Football preview: Staying healthy key for MPHS

By Gregg Rettig

Managing Editor

The Madison-Plains football team has enough talent to be successful in 2012.

Keeping that talent on the field consistently will be the key for the Golden Eagles.

Coach Mike Siders said he has about 40 boys on the varsity roster this season, which doesn’t give Madison-Plains a whole lot of depth. However, the coach said in the preseason that his squad appears to be in great shape and he’s preaching to the players to keep it that way.

“There’s no doubt that staying healthy is going to be the key to our season,” he said. “We’re stressing that they need to take care of their bodies, treat themselves right so we are able to perform on Friday nights at an optimal level.”

The Golden Eagles return a number of starters at the offensive skills positions, including Steve Lemieux, who was a second team All-Central District player a season ago after he rushed for better than 1,000 yards.

Matt Wilson is back at quarterback, while Brooks Carter and Alex Williams return at the wideouts and Ryne Davis is back in the slot.

On the line, Kyle Young (right tackle), Trent Ridenour (guard) and John Robinette (guard) are all back.

“I mean it when I say it’s going to take a total team effort,” Siders said.

Defensively, many of the names are the same with Wilson playing a safety, Carter and Williams starting at defensive backs and Davis playing linebacker.

Young, Ridenour and Robinette all are expected to play up front.

“Because of our numbers, we’re going to have a lot of players going two ways,” the coach said.

“We do have some talent. The key for any football team to have success is to avoid injury and that’s not always easy to do with the league we play in (the South Central Ohio League.)”

This year will be the Golden Eagles’ and London’s last in the SCOL.

Both are headed to the Mid-State League to start the 2013 season.

“We really are shorting it up for the week,” Siders said. “We don’t want to look past our next game and we don’t want to dwell on our last game.

“It’s the game we have Friday night. That’s it. Period.”