Walter Johnson Back At Home
Walter Johnson's preparedness for the upcoming season has a lot to do with conditioning of the players. Not only did the team work hard in the weight room and running programs over the offseason, but the coaching staff has run a very high tempo camp with stress on conditioning.
Photo By: Louie Escobar / GamedayMD.com | VIEW GALLERY
Junior starting quarterback Cole Ahnell will be called upon to lead a new offense. The versatility of the system and Ahnell, should keep defenses off balanced and unable to concentrate on one area.
Photo By: Louie Escobar / GamedayMD.com | VIEW GALLERY
Michael Pitsenberger will fill the role of primary back. Pitsenberger is equally adept at power running as he is at getting to the outside.
Photo By: Louie Escobar / GamedayMD.com | VIEW GALLERY
BETHESDA, MD - Usually it is hard to see concrete improvements in a football program after finishing a season 1-9 and yet to play a regular season game the following year, but Walter Johnson will without a doubt improve in at least one area of concern, in regards to home field advantage.
While large scale renovations were occurring on the school, fields, and stadium the Wildcats were forced to conduct practice and play all five 2008 home games off campus at various locations.
Entering the 2009 season the final touches of construction are being completed just as school is set to start and a new Head Coach Jon Kadi has already begun to use the new facilities extensively. As junior varsity head coach last season, Kadi understands the importance first hand of having true home games for his team and the Walter Johnson community.
"Last year we had an all-american soccer player, (Caroline Miller now playing at University of Virginia,) and I couldn't go watch her play because we were always somewhere else practicing. I want these guys to support all of our teams like they support us. It's a community program, the facilities help tremendously. The support at W.J. from parents, administration, students, and fans is unbelievable."
A football field to call your own and play in front of your home crowd is always great, but training facilities can make an even larger impact on a program. In the summer of 2008, the Wildcat team did not have use of a weight room to prepare.
Throughout the year only a small room was able to be used, that could hold only a handful of players, making team workouts impossible. With a brand new weight room in place the team has been preparing vigorously to improve on last season's record.
"It was tough to get them in, fit them in last year, now kids were organizing workouts themselves," Coach Kadi explained.
The workouts have paid off noticeably as many Wildcats are showing off the much added bulk from grueling weight room work during the offseason. Other peripheral benefits will also help the team from being able to work out as a group explained junior starting quarterback Cole Ahnell, "Our strength is we all hangout, we're friends, we do things together, we are a team."
Cole Ahnell will be called upon to lead a new offense, but one the players are familiar with. Last year a Shotgun Spread system was used and entering 2009, new Offensive Coordinator Butch Worden, will stick with the system, but add a wrinkle from his background coaching in the Wing-T. Instead of the normal Shotgun Spread with receivers lined out wide, the offense will use wing backs combining the Wing-T running game with the run and shoot passing game.
Coach Worden explained, "All the terminology, motions, is pretty similar."
The versatility of the system and quarterback Cole Ahnell, should keep defenses off balanced and unable to concentrate on one area.
Ahnell displays an accurate arm and good mobility out of the pocket. His toughness and football acumen are key attributes and are main reasons that he is ahead of the curve in development as a junior with only one varsity game under his belt.
Leading the charge up front on the offensive line will be a sizeable group that includes four of five returning starters. Seniors Pat Teixeira and Tristan Plunkett will lead a veteran line combining solid athleticism with formidable size that can be attributed to work in the offseason.
One of the biggest training camp concentrations for the offensive line has been the mental aspects of the game. If this unit can pick up on the subtleties of the offense including footwork, timing, and recognizing defenses their upside is tremendous.
The group the line must block for is an impressive one in its own right. Joining Ahnell in the backfield will be senior Michael Pitsenberger who will fill the role of primary back, while dangerous threat wing combo juniors Sean Montgomery and Ryan Davis will see plenty of action.
Depth at the running back position is available and will include junior Alex Schiponi who will start at the linebacker position on defense. Good size is not limited to the line as Pitsenberger is equally adept at power running as he is at getting to the outside.
Pitsenberger acknowledged, "Our running game should be strong, our lineman are big and experienced, and all are backs are real good."
Coach Kadi will look to use a host of receivers capable of making plays on the outside. Using some Run and Shoot offensive principles will allow a deep group to contribute in many ways and keep defenses from attacking the line of scrimmage. Several tall options with strong hands exist, allowing for one on one coverage to be exposed, when teams do cheat up to stop Pitsenberger and the rest of the ground attack.
Defensively, Walter Johnson will start four seniors up front and use its size to control the line of scrimmage as part of its 4-3 base attack. Sam Lichman and Richard Benjamin lead the group of lineman that is working hard preparing for a big year.
With four strong defensive linemen in place, Head Coach Kadi, looks to mix his blitz attack and confuse offenses. Junior Alex Schiponi showed promise last season and will lead the defense and clean up ball carriers from his middle linebacker position.
The defensive backfield should be strong as well with physically imposing Michael Pitsenberger in place at the strong safety position. The other three positions of free safety and cornerbacks will be filled by Ryan Davis, Sean Montgomery, and possibly one of the younger players that has impressed in camp. All three may remain interchangeable allowing the defense to disguise coverage's often.
5 Camp Observations
Understanding All Positions
Walter Johnson coaches have emphasized at camp the need to learn play responsibilities and terminology of all positions. This is not just to prepare for any possible injuries or position switches, but also to have a deeper understanding of the new offense. Coach Worden explained to his running backs, "If you know the terminology of the line audibles, you will understand how they are blocking and be able to read the holes."
Weight Room Effect
Wildcat players have noticed themselves the difference having a full weight room facility available has made. Explained Michael Pitsenberger, "The linemen are big, I was surprised how big they got." Strength is noticeable all through the roster with big running backs and large receivers available to bolster the offensive attack.
Leadership
Coach Kadi had the players vote for the team captains and seniors Michael Pitsenberger, Tristan Plunkett, and Pat Teixeira were all chosen. The one mild surprise of the voting was junior quarterback Cole Ahnell was also picked to represent the team as a captain. Coach Kadi answered, "Cole has been a leader all offseason, he is confident, and a really smart quick learner," obviously all attributes his peers agree with.
Final Game Predictor
Entering the final game of the 2008 season against Northwest High School, Walter Johnson brought several junior varsity members up to the varsity, after struggling to get through a tough one win season. The results were very strong from the young underclassmen indicating a sign of change for the program.
All playing in their first varsity game middle linebacker Alex Schiponi led the team with 14 tackles, to go along with an interception made by Sean Montgomery, and an impressive 200+ yards passing by Cole Ahnell. All will be key contributors to the success of the 2009 season.
High Tempo
Coach Kadi believes his team preparedness for the upcoming season has a lot to do with conditioning of the players. Not only did the team work hard in the weight room and running programs over the offseason, but the coaching staff has run a very high tempo camp with stress on conditioning.
Watching practice, one can see little wasted effort on the players behalf, as they are always hustling back to drills and working at full speed during and between plays. The tempo will prepare players for the rhythm of regular season game action and give Walter Johnson a leg up on teams not ready from the start of the season.
Walter Johnson JV Football
View pictures from the Walter Johnson vs. Einstein JV football scrimmage
Photos courtesy of Walter Johnson's own Kevin Nunez. Check back often for more of Kevin's work!
