High school football preview: Oberlin Phoenix
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OBERLIN — It seems like ancient history, those days when Oberlin was lucky to win just one football game a season.
Since Dave McFarland took over the program after two successful stints at Elyria Catholic, the Phoenix has won four and six games, respectively, in his two seasons.
Going 6-4 (3-4 in the Patriot Athletic Conference) has the community abuzz. But McFarland isn’t ready to call it a success just yet.
“Simply, we try to work on character and integrity,” McFarland said. “We’re trying to do things the right way. We make football important, but we also hold school and family just as, if not more, important.
“We want to practice the way champions practice and that also translates into school work. We’re happy to be making strides both academically and athletically, and we aim to continue to make more strides in both areas.”
In each season, the Phoenix won its first three games before hitting conference play. The team has improved from 1-6 to 3-4 in PAC play in the two seasons, and it hopes that trend continues.
“We’re confident in our talent,” said senior guard/linebacker Dorian Pretlow.
“I think we use (Oberlin’s losing reputation) as motivation. The games we lose, we use as motivation. We don’t want to be a losing program anymore. Oberlin used to be a winning program, and that’s what we’re striving to be consistently.”
Before McFarland came aboard, Oberlin seemed like it changed head coaches as often as most people change socks. Rarely did a football coach at Oberlin stay longer than a year.
But that was before McFarland took over.
“Coach McFarland is the best coach I’ve ever had,” Pretlow said. “He talks to the players like men. He cares about us as people, about our families. He’s a great leader as well. He puts a lot of pressure on us and we take it and use it to our advantage. He’s a great motivator and I love playing for him.”
Pretlow and his identical twin brother, Duane, are back to help anchor an offensive line that had its best season in a long time a year ago. That was due in part to the presence of left tackle Hugh Thornton, who is now playing Division I football at Illinois.
“It helped me a lot,” Pretlow said. “We played with a D-I player and went against him every day in practice. He was a great teammate and a great leader. After playing with him, we’re confident that we can play with anybody. We’re confident in our talent.”
McFarland will be counting on his line a lot. The Pretlows, Drew Randleman, Shane Ramsey, Anthony Barnhill and Mason Smith will try to not only fill the big shoes Thornton left, but also pave the way for a power running attack out of Oberlin’s base I-formation.
“They are all talented kids,” McFarland said. “I think we have a nice offensive line. They have nice size up front. They’re coming back and have been together for a few seasons, and our season is predicated on the type of leadership they bring.”
Seniors Jarron Hicks, Devin Martin, Aaron James and junior Jeris Geiger will be counted on to run the ball behind that line. Severin Holsworth, who was once the starting quarterback for Oberlin, will be used more as an “athlete” this season, as McFarland devises ways to get the ball in his senior co-captain’s hands.
“If we get the leadership that I expect from our senior class, it’s going to be a very successful year,” McFarland said. “We think we’ll be as good as our seniors are.
“Our senior class is pretty talented athletically, but we haven’t had good leadership in the last 10 years on the football field, and we’re emphasizing that. We want high character and integrity, which is doing the right thing when no one’s watching. Our seniors are our key in that regard.”
Pretlow, for one, has been more than happy to take on a leadership role. He is imploring his teammates to shoot for heights that Oberlin hasn’t seen in a very long time.
“I think we’re that good that we could eventually surpass Clearview and Lutheran West (in the PAC Stripes),” he said. “It’s on us, though. We have to stay focused and believe in ourselves and stay confident in our abilities, do things the right way.
“As a team, we’re very talented. If we just practice hard, everything will take over and we’ll win ballgames, we’ll be a playoff team and we’ll shock the county. I’m psyched about this season more than I ever have.”
Oberlin Phoenix
- Coach: Dave McFarland, 3rd year
- Conference: Patriot Athletic, Stripes Division
- 2008 record: 6-4, 3-4 Stripes
- Fast fact: Oberlin has won its last six non-conference games, but just four of its last 14 conference games.
Schedule
- Aug. 28: Columbus South
- Sept. 4: Lutheran East
- Sept. 11: Akron Kenmore
- Sept. 18: Buckeye
- Sept. 25: at Black River
- Oct. 2: Wellington
- Oct. 9: at Columbia
- Oct. 16: Brooklyn
- Oct. 23: at Lutheran West
- Oct. 30: Clearview
Contact Dan Gilles at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.
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