Edgerton hopes to be in playoff mix

Aug. 18—EDGERTON — Rebuilding is not part of the plan for Edgerton High football coach Russ Lietz.

Despite graduating a wealth of talent from teams that went a combined 13-4 the last two seasons, Lietz feels the Crimson Tide are in more of a reloading phase.

The second-year coach believes his 2021 team can make another run at a postseason berth.

"We're putting a lot of weight on the shoulders of a strong junior class, but I have no doubt that they're more than capable of taking on the challenge," Lietz said. "There's no question we're replacing some very talented kids that did great things for this program, but these are good kids that have the capabilities to find the same kind of success."

Edgerton went 4-2 in the alternate fall season in 2021 and was 9-2 overall in 2019, including a share of the Rock Valley Conference title.

The Crimson Tide remain in the Rock Valley, but the conference welcomes two new schools to the mix in Madison Edgewood and Monroe.

Jefferson is the favorite

"Jefferson is going to be tough to beat with the kids they have coming back, but after that, I think the (conference) race is wide open," Lietz said.

"Our inexperience is going to be up front, so we're going to have to prove at some point that we can run with the hogs and be a physical team on both sides of the ball."

Edgerton lost 2-year starting quarterback Drew Hanson to graduation, but Lietz feels he has two capable replacements in senior Aydan Hanson and junior Brayden Troeger. The Crimson Tide will continue to run out of the spread offense.

"Hanson has a strong arm, and Troeger has looked good in the snaps he has taken behind center," Lietz said. "The difference right now for both is the learning curve. You didn't have to say much to Drew because everything just clicked for him and he knew what you wanted. Those two aren't there yet, but are certainly making strides each day."

Junior Beau Allison opens at tailback, with senior Henry Langer also expected to get plenty of carries.

Senior Shane Kisting was the second-leading receiver last spring and will play the key Y or slot position this year.

"Shane's an under-the-radar kind of guy," Lietz said. "He's the second-fastest kid on the team, and we're going to find ways to get him the ball."

Lietz said Hanson is an excellent receiver if he's not playing quarterback, and that junior Shane Crandall has great size (6-4, 190) to be utilized at tight end or wideout.

Senior Gage Farrington and junior Carson Dupuis anchor the offensive line.

Defensively, the Tide will play out of a 4-4 base.

"We're going to have that bend-but-don't-break mentality," Lietz said. "The key for us will be to find the horses up front to plug things up.

"This is a run-first conference, so we have to be gap-oriented and push things to the edge so our linebackers can make plays with their speed and athleticism."

Dupuis and junior Carson Brown open at inside linebacker, with junior Beau Allison at outside linebacker.

Kisting is the leader in the secondary and will always "cover the other teams' best athlete," Lietz said.

"If we can't stop the run and play physical, we'll be nothing more than a middle-of-the-road team," Lietz said. "But if we can find some pluggers up front, and take advantage of the talent we have at the skill positions, there's no reason we can't talk playoffs."

Playoffs that would be a far cry from a rebuilding.