Football preview: Morgan football ready to turn corner in the MVL

McCONNELSVILLE — The climb back to respectability has been arduous for Morgan's football program.

The Raiders have gone two decades without a playoff appearance over a full season, but a 3-5 record in 2021 has many in Raider Country bullish about their chances this year. The Raiders lost two games last season due to Covid-19.

Fifth-year Raiders coach Chase Bowman is among them. He has overseen the transformation up close, as the seniors are part of his first class of eighth graders.

"No. 1, they're extremely fun to coach," Bowman said. "Two-a-days have been extremely enjoyable, not just because they're very fun to be around, but they're coachable kids and ask a lot of questions — good questions. No. 2, they have high expectations. You can see the mindset shifting with the kids."

None figure to have a bigger impact than senior two-way lineman Wade Pauley, the reigning Muskingum Valley League Offensive Lineman of the Year in the Small School Division, who enters his final season as a starter as one of the league’s premier players.

He and an experienced line are expected to pave the way for bruising running back Carson Copeland who, at 6-1, 220, is easily the biggest back in the MVL.

Many hopes hang on their ability to win at the line of scrimmage, something Bowman said is the result of their offseason work. He said the weight room is serious business now, which was not the case early in his tenure.

"It's no longer that we have to drag kids to go lift," Bowman said. "They want to be there and they want to get stronger. There is a big shift in our physicality."

OFFENSE

Even without graduated quarterback Levi Brown, Bowman's group is among the league's most experienced, regardless of division.

Eight return with starting experience, with senior left tackle Pauley (6-3, 222) and center Seth Miller (6-4, 232), his classmate, leading the way. Pauley graded out at 90 percent as a junior, helping him earn first-team All-East District in Division V.

Combined with left guard Owen McCoy, a 6-1, 228-pound junior, the base for a powerful — and experienced — offensive line has the capability of being one of the league's best. Junior Matt McLean (5-9, 186) and senior Devon Woods (5-9, 234) are at right guard and right tackle, respectively.

Behind them, a veteran backfield featuring hard-charging Copeland (6-1, 220) and hard-running junior quarterback Logan Niceswanger (6-0, 200) offer a pair of rough-and-tumble running threats. Copeland averaged better than 5 yards per carry as a junior, accounting for more than half of the team's rushing yards.

Bowman compared Niceswanger's playing style to West Muskingum All-Ohioan Harley Hopkins.

"Last year he got a lot of valuable reps (at tight end)," Bowman said of Niceswanger. "We tried to get him some quarterback reps at the reserve level, and he handled it pretty well. He's a good decision maker. He's a got a decent arm and throws a good ball, and obviously he's a big kid for a quarterback."

There is also an experienced receiving corps, led by junior Kole Searl (6-2, 180), seniors Coleman Welsh (5-9, 170) and Mason Burnside (5-8, 155) and junior Adam Cooper (5-7, 140) — Searl and Welsh are returning starters. Searl was an All-MVL and All-East District pick as a junior, when he caught a team-high 38 passes for 467 yards and 3 TDs.

The tight ends include a veteran in senior Aden Weaver (6-0, 190) and junior Richard Paige (5-9, 157).

"The kids have high expectations," Bowman said. "We are no longer trying to convince them that we can do what we want to do. That started with their work ethic. They have kind of earned the right to have that belief in themselves. They've put the work in. I am a big believer that if you put the work in, you earn the right to be confident in yourself."

DEFENSE

Lineman of the Year Jarrell Hill graduated, but bookends Pauley and Miller join McCoy and Weaver to form one of the league's best defensive line units. McLean, sophomore William Dodd (5-11, 198) and senior Chase Dunham (6-2, 258) are also in the rotation.

A veteran linebacker corps features Copeland and Niceswanger inside and Welsh and Page on the outside, with Page and Cooper also in the mix. Niceswanger, a team leader, totaled 30 tackles and a sack along with three other tackles-for-loss in 2021.

In the secondary, Searl returns at safety and Weaver is back at one of the cornerback spots, with Burnside manning the other. Sophomore Hayden Six (5-8, 147) is the backup.

Bowman said the eye discipline from the linebackers has been much improved over past seasons, something he feels should result in better run fits.

Copeland also returns to man the punting and placekicking spots after excelling in both areas last season. He averaged 38.7 yards per punt in 2021, including five inside opponents' 20-yard line.

OUTLOOK

Bowman said he is confident that the worst is behind them in terms of building the type of culture that he is seeking in a program, particularly when it comes to weight room attendance.

The results have shown in their bodies, especially in the likes of Pauley and Copeland, two of the team's most veteran players. They are also two of the reasons why Bowman feels the team is ready to take the next step and compete among the leaders in the Small School Division.

The team moved into Division IV, Region 15 after spending the last two years in Division V. It's widely expected to be a deep, powerful region.

With less than 40 on the roster, Bowman said staying as healthy as possible will be critical.

"The first couple of years it was getting the losing mindset out," Bowman added. "Then it was trying to figure out how to be close and how to compete in games. Now their mindset is expecting to win games. It's no longer a 'well maybe,' they fully expect to win. If they don't have that, it doesn't matter what the coaches do."

A big season means they could send off the fabled Athletic Field, the school's home of more than 100 years, out with some fanfare. They will open a new state-of-the-art stadium, located at the high school campus, in 2023. That construction is already underway.

"That's something we've talked about," Bowman said. "There is a lot of history there."

sblackbu@gannett.com; Twitter: @SamBlackburnTR

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Morgan Raiders football ready to turn corner in the MVL