game. He picked off numerous passes and played at a high level. Austin (Neveau) is a multi-talented athlete who loved the game and elevated those around him."
Additional defensive leaders were James Pepin, Devin Barton, Cody Bovin, Ryan Thompson, Dalton Spear and C.J. Meier. "Ryan played every play hard," said Duval. "He was one of the team leaders in tackles."
Other key contributors were Mike Grassel, Jacob Koish, Carter Murray, Dakota Storch, Mike Carlson, Ed Terres, Jacob Steinhausen, Vincent Manitowabi, Nick Roberts, Claude Alexander and Ian DeMarse.
Assistant coaches include Craig Ness, Scott Shepeck, Travis Wiltzius and Tom Burke.
l The Esky freshmen improved steadily in a 3-6 campaign.
An example of that was shown in a season-ending 43-42 loss at Kingsford, after falling to the Flivvers 40-16 at home in mid-September.
"We could have easily been 5-4," said coach Mike Beveridge. "At Kingsford, we chose to go for the two-point conversion and the win rather than a tie. We also had the lead against the Stephenson jayvees (the previous week), but lost (44-36) in the last minute."
Beveridge says signs of improvement began to surface in a 49-36 loss to Marquette in Week 4.
"Marquette had a real strong team, but we played them well," he added. "Even though we lost, the kids felt they had turned the corner. They started believing in themselves, their teammates and their coaches."
Esky, which beat Negaunee, Westwood and the Bark River-Harris jayvees, was led by QB David Fallish and tailback/linebacker Nick Vandermissen.
Fallish threw for 13 of his 22 touchdowns. He also ran for five and scored three on special teams and added one on an interception return.
Vandermissen rushed for eight of his 15 TDs, caught four TD passes and scored on two interceptions and one kickoff return.
"They were our go-to guys," said Beveridge. "They were strong leaders on the field and became good, young football players. Dave is just a natural athlete who has a lot of potential."
Also among the receiving leaders were end Andrew Miller, who had five TD catches, and tight ends John Rappette and Kyle Mathias, a transfer from BR-H, with three apiece.
Top linemen were David Fix (6-3, 255), center Casey DeShambo and Ryan Trombly, who also booted a 30-yard field goal at BR-H.
"Ryan was our toughest lineman," said Beveridge. "Casey was definitely our leader and received the Tony Meyette Award, and David has a lot of potential. If David works hard, he'll be a good lineman."
How can the Eskymos raise their game to the next level?
"I firmly believe in being a multi-sport athlete and lifting in the off-season," said Beveridge. "To be successful nowdays, you have to be committed 12 months a year.
"We had several kids who didn't play football before, but I think they grew more through three months of football. It was a joy to coach them and watch them become young men and good football players."
Assistant coaches were Don Koish and Carl Brunngraeber. "These guys worked real hard with our linemen and defense," said Beveridge. "They deserve a lot of credit."