The Ravenna Ravens’ will have a smaller roster in their final season as members of the Metro Athletic Conference but will seek to build momentum as they prepare to move into the Greater Portage Athletic Conference.
“It is a big “if” just because we want to do well, we want to get to that conference just to show that we are coming to win,” Coach Brian Coman said. “It is always big to be able to win but to be able to win and take it into next season would be great.”
The Ravens will compete in a MAC that welcomes several newcomers, as Portage County rival Kent Roosevelt is joining the fray, along with Tallmadge and Cuyahoga Falls.
“It will be a tough league,” noted the first-year coach. “Those teams are coming in and at least I know Tallmadge did well in the Suburban League. It is already Norton and Streetsboro and Cloverleaf that went to the playoffs last year, so it will be a good league.”
In the wake of graduating a big senior class, the Ravens’ depth will be tested with a small roster and only returning six starters on offense.
The Ravens’ new quarterback will be junior Ethan McKarney, who assumes the job after serving as the team’s junior varsity quarterback last year.
“Ethan is a smart kid,” Coman said of 5-foot-10 junior. “He is a good runner; he ran the ball a little bit for us on varsity last year. He throws decently and he is just one of those guys that knows what everybody is supposed to do out there on the field.”
McKarney will lead Ravenna’s Pistol Wing-T offense, and will be supported by senior tailbacks Mark Miller, D’Anthony Allen, juniors Andrew Mladek and Amric Crisp-Warner.
“The Wing-T has been around for years and a lot of schools that won state championships run Wing-T. The beauty of it is that you don’t have to have big, giant linemen to run those offenses,” added Coman. “With some offenses, you need giant linemen to create holes, the Pistol Wing-T has some deception in it.
The 5-foot-11 Allen and Miller are the most experienced tailbacks in the backfield, with Miller expected to lead the way.
“Mark is a scrappy guy,” noted Coman. “I keep telling people that for a guy who was 140 pounds you would not know that he was only 140 pounds last year. We will count on him a lot more. We were making sure that we could get him the ball because we know what he can do with it.”
Ravenna’s pass-catching corps will consist of senior Zander Mehalic, juniors Isaac Thompson, Julius Maddox and Liam Summers.
Although the wide receiving room has newer faces, Coman said that there was a lot of speed and athleticism at the position.
Ravenna’s offensive line will consist of four returnees, with senior Collin Dray expected to play center again. Senior Bradley Davis is expected to return to his role as the starting left tackle, senior Dominick Meckley is projected to be play guard and junior Noah Brode will be taking on the role of guard again.
“They played pretty well last year so I am hoping we put it together because they know each other and the offensive line is all about gelling together so we should be decent there,” Coman said.
On defense, Coman said that their offensive players will operate as two-way players more often, with the 6-foot-1 Davis leading the linebackers’ position, along with junior Carsyn Swauger and the 5-foot-4 Mladek.
Coman highlighted Davis as a key cog in the defensive scheme.
“We put him in the middle for a reason; he can run to the ball and make tackles. That is what he did last year at the end of the year for us,” he said.
On the defensive front, Coman listed the 5-foot-6 Dray, the 5-foot-10 Meckley, junior Seth Ashley and senior Demere Tatum as being key contributors.
Anchoring the secondary will be Allen, who will return as a starting cornerback, with the 5-foot-6 Maddox and Thompson also slated to see action as cornerbacks. Coman said that McKarney is expected to return as the starting safety and the other starting defensive back position is still to be determined.
The Ravens’ season will begin when their season when it hits the road to face Portage County and MAC foe Field at Falcons Field in Brimfield Township on Aug. 21 at 7 p.m.
