Entering his second season in charge, Northwest head coach Scott Gerling has his sights set on progress, not perfection.
“I want to see growth with the kids on the field and in the classroom,” Gerling said. “Obviously, we’d like to win every game, every week, but seeing them progress as young men and achieve their goals, that’s what we look for.”
There is plenty of room to grow. The Lions are 1-19 over the last two seasons. But it’s only been three years since Northwest carved out a respectable 5-5 campaign in 2021. In their one win last year, the Lions devoured Mehlville 39-7.
Gerling, who was the school’s fourth head coach in as many years when he started in 2023, has a less experienced squad this fall after graduating 20 seniors; this year he’s got only six. Gerling said he has a lot of faith in their leadership potential.
“The seniors we have are really good kids and really good leaders,” he said. “They understand that, at times, they have to be a little bit patient. They’ve done a really good job of raising the expectations of commitment level and work ethic. And understanding that the guys who are around them are not (just) their classmates, but their teammates.”
Atop Gerling’s to-do list is finding a new starting quarterback. Nick Younkins graduated after accounting for more than 1,100 yards (640 passing, 483 running) and nine touchdowns last year.
Cooper Viehland returns for his senior season after seeing limited action in 2023. Sophomore Cohenn Stark, a rising star on Northwest’s wrestling team, also will take some snaps. Gerling is playing his decision close to the vest.
“I don’t know (who will start),” he said. “They’re probably both going to play. And we’ll just see how it pans out. If we go all year and play both kids, I’m OK with that. They’re both playing on defense and special teams as well.”
Junior Hunter Williams started on the offensive line last year and returns bigger, stronger and wiser. Two other projected starters alongside him are seniors Caleb Vandaveer and Jake Friebel, who missed last season with an injury.
Senior Wes Knuckles is a three-year starter at wide receiver. He had 21 receptions last year and averaged 17.1 yards per catch. He also contributed one touchdown and one safety at defensive back.
Junior Drew Spratt returns at linebacker and running back after a productive first varsity season on both sides of the ball in 2023. At RB, Spratt ran 22 times, averaging 3.5 yards per carry. At LB, he tallied 29 tackles, 16 assists and two sacks.
Another junior, Adam Banks, will start at linebacker after posting 35 tackles (23 solos) and two tackles for loss a year ago. He’ll also add depth and versatility at running back, with Gerling dubbing him a “Swiss army knife” offensively.
Last year’s Lion secondary logged seven interceptions, a number that will need to be higher this fall if the team’s record is to improve. Gerling has several holes to fill there.
The head coach said he’s happy with the early chemistry his squad is developing and believes it will grow as the season goes on.
For the third straight season, Northwest will open against Sullivan, a Class 4 school coming off a good year (8-3). The Eagles blitzed the Lions 49-3 at Cedar Hill last year. Other highlights of the schedule are the home opener Sept. 13 against neighbor Seckman and an Oct. 4 visit to Fox. It will be the first meeting of the longtime rivals since 2020.