Written by: Marlowe Hereford
Skyline graduate Michael Berger enters his second season as head coach of Thunder Ridge, where there is much enthusiasm surrounding the up and coming talent within the program.
Berger said he is most excited about seeing his younger players take on varsity roles.
"We will be battling inexperience in multiple areas, but it will be a great opportunity to establish new leadership roles in our program," Berger said. "It is a fun group to coach and see them progress day after day."
Bringing the players up to speed, executing and staying healthy will all be points of emphasis this season for the Titans on both sides of the ball.
Berger said senior Jayden Tuia and junior Andrew Daines will lead the offensive line.
"Going into the season, we are excited to experiment with a different variation of our spread offense," Berger said. "We need to be able to control the line of scrimmage and run the ball if we want to be successful."
Execution and an effective running game are offensive areas Berger said the Titans want to improve. He added that Thunder Ridge has multiple young and talented wide receivers who are vying to start, and quarterback is also to be determined upon the graduation of Tayvin Oswald.
"It will be critical for whoever wins the QB competition to spread the ball around and get our playmakers the ball in space," Berger said.
Berger said senior linebacker Cael Grimmett will be a leader on the Titans defense, and he also commended senior defensive lineman Parker Dougal for his offseason work. Stopping the run and preventing explosive plays will be priorities on defense.
"We need to get our front seven more physical and confident at eliminating opposing teams' run games," Berger said. "Another area that has to be improved is eliminating explosive plays. Last year, we gave up too many big plays that prevented us from being competitive."
Like Highland head coach Nick Sorrell, Berger also tabbed Madison as a team to watch within 5A District 5-6 this season.
"History has shown that Rigby and Highland have been dominant in our conference, but Madison has many talented young groups that are getting to the varsity level," Berger said.
Thunder Ridge begins the season with a home game Aug. 18 versus Minico.