Youthful receivers growing up fast in Granville's offense
GRANVILLE ― Two of coach Wes Schroeder's favorite players are also two of Granville's youngest.
And with an ankle injury keeping senior Miles Eckenrode off the field, they're emerging as key components in the Blue Aces' passing attack.
Freshman Kyle Kirby, whose 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame and maturity belies his youth, had five catches for 38 yards and his first two varsity touchdowns in the heartbreaking 25-24 loss to Bishop Watterson. That came after he had three grabs for 51 yards against Licking Heights, and he also contributes on defense with 12.5 tackles, six solos and 13 assists.
Sophomore Jack Yeager, who at 5-8, 145 is a near clone of the 5-8, 150-pound Eckenrode, made three receptions in the win at Heath and had two grabs in the loss to Licking Heights.
"He was playing inside, but we had to put him outside when Miles got hurt," Schroeder said of Yeager. "He's a program player, a kid who I'm never going to have to question the effort I'm going to get from him. He's tough on himself, gets on himself more than the coaches ever get on him."
Schroeder got an inkling of Kirby's talent when he had him last year in middle school physical education.
"I was blown away by his athleticism," he said. "It takes a real special freshman to play varsity. If you're ever going to put together a player who is going to be the face of your program, he's the one. He's selfless, physical, tough and has a good body and good hands. He wants to be coached more than anyone around. And he's 14 years old."
Kirby said Eckenrode is hard to replace.
"Miles is a beast, and it's a tough loss on both offense and defense," he said. "In his absence, other people have had to step up, and they have. Cal Schnaidt (5-8) guarded Watterson's 6-5 guy and did a good job."
"I feel like the coaches have done a great job preparing us," Yeager said. "Miles is a huge part of this team and a big role model for me. It's a big role, and I'm doing my best. Kirby is a great player and a really selfless guy."
Kirby was quick to credit Tyler Ernsberger for his two touchdown receptions.
"It was fun, but it was great throws by Tyler, perfect throws that made it easy for me to catch," he said. "One of them was right over the top of the defender. I'm trying to make the most of my opportunity. I'm still making mistakes, but I'm learning every game."
Despite the tough loss to Watterson, which came on a two-point conversion with just eight seconds left, the players were happy with the way the Blue Aces responded following a disappointing performance against Licking Heights.
"That was a really great fight," Yeager said. "We still have big motives, and we need to have a good week of practice."
Granville (5-2, 0-1) hopes to halt a rare two-game slide Friday when it travels to Zanesville (3-4, 0-2). The Blue Aces have fallen to 10th in the rugged Division III, Region 11, and the defending conference and region champs finish with a pair of challenging Licking County League-Buckeye Division games against Licking Valley (4-3, 1-1) and Watkins Memorial (6-1, 1-0).
"Obviously, we're disappointed, but we pride ourselves on a 'next play' mentality," Schroeder said. "And that's never more relevant than now."
dweidig@gannett.com
740-704-7973
Twitter: @grover5675
Instagram: @dfweidig
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Granville's youthful receivers maturing quickly in Blue Aces' offense
