Before the Grandview football team took to the practice field Friday evening, the Eagles first spent an hour in the weight room, which has the proper amount of iron for a growing program.
New head coach Dave Dallas isn’t gearing the Eagles up for another varsity season. Dallas, a Herculaneum native, was hired to revive the flagging program that couldn’t finish last year’s varsity schedule.
Grandview has nine junior varsity games scheduled this year, including five at home.
Let the healing begin.
“I think it’s going as well as expected,” said Dallas who was previously the head coach at North County in Bonne Terre. “We’re not close to where we need to be but we’ve made some major strides with guys working hard this summer. We’re changing the culture slowly. Those things don’t change overnight. I knew that going in this was a marathon, not a sprint.
“The encouraging thing is that when we have a low day, we come back and have a productive day the next day.”
Where there was barely enough players to field a full 11-man lineup by the time the Eagles ended their varsity season Sept. 30 against Jefferson, Dallas now has 30 high school players, freshmen through seniors, on the roster. Grandview Middle School’s seventh- and eighth-grade teams have a large amount of players.
“The seniors and juniors have taken that role to help teach the younger kids,” Dallas said. “Changing the overall culture is a day-by-day process. This isn’t fly-by-night. We have to be committed to working hard at practice every day. I’m not shy to remind them what the expectations are and we’re going to hold their feet to the fire with them.”
Some familiar names have returned. Running back and linebacker Bryan Martinez is back for his junior year and could be the key to the team’s immediate improvement. Sophomore wide receiver Dylan Barker, lineman Franklin Greenman, linebacker Trace McDaniel, senior wide receiver Trey Milner and junior running back Ely Moore were all on the varsity last year.
Sophomore Drew Litvak could literally make a huge impact on the team’s fortunes for three years as a mammoth 6-7, 330-pound offensive and defensive lineman who is new to the program.
Freshman Jacob Brand transferred from De Soto and has the upper hand at quarterback. Brand is being challenged by sophomore Ayden Bergner.
“We’ll be very basic with our playbook,” Dallas said. “The ironic thing is some of the younger coaches are eager to move forward and we’ve only been able to move on in phases. Football IQ was talked about and the kids are starting to understand formations and why we’re doing what we’re doing.”
Dallas concedes it will take time to breath life back into Grandview’s football program, and he isn’t looking for a quick fix.
“I knew what I was getting into,” he said. “There’s no question, there’s been some good, bad and ugly. It’s a matter of levelling off those peaks and valleys.
“I’m hoping we’ll be able to go back to the varsity level a year from now. If we have some success at the JV level, that will get more kids involved. We’re shooting to develop the program. Part of that includes success on the field, which will breed confidence into the whole program.”
The Eagles open at home Aug. 21 against Scott City. Dallas said the players who have worked throughout the summer to try and help Grandview return to the varsity ranks have shown courage.
“It’s not about Dave Dallas,” he said. “This is about Grandview football. It’s a win-win situation for both of us. I want to develop this program so it can be sustained for a long time. I don’t play golf or fish. I don’t have anything else to do.”