TRIBUNE-REVIEW • SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2018 • 11
Highlands returns talented skill players
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more advanced for when they
come up, so it’s not a hard
hassle for them.”
A senior-heavy team from
last season gives way to a
younger group this fall, but
a core of experienced upperclassmen
remain and will
need to take on bigger leadership
roles.
Heading that group is Cohen,
a senior who threw for
2,001 yards in his first full
season as starter—including
a school-record 412-yard, seven
touchdownperformance in
a double-overtime loss to New
Castle. Girardi said he expects
Cohen to take on a bigger leadership
role as a senior.
“It’s a lot more dedication
than it is skill or anything like
that,” Cohen said. “You just
have to come to every practice
and just knowevery play (and)
where everybody’s got to be at
every time.
“As a senior and a quarterback,
it’s like one of the coaches.
You’ve got to get people
here, you’ve got to be on time,
you’ve got to be everywhere.”
Girardi’s spread offense
calls for talented wide receivers
and a strong offensive line
that can protect the quarterback,
and the Golden Rams
have to replace four top contributors
at both spots.
Romello Freeman, Logan
Crise, Ryan Signorella and
Gabe Booker departed at wide
receiver. The group combined
for more than 80 catches, nearly
1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns
last season.
Johnny Crise, a 6-foot-7 juniorwho
caught 24 passes and
four touchdowns last season,
returns out wide. Taylor, a
“bruiser” of a running back in
Girardi’s words, led the team
with 398 rushing yards last
season and will supplement
the passing attack.
Senior Dan Thimons is the
lone returning full-timestarter
upfront,althoughseniorEthan
Jones also sawtime there. Thimons
will shift from left guard
to left tackle once he returns
from offseason foot surgery.
Senior linebacker Noah Gillette,
the Golden Rams’ leading
tackler last season with
106, will anchor the middle
of the defense. Thimons, who
had a team-high six sacks, and
Jones will lead the line, while
Crise is the primary leader in
the secondary.
A quintet of sophomores
— wide receiver/defensive
backs D.J. Loveland and Kaeleb
Radeshak, linemen Jeremiah
Nelson and Wahkeem
Roman and linebacker Kyron
Long — all have made offseason
strides and could take on
bigger roles this season.
“We have some key guys
in some key spots that we’re
going to rely on to bring the
new guys around,” Girardi
said. “That’s why we’ve been
preaching leadership. They
don’t even necessarily have to
be seniors.Anybodywho’s out
there on the field needs to take
some responsibility for trying
to get their teammates to play
at the best level that they can.”
That’s especially true in
Highlands’ Northwest 8 Conference,
a Class 4A league that
Girardi labeled a “meat grinder.”
Although Mars moved to
Class 5A through offseason
realignment, holdovers Ambridge,
Blackhawk, Knoch,
Montour, New Castle and
South Fayette remain and will
be joined by Beaver, a Class 3A
semifinalist last season.
“When you look at this conference,
there’snooneyoulook
at and say oh boy, this is an
easy one,” Girardi said. “And
that’s exciting. When it boils
down to it, we put in a lot of
time, a lot of effort, so let’s go
out and compete against good
teams and have good games.”
Highlands kicks off its season
with a Week Zero game
at Plum, followed by a nonconference
game at Keystone
Oaks before hosting Blackhawk
for its conference opener
Sept. 7.
“The big focus for us is us,”
Girardi said. “That’s what we
talk about all the time: We are
whatmatters. It doesn’tmatter
who we play, what matters is
us executing, what we’re supposed
to do to the best of our
ability. If we can do that, I’ll
put us up against anybody and
we’llhaveacompetitivegame.”
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