Three Rivers Athletic Conference (TRAC) Preview – Part 1

<span id="more-170979"></span>Hear ye’ Hear ye; it’s that time of the year again where fans get anxious, and coaches get their teams to block out the noise. I hope they are ready because my 2021 predictions are here and in a big way for the Three Rivers Athletic Conference. This league houses some of the best players in the state year in and year out, but soon this league will collapse, so let’s enjoy it while we have it here still. Let’s take a look at my predictions for the 2021 season and how I think teams will finish out this fall. Note: Each group will be listed in the following category of Rebuilding, Fringe, or Contenders. &nbsp; <h2>Rebuilding</h2> &nbsp; <strong>Oregon Clay Eagles: 2020 (1-6)</strong> The Eagles did not soar very high to start the 2020 season, but they did find a place to nest in the playoffs. What we learned about this football team is that Jordan Pettaway is an outstanding football player. Pettaway took the team to its first playoff victory in school history and did it with an impressive performance. DE Ty Cobb will be another player who will help this team rally from the league’s bottom to gaining respect in 2021. Each game will be a challenge, but with Pettaway in the backfield, lighting can strike at any time for the Eagles. &nbsp; <strong>St. Francis De Sales: 2020 (6-3)</strong> Bruce! Bancroft legend from the University of Toledo, Bruce Gradkowski, will now take the helm for the Knights. St. Francis played inspired football last season and earned a couple of playoff victories under Dan Chipka. Since then, a lot was lost from the Head coach to Star RB and WR transferring out due to different reasons. Denim Truss will be slated as the starting QB after losing the Varsity job as a sophomore due to injury. The QB guru, now head coach, is looking forward to developing this young and talented team. Wins will be expensive in 2021 but expect the Knights to compete well and play smarter. &nbsp; <h2>Fringe</h2> &nbsp; <strong>Whitmer Panthers: 2020 (1-5) </strong> Coach Winters and the Panthers entered a new age in 2020 to win without Keller at QB. You have to give credit where credit is due, and Riley Keller was as extraordinary as they get and have the intangibles to win football games. The 2020 team also had a substantial defensive blow losing Captian Kamron Vargas before the season. Moving forward, this 2021 version of the Panthers features a veteran offensive line led by Bryce Keller and a backfield combo completed by QB Kevin Hornbeak and St. Francis de Sales transfer RB Steven McCoy. Senior LB/RB Jayden Gibbson is also a key factor to this football team, as he had a breakout season in 2020. Expect the Panthers to get started fast on offense this season, but the defense will remain the question mark until proven differently. &nbsp; <strong>Lima Senior Spartans: 2020 (1-5) </strong> This team is full of talent and potential, but it’s up to coach Townsend to get it out of the Spartans as they have a veteran group headed into 2021. The Spartans had very little luck in the 2020 season as they lost star DB <span style="font-size: 1rem;">Isaiah Funches Foster due to injury for most of the year. [player_tooltip player_id="34474" first="Marcus" last="Brown"] 2022 LB, Diante Griffin 2022 DB, Cecil Benton ATH 2022, and Kam Smith 2023 LB are just a few players that will impact this team significantly in 2021. Expect the Spartans to surprise a few groups and get an upset or two in the TRAC. This team has a lot of varsity experience, and that matters a lot! </span> &nbsp; <strong>St. John’s Jesuit Titans: 2020 (4-2)</strong> The Titans will now experience what Whitmer endured in 2021, a true four-year leader at QB moving off to college; yes, [player_tooltip player_id="34202" first="Brady" last="Lichtenberg"] University of Cincinnati freshman. The Lichtenberg Era is not over as little brother Blake takes over at QB and has already earned a D1 FCS scholarship to Youngstown before his first varsity start. Coach McDaniels will also have to deal with retooling his team but brings back young talented players on the rise. Julius Jackson ’22 (CB), Braden DeGroff ‘22, Thomas Gallagher ‘23, and Daylen Glaze ’22 will be players to watch. Expect this team to score points and make plays in the secondary on defense. Keep an eye on how this team progresses upfront with a young physical front. &nbsp; Contenders in the Next Article! Til then...