By Dean Backes
MaxPreps.com
The Lawson Cardinals ended their 2007 Class 2 state championship run with a bone-crushing defensive performance in the fourth quarter that netted four turnovers.
The result was a 38-17 win over Blair Oaks, the defending Class 2 champions, after leading by just four points after three quarters.
For an encore in 2008, head coach Todd Dunn hopes to continue his brand of knock-down, drag-out defense.
“We want to get as many people to the ball as possible,” Dunn said of the Cardinal defensive philosophy. “We want all 11 players to get to the ball, and we want all 11 players to make plays.
“We are a physical team. You will get hit multiple times if the football is in your hand. We play to the whistle on every play. We don’t take plays off.”
Back to lead Dunn’s stop troops in 2008 are six returning starters, so Cardinal opposition had better have their chinstraps in place as soon as Lawson steps off of the bus.
There are plenty of experienced players returning to fill the holes left by departing seniors due to graduation, including seven players that earned All-KCI League accolades of one kind or another last season. Four of those players reside on the defensive side of the ball.
“Our young kids did get in (the game) and got experience,” Dunn said of his possible first team players for the 2008 season. “When you’re as successful as we have been the last few years, it kind of snowballs. We have more experience all of the way through.
“There are guys returning that saw the field on Friday night for a good deal of time.”
Senior cornerback Nathan Robinson and junior defensive lineman Devin Mellon, one of the team’s leading tacklers from a year ago, were first-team all-conference players in 2007, and they are set to lead the way for the Cardinal defense again this season.
Also back are senior second-team linebackers Braden Priest and Noah Jordan. Jordan intercepted five passes a year ago as a linebacker.
Gone from the Cardinal offense in 2008 is Kansas State quarterback recruit and Class 2 All-State quarterback Joseph Kassanavoid, who threw for 99 yards and rushed for 75 yards on 15 carries in last season’s championship game.
The 6-foot-6, 215-pounder also collected seven tackles, forced two fumbles and pooched a 47-yard punt to pin the Falcons at their own one-yard line.
As well as Kassanavoid played throughout the 2007 season, Dunn, who is 93-31 in stints at South Shelby and Lawson, was quick to point out that the Cardinal, 14-0 in 2007, were more than a one-man team.
Filling his void won’t be easy, but Robinson and Taylor Akey are set to battle for the reigns in Dunn’s Wing-T offense.
Robinson is the shorter of the two signal calling candidates, but Dunn said the 5-10 senior is fast and throws the ball pretty well.
“Whoever steps up will win the job,” Dunn said. “We want to be deceptive and that’s pretty much the quarterback’s job.”
The Cardinal backfield should be in good hands with senior first team all-conference back Ethan Deardeuff returning, as well as honorable mention running back Zac Mathews. Both backs rushed for more than 500 yards each last season.
Mellon and senior Daniel Clark should net plenty of playing time out of the backfield.
Returning senior Ian Swarts looks pretty solid at tight end after performing as a halfback a season ago.
The offensive line is unsettled for now, except for the return of senior first-team all-conference guard Nick Jordan and senior center Scot Tipton.
“There is a lot of fighting going on out there,” Dunn said of the battle for playing time up front on the offensive side of the ball. “A lot of guys are really competing, which will only make us better.”
Jordan Akers, a sophomore, is a player that Dunn said he has to find a spot for. Senior Jake Justice and junior Patrick Moore are players that have worked hard and should land plenty of playing time as well.
As the Cardinal wrap up summer conditioning and head into fall camp, Dunn has noticed a hunger that comes with having won a state championship.
“They want to have their own great season,” Dunn said of this year’s team. “They want to do it (win a state championship) on their own. Since they lost all of that talent it’s thought that they won’t be real good this season. So they want to make a name for themselves.”