COVID-19 reduced the Blackcats’ 2020 season from the standard 10 games (before the playoffs) to seven. And the only time the tradition-rich bell rang was after a 38-20 victory over Crystal City in the middle of a 1-6 campaign, Cody Hunter’s last as head coach after three seasons.
Blane Boss takes over as the new head coach following a four-year stint as the head man at Perryville. After a summer of camps, the Blackcats of the I-55 Conference began preseason practice last week and Boss said he expected about 40 players to participate. Boss graduated from Windsor in 2004 after compiling a record-breaking career as an Owl running back. Now his Blackcats are scheduled to visit Windsor for the season-opener Aug. 27.
In last season’s kickoff, Herculaneum led the Owls 12-9 in the fourth quarter when Windsor quarterback Derek Williams sprinted 90 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
Boss recently talked about that game as though he had been there. He understands that just because the Owls are in a different conference (the Mississippi Area Football Conference Red Division), the proximity of the schools and relationships between the districts gives the game extra importance.
“We played them (in) Week 1 last year and it was tight to the end,” Boss said. “Derek Williams busted a long run and sealed the win. Being an opposing coach, it’s nice to not have to worry about a player like him. The kids know they were a couple of plays away from winning that game.
“It’s a big game for both programs because you’ve got new coaches (with Windsor head coach Jeff Funston) on both teams. I know Coach Funston well.
“It’s a huge game to get that confidence built,” Boss added. “(But) we’re not worried about Windsor right now. Our main goal (is to) think about how we can get better. After the jamboree, we’ll look more at what Windsor is doing.”
The Blackcats likely won’t know who their starting quarterback will be until after the jamboree on Friday. Juniors Lucas Bahr and Logan Petri are the top contenders for the job. Junior Jackson Dearing, the starting QB last year, has moved to wide receiver.
“With what we’re doing, (Dearing’s) our best thrower, but we’re running the option more,” Boss said. “We’ve got a couple more weeks to make that decision. The jamboree is live action. Some kids may freeze up and some may thrive. I like to wait until the week of the opener to make that decision. Whichever one (Bahr or Petri) doesn’t play quarterback will probably play running back.”
Herky’s top returning ball carrier is junior Mikey Moloney, a three-year varsity veteran. He averaged 7.1 yards per carry in 2020 and scored four touchdowns. Moloney also starts at linebacker, where he was a second-team all-conference pick a year ago.
“He’s one of the leaders we count on to bring the team together,” Boss said. “He’s been like a taxi service bringing his teammates to practice for us. He’s always in the right place and you don’t have to coach him a whole lot. We’re looking for big things out of him.”
Boss is still trying to piece together the offensive line. Senior Cody Gibson started at guard last year; after him it’s all up for grabs. Seniors T.J. Mize and Joey Burns, juniors James Mouyassar, Jordan McMahon and Devin Hagan and sophomores Shea Eberhardt and Austin Newman are all in the mix for starting jobs up front.
At wide receiver, Boss said as many as six players could get reps, but he’s not sure yet who will start.
“We’ve got some speed, height and toughness out there,” he said.
Moloney is the key to Herky’s defense, which was bled white after allowing 171 points in the final three games last year. Boss said the defense could employ a 3-4 or 4-3 formation with a good rotation on the line of scrimmage, using the same players from the O-line competition. Gibson will join Moloney at inside linebacker.
“Mikey’s the QB on defense. He calls the plays,” Boss said. “We have depth in the secondary. We’re trying to figure out the linebacker pieces.”
Junior Dylan Jarvis will resume his duties as the kicker. Boss said he’s sorting among four players for the punting duties.
Boss was the offensive coordinator at Windsor from 2014 through 2016 and had a record of 18-21 at Perryville. Hunter is staying on as an assistant coach for the Blackcats and remains the head coach of the wrestling team.