Churchill - Air Lancer still flying high

I visited coach Mehl at practice Tuesday, a few days after they handled Benson 60-27.  I was wondering if he would want to talk to me after I pocket dialed him during the Benson game last Friday.  He texted back, "Can't talk now, I'm in class."  Fortunately, he was in a talking mood at practice.  I had stuck my neck out for Churchill in my annual "Way Too Early MWL Football Prediction" and picked them third in league, even though they lost their qb and their experienced receivers and three all league linemen.  After watching Churchill's practice and listening to coach Mehl, I felt much better about my 'Way Too Early Prediction'.

GH: Gary Haliski
DM: Coach Darrel Mehl

GH: How many kids have turned out for football?
DM:  We have about 62 kids out for the entire program, including around 13 freshmen.

GH:  Offensively, you lost Determan, Savelich, three all league linemen and your quarterback.  Who's stepping up and any changes in your offensive scheme?
DM:  Colin Smith (6-2, 220) is our only returning starter on the offensive line.  But we've got a great line.  They've really worked hard in the weight room over the summer.  Skyler Phillips (6-3, 315, junior) was injured last year, but attended every practice through the quarterfinals.  Will Dawson (6-4, 260, junior) and Isael Huesca (6-3, 215) join those two on the line.  We might be putting Gavin Cowles (6-3, 210, junior) at center due to injury. 

GH: Looks like your new QB had a great first game.  What about your QB and receivers?
DM:  Mitch Reese is the QB (6-3, 205, junior).  We're really high on him.  He's a lefty, tall and is a big kid.  He throws the ball and runs really well, so he's perfect for our system.  Reese's size and running ability makes him our 'fullback' even though he is our qb. Tyler Molinski (6-3, 205) and Andrew Bennion (5-10, 170, junior) are the wide receivers.  Molinski is a track gguy.  He's fast and he really hit the weights and has gone from 180 to 205.  We return all leaguer Aaron Ingram as a  running back.  And we've added a great compliment to Ingram with sophomore Tyler Reid (5-9, 165).  Reid is quick and shifty.  His size is an advantage with our tall, big line; as he can hide behind the blockers as he picks his way upfield.  He's only a soph and could develop into something special.

GH:  And on defense?
DM:  We're really crowded at defensive back.  I've got six or seven guys who we put in our punt catching drills.  I'm usually lucky if I can find two.  They're pretty tough.  Peter Estrada (5-10, 170) and Kyle Salisbury (5-10, 175) are at the corners.  Bennion and Jake DeZarn (6-0, 185, baseball player) are the safeties.  Ingram is our Will linebacker.  Weston Lamora (6-2, 190, junior) is also a backer.  Pretty much the same guys who are on the O line make up our D line.  It's probably the best line I've had in my eight years here.

GH:  You ran into a buzzsaw from the old Southern league in the first two games last year.  Then you handled everyone else in the MWL, except Marist.  Does anything pop into your mind about last year and are you approaching things differently this year?
DM:  Last year we played in a jamboree against 4A teams instead of playing a non league game.  It was like taking candy from a baby, but it didn't help us much.  So this year we scheduled a game.  As far as this year, Eagle Point and Ashland are counting games in the MWL this year.  That makes the games more serious.  As far as Eagle Point.  We get to go to their place.  They are big and fast, hit hard and tough to tackle.

GH:  With all of the new guys, is anyone stepping up in leadership?
DM:  Last Thursday we talked about naming captains.  We don't have a lot of guys who jump out right now.  We have a lot of young leaders, but more the quiet type, who lead by example.  We'll learn more about leadership in these next two games as we find out how players react in the heat of the moment.

GH:  How is it you keep finding receivers and quarterbacks for Air Lancer?  Your offense sure looks like a lot of fun to me. Do you do 7 on 7 tournaments and things like that?
DM: Mosty,the guys lifted like crazy over the summer.  We had 25-30 guys who lifted all of the time. We don't spend a lot of time working on passing in the summer or go to a lot of passing tournaments.

GH:  Any other comments?
DM:  I forgot to mention Josh Han (6-3, 190).  He's a soccer player.  He put three kickoffs into the endzone last week.  That really helps out our defense.

GH: Thanks, coach.

 I was intrigued at how coach Mehl had created this year's version of Air Lancer.  The new lefty QB, number 15 - by the way, looked sharp in practice.  I can see why the coaches are excited about him.  But we'll see how Reese does when he has Tyler Holmes from Eagle Point bearing down on him.  Eagle Point will be a far tougher opponent than Benson.  WR's Molinski and Bennion had good games against Benson.  They should maintain the Air Lancer tradition.  RB's Ingram and Reid make a nice duo.  Ideally for the Lancers, Reid can give a burst of speed to compliment Ingram's hard running.  Those big, strong Churchill linemen were pretty aggressive in practice against the tackling dummies.  Hopefully, the aggressiveness will increase a level when they face real opponents.  All in all, if Churchill can get through the season without many injuries, they should be really good by playoff time.