Now those seniors are ready for their time.
“We’ve been to the regional three years in a row,” senior quarterback Tyler Halls said. “We’re not satisfied with that. It’s getting old. We want something new: a state championship.”
The Greyhounds only lost two starters to graduation. This year, they have 15 seniors, a handful of which have been starting since their freshman season. Head coach Dick Mynahan, who is in his 29th year at the helm, said that represents a past dearth, either in talent or in bodies. That might be true, but it hasn’t been too detrimental.
These seniors’ three previous seasons have all been ended by Oak Hill in the region playoffs. Their freshman season, 2013, the Raiders beat Lisbon 21-20 in the regional semifinal. In the 2014 regional final, Oak Hill won 7-6. Oak Hill won last year’s regional final 21-20.
That’s three straight straight season-ending one-point losses to the eventual state champions.
“It’s been tough, but you know it’s done nothing but motivate us even more,” senior Noah Francis said. “And it’s going to have us come out this year … running a lot faster and a lot harder.”
The seniors are now one year older and better, starting with Halls, one of the more dynamic players in the state. This is his second year as the Greyhounds’ starting quarterback, and Francis said Halls is still just as dangerous with his legs but is now even better throwing the ball.
“He’s improved a lot over the summer,” Francis said. “He throws a nice ball. He’s a real leader on this team. He’s amazing. He’s always been a great runner, but he can really thread the needle now.”
Then there’s the big, bad defense.
“We’ve got a brute defense,” Francis said. “I’m going to be blunt and honest with you, we’ve got a brute defense this year. We got a strong D-line, strong ’backers and DBs. I’m going to say we’re strong all around.”
All of the starters on this year’s defense either started or saw significant action in 2015. That includes the line, which is huge.
“Our defensive line is just …” Tanton Mattson said. “I play middle linebacker, so I get to see it all: We have Noah, who’s 280 pounds, we got a 300-pound guy, we have a 350-pound guy, and then we have another 280-pound guy — we can just plug in these heavy guys wherever we want. It’s so helpful to linebackers. They just move people out of the way. It’s ridiculous.”
So the Greyhounds have a right to have high expectations. And they do.
“I just think this year it’s state championship or nothing,” Mattson said. “We’ve come so close, every year (losing) by one point. At this point, you just have certain expectations, and that motivates us.”
It’s reasonable. Oak Hill seems primed to finally drop off at least a little — Mynahan, though, cautions about counting out the Raiders — and that leaves Lisbon and Winthrop/Monmouth as the favorites in D South.
Both the Greyhounds and the Ramblers, who face off in the season opener, have talent and experience, and both showed their bona fides by taking Oak Hill to the wire in the postseason last year.
Mynahan said the expectations aren’t necessarily different, but with all the veterans on this season’s team, he’s treating them different.
“What we have is an expectation that when we come to preseason, we work hard. And, you know, they work hard,” Mynahan said. “Probably the difference in this team is that I’ve been probably a little bit more aggressive with them and I’m having them work a little bit harder and a little bit faster, because a lot of them are experienced.”
Mattson said the increased workload isn’t at all subtle.
“We pushed the sled for 15 minutes the other day, and we’ve never done that in a preseason before,” he said. “We’re just working hard.”
Working for a big finish.
“We’ve been talking about this stuff since we were in fourth grade,’ Halls said. “Always, ‘Our senior year, ah, nobody will beat us.’ And it’s time to do it now.”
lhorton@sunjournal.com
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