Elida Football Preview

Elida feels like they are in an odd spot. They're competitive and winning a bunch of games, but are they really a contender to push for a state title? Well, this year things could be very different. They're having a quarterback grow up in a hurry and they think he's ready to take a big jump. There is a ton of buzz in the area as the Bulldogs season nears. The Bulldogs are led by Kyle Harmon. Harmon was brought in January of 2020 and is heading into year 2 as the head coach. Harmon carries himself with an edge and is a high-energy coach. He's also a teacher so he gets to have close relationships with student-athletes. Heading into year 2 he thinks they can build on top of the building blocks they set last year. The Bulldogs have a big task trying to replace Andrew Etzkorn. Etzkorn graduated and left behind a huge role in the rushing attack. He was the Bulldogs leading rusher and was a star. They're hoping that a few younger players can step up together and merge the gap. Elida is led by their young, but Star, QB Larkin Henderson. Henderson is young and still learning the game. He's developing really fast and Coach Harmon is excited about his potential. Henderson is a fantastic athlete and is always a threat to run. He can expand the offense with his read-option ability. They think he can develop in the mental game as well. A lot of the Bulldogs season rides on Henderson and his development. They're going to use him more in the running game with Etzkorn gone. He's going to need to step up there as well.  I'm sure he hears all of the noise but hopefully, he can focus on what he needs to. Isaac Kelley might not be the best athlete or the biggest name player for the Bulldogs but he's going to be a factor in 2021. Kelley's tape, while minimal, is promising. He's decent when coming off of the edge. He never gives up on a play and if he doesn't get to the quarterback before he throws the ball, Kelley always throws his hands up. He's going to knock down some balls and you never know when one of those balls is going to land in another defender's arms. The offense last year was alright but nothing special. They only put up 17 PPG but managed to go 6-3. They played tough defense and that's where they thrived. They gave up 55 points to Van Wert, the eventual state champs we recently covered, but then opposing offenses only cracked 20 points twice. This year's campaign starts on August 20th at home against Spencerville at 7 PM. They start off home for 3 straight weeks before they ever hit the road. They have multiple road games before they return home for a week. Elida then later finishes their season on the road at Shawnee on October 22nd. It's the season of hope right now across America. Every football team is optimistic and we start to get answers in a few weeks.