Last year, the Ravenna Ravens’ football team laid the groundwork for a new era in Ravenna football with alum Coach Brian Coman in his first season at the helm. Fresh off their first playoff appearance since the 2021 season, the Ravens are ready to take the next step.
“We are hoping to win every game if we can and just build on what we have learned and what we have done and just hopefully guys being in the system for another year,” the second-year coach said. “They will understand the system better so they can play better and can play faster.”
Although the Ravens posted a 4-6 record in the regular season, they still qualified for the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division IV Region 13 playoffs but were ousted in the first round when they faced Lake Catholic. Coman said that after experiencing a taste of playoff football, the Ravens want more. Their path back to the postseason will be difficult as new rules by the OHSAA have reduced the number of teams that can qualify for the playoffs from 16 to 12.
Coman acknowledged that the fewer number of teams that can earn a playoff berth makes the margin of error much thinner. The Ravens also will seek to make their mark in the Metro Athletic Conference, where they have not fared well in the last several years but will try to move up in the standings as next year, the conference will expand with Cuyahoga Falls and Kent Roosevelt joining the league.
In addition to seeking another postseason berth, Ravenna will also have some growing pains to deal with after graduating a big senior class, leaving it with very little varsity experience especially on defense.
The Ravens do return their starting quarterback in senior C.J. Ross, who returns for his third varsity season after throwing for 944 yards on 77 completions out of 145 attempts for
“I expect big things from him,” Coman said of the 6-foot-3 senior. “We are not just going to sit back there and throw a million times, but we are also going to use him in the run game also, he ran track this year and he has gotten a little faster so we are going to try and use his legs a little bit too.”
The Ravens will have a new look in their rushing game, with seniors Marcus Hutchinson, LaDarien Askew, juniors Asygh Gaines and Mark Miller and freshman Carson Swauger playing tailback.
According to Coman, although the Ravens’ running back room has a different look, there is also a little more speed and shiftiness.
“We changed our offense around so we will be running a different offense and will spread the ball around more running the ball like we did passing the ball last year,” he added. “We will have a multitude of guys carrying the ball.”
The wide receivers that Ross will be throwing too will be the 5-foot-10 Askew and seniors Mason Scott and Zaire Sanders.
The Ravens’ most experienced position will be on the offensive line, as junior Collin Dray returns at center, junior Bradley Davis moves into the interior as one of the guards and senior Jontez Williams will transition from guard to tackle. Junior Dominick Meckley and sophomore Nathen Plona will help fortify the line.
“That is where we make the money at and if we can get into the middle, being able to run up the middle is easier than to get outside,” Coman noted. “People are having trouble stopping us going up the middle, getting north and south.”
Although the Ravens’ defense is not as experienced as the offense, Coman highlighted the team’s secondary as its greatest strength, with Askew, who made 26 tackles as one of the starting cornerbacks, joined by junior D’Anthony Allen, who recorded 11 tackles, Ross returning as a safety after accumulating 35 tackles and recording two interceptions and Miller coming back as the team’s outside linebacker.
Most of Ravenna’s offensive line will also double up as defensive linemen, including Davis, but junior Darius Brown will also play in the trenches after taking a year off from football.
“They are inexperienced but hopefully size and what they are learning this year is going to kick in and we will be able to hold gaps and let our linebackers run,” Coman said. “Our linebackers as a whole are a little more athletic this year.”
The Ravens will welcome neighborhood and Portage County rival Kent Roosevelt to Portage Community Bank Stadium in the season-opener on Aug. 22 at 7 p.m.
