Gameday Power Poll #3 - West Springfield
Quarterback Bryn Renner and the West Springfield Spartans are primed to make a run for the Regional Championship in 2008.
Photo By: Gameday Magazine
#3 WEST SPRINGFIELD SPARTANS
What a difference a year makes. After finishing 4-6, the Spartans exploded in 2007 and finished with a remarkable 10-3 record while reaching the Northern Region Division 6 finals. Maybe more impressive was that West Springfield did all that after graduating all-everything Peter Lalich. After Lalich's departure, though, new faces stepped in and introduced themselves in a big way to the rest of the area. One of them, quarterback Bryn Renner, is arguably the best quarterback in the area and with several talented playmakers returning, West Springfield is poised to the next step.
Quarterback:
As mentioned above, West Springfield has arguably the best quarterback in the area with Bryn Renner behind center. Renner, a 6-foot-3 dual-threat quarterback, committed to play for North Carolina back in the early spring. Considering the type of offense West Springfield runs, it's guaranteed that Renner will have a huge year. The question is, how big? It's certainly possible that Renner could accumulate over 4,000 all-purpose yards--that's how good he is.
Running back:
Last year the region was introduced to Brandon Bailey, and boy did he ever make an impression. Rushing for 1,493 yards and 14 touchdowns, while also tacking on 269 yards receiving, Bailey was recognized immediately as one of the best in the region. Now with him and Renner both returning, they form one of the best one-two punches in the area. If Renner is clicking through the air this season as we expect him to, look for Bailey to also have numbers that are just as impressive.
Wide Receiver:
The offensive talent that the Spartans possess doesn't just stop with Renner and Bailey. They in fact return two of their top three receivers as well in seniors Andy Stallings and Tucker Tobin. Stallings is a returning all-region performer who led his team in receiving yards last year. While losing all-Gameday receiver Josh Vallejos will undoubtedly hurt this group, there are capable replacements. Along with Stallings and Tobin, T.J. O'Connell is expected to have a breakout year, and don't forget that coach Renner will not be afraid to split Bailey out wide as well.
Offensive Line:
Every year, Renner has this group running on all cylinders, so despite the loss of three starters up front, don't expect this to be a weakness. Corey MacRae and Brit McMahon do return and those were two of their better lineman last year. Yet not only are MacRae and McMahon more than capable of getting the job done, Renner likes his new prospects on the line. One of them is Michael Justice, a 6-foot-6 270-pound monster who is just a junior and expected to be a future DI-A recruit down the road. With the great line play this unit can provide, the sky is the limit for the Spartan offense.
Defensive Line:
Normally Renner is a bit thin at this position, but that won't be the case this year. Instead, he returns two massive lineman in John Lockwood and MacRae. Those two proved more than effective last year as they were the foundation of a defense that stepped up when called upon last year. Renner knows that having a strong defensive line is paramount to his team's success and he has a great one for 2008.
Linebackers:
As with the defensive line positions, the majority of Renner's players return. Joey DeSantis and AJ White will be spearheading this group of players and defensive coordinator Bryan Murray raves about their improvement this offseason. With an improved defensive line and stable set of linebackers, fans can count on an improved West Springfield defense.
Secondary:
This is West Springfield's one glaring weakness. They graduated all four of their starters here, so finding replacements is a bit of a concern for Renner. He'll be leaning on Sergio D'Onofrio, Vincarlo Nguyen, and TJ Allen to step in and lead his secondary. The silver lining, however, in all this is that the aforementioned replacements will all be seniors, so the learning curve will be shortened.
Special Teams:
No matter what, we can expect West Springfield to produce one of the best kickers in the area. It doesn't matter that West Virginia bound Tyler Bitancourt graduated, because Renner is a pro when it comes to developing kickers. We're not kidding around either. Just like clockwork, Renner develops a Division I-A caliber kicker every year and although he didn't say just who would replace Bitancourt, he stated he had two to three capable kickers. We believe him.
Key Game:
(8/29) at Stone Bridge- Nevermind the fact that West Springfield has to pass through the Patriot District, one of toughest districts in the area, but their first three games are probably the toughest in the region. Yet their season opener against Stone Bridge will present to them the biggest challenge. A win here would bring them the momentum needed to win the Patriot.
Schedule:
Aug. 29 at Stone Bridge
Sept. 5 vs. Edison
Sept. 12 at Robinson
Sept. 18 vs. Hayfield
Sept. 26 at Annandale
Oct. 3 vs. West Potomac
Oct. 10 vs. South County
Oct. 17 at TC Williams
Oct. 24 at Lake Braddock
Oct. 31 vs. Lee
Extra Point
Over the last two years, the West Springfield offense has combined to average an astonishing 39.0 points per game.
