Sidney junior Julius Spradling runs during a Miami Valley League game against Stebbins on Aug. 25, 2023 at Sidney Memorial Stadium. Spradling missed half of last season with a shoulder injury and is looking to be a big playmaker on offense and defense this year for the Yellow Jackets, which are scheduled to host Bellefontaine on Friday to start the season.
Bryant Billing | Sidney Daily News
SIDNEY — Sidney is hoping experience will help it have a successful season in Dave Taynor’s second year at the helm.
The Yellow Jackets will have a big challenge to start the season on Friday when Bellefontaine and Ohio State commit Tavien St. Clair come to Sidney Memorial Stadium.
“He’s a great player,” Sidney coach Dave Taynor said. “He makes plays on schedule and off schedule.”
Sidney, which finished 5-6 last year, lost four of its last five games a year ago and is hoping to be consistently successful this year.
After a slow start, the squad hit its stride in the middle of the season and won three straight games in lopsided fashion. But the loss of two key playmakers and a few other role players for various reasons slowed the squad down the stretch.
“We feel like we’ve produced well in our scrimmages, but I think we have a lot of room still to get to our ceiling,” Taynor said.
The squad has many returnees, including seniors Julius Spradling and Ethan New, who were first team all-Miami Valley League selections a year ago.
New took over at quarterback late last year and has worked all offseason and preseason at the position.
“I think he’s made a lot of progress as a quarterback,” Taynor said. “I mean, effectively here in these two scrimmages, you got basically a whole varsity game in. And he’s just under 70 percent completion rate, has thrown for 332 yards and five touchdowns in it.
“He’s done some pretty good things. I’d like for him to get a little bit more on process. Sometimes he’s looking for the big play over taking the easy things. I want him to get more comfortable with not bypassing something if they give you something. But he’s made a lot of progress and he’s done a pretty good job.”
Spradling missed the second half of the season after suffering a shoulder injury before halftime in Week 5. He ran for 405 yards and four TDs, had 289 receiving yards and three TDs and had 217 return yards and two TDs in 4.5 games.
Spradling played at QB, running back and receiver last year and is expected to play mostly at receiver this year.
Also returning at receiver is senior Perry “Tank” Fleming, who missed the second half of last year. Fleming had a team-high 371 receiving yards and seven TDs in six games and had 269 return yards and two TDs.
Aside from catching passes, both are expected to be threats when returning kickoffs and punts this year.
“We’re looking forward to our return game,” Taynor said. “Before those two guys’ seasons were cut short last year, I think there was a two or three-game period where they had five returns for touchdowns. They bring a dynamic element to the specials teams area, and we look for them to continue to do it.
“We’ve got to do a great job of blocking. We did an excellent job last year. We seem to be in the right spots now during camp, but you don’t get as many live reps against varsity level players on special teams during practices.”
Aside from Spradling and Fleming, Tanner Snider and Fleming’s younger brother Demarcuse will also see time at receiver. Joelon Lyons and Grady Mitchell are both expected to see significant time at tight end.
“Marc (Demarcuse) has had a couple pretty good games is showing some flashes here in our scrimmages,” Taynor said. “… Joelon played mostly defensively for us last year and didn’t play much on offense, but I think he’s another guy that can be a weapon for us at tight end”
Senior Isaiah Foster returns at running back. Foster, who was a second team all-MVL selection last year, ran for 589 yards and five touchdowns on 109 carries. He will split time at the position with junior Ishhod Diamonde.
“Both of them have had pretty good camps,” Taynor said. “Looking for them to step up as the season goes on.”
Seniors Luke Carter and Sean Strohmenger are returning starters on the offensive line. Another returning letterwinner on the line is junior Joe Boehm. Carter and Strohmenger are starting at offensive tackle, and Boehm is playing at center.
Junior Carter VanZant is starting at right guard, and Taynor said he is a stalwart. Senior Carter Collingsworth is expected to start at left guard, though he was injured against CJ, and Taynor was unsure of his status after the scrimmage. He said seniors Landon Sibert, Logan Hilyard and Marcus Allen could see time at the spot. He also said junior Karson Clack is in competition for playing time on the line.
Mitchell is the team’s kicker and punter and also plays at defensive back. Taynor described him as a “glue guy.”
“He’s solid and consistent,” Taynor said. “He did have an uncharacteristic missed extra point (in a scrimmage against Chaminade-Julienne), but he made a field goal and made the other extra point in the first half there.”
VanZant and Carter will play on the defensive line. Carter, who had 32.5 tackles and seven sacks last year, is the team’s returning tackler; he was a second team all-MVL selection a year ago.
Strohmenger, Sibert and junior Davonte Harris will be among players who rotate on the defensive line. Freshman Derrick Moorehead is expected to see time on the line by the end of the season.
Linebackers was the corps hardest hit by graduation. Senior Cain VanZant is the top returnee at the position; he had 28 tackles last year. Foster, senior Hayden Westerbeck and sophomore Draven Ferguson will also see time the position, and Taynor said some other younger players could see time at the position as the year progresses.
“VanZant was out the first scrimmage, and Westerbeck was (sick) for the second, so we’ve yet to have our full starting linebacker corps out there in either scrimmage,” Taynor said. “Hopefully we’ll have that going into the first game.”
Diamonde, Tank Fleming and Spradling are the team’s main cornerbacks. Snider will start at free safety and Marc Fleming and Lyons are seeing significant time at the position. Taynor said senior Novi Jones could contribute at both positions, and sophomore Ashton Herron may rotate at the positions as well.
The Chieftains, which finished 11-3 year, are looking for a strong season with St. Clair, a senior, under center for the final time. He threw for over 3,000 yards last year and had 37 touchdowns and six interceptions.
“He can put the ball in any place on the field,” Taynor said. “So we’ve got to be mindful that we are staying in relationship to the offensive skill players that he’s trying to get the ball.
“If you look at where they were last year and this year, seeing their first scrimmage and their second scrimmage, you’ve seen marked improvement from one scrimmage to the next. … They had some skill players that were gone from last year, but I think they’ve got guys there that can replace them.
“It’s going to be important that we keep him contained.”
Friday’s game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. The Yellow Jackets are slated to start MVL play in Week 2 by traveling to Stebbins.
Reach Sidney Daily News editor Bryant Billing at 937-538-4822, or follow @BryantBillingSDN on Facebook or @TopBillingSport on X (Twitter).
