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Stepping up their game: Wildcats eye return to form in 2012
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
Plano Senior is well aware of the standard set by its football team.
Just looking through the athletics corridors and trophy case outside the coaches' offices is validation enough.
It's also why last season's 4-6 campaign burned so deep for the Wildcats, players and coaches alike.
It meant an offseason worth of reflection, with McCullough and Company painting a vision that has been in bloom since November. Nearly nine months later, what can be viewed as a redemption campaign takes form.
"I like where our kids are and we feel like they're buying into what we're talking about," McCullough said. "The discipline is there, the organization is there and we feel real good about their attitudes."
The Wildcats will go to battle with plenty to prove though, possessing just 16 returning lettermen and six starters from last season.
Should Plano hope to rebound, making good on the late-game gaffes that plagued the team during district play last season will be paramount. What strides Plano has made since then may fall on the development of its returners, including senior quarterback Richard Lagow.
Enjoying his second season at the helm of the offense, the 6-foot-6 Connecticut commit looks to build on a 2011 that saw him pass for 1,646 yards and 13 touchdowns.
"[Lagow] has grown as both a leader and with his confidence," said Linn Dickey, Plano offensive coordinator. "He knows what everybody on the field is supposed to be doing and not only does he know, he expects them to do it at a high level.
"It's night and day how much he believes in what we're trying to accomplish. I think the state of Texas is fixing to realize how good he is."
With the bulk of his receivers having graduated, Lagow has had a summer and then some to build a rapport with his new targets. Among the most familiar from last year will be senior Anthony Antwine, who logged just 15 receptions for 173 yards, while seniors Devon Richardson and Corben Whitehair will also see plenty of action for an offense that helped capture a Division I 7-on-7 State Championship over the summer.
"[Whitehair has] always been one of my go-to guys," Lagow said. "We've gone to school together since elementary. At first, coaches were thinking he was too small, but during 7-on-7 he really caught their eye and is in the starting rotation now."
The backfield will be a spot to monitor, with Plano deploying a running game that is yet to log a carry at the varsity level -- excluding the 61 rushes by quarterbacks Lagow and sophomore Christian Hutzler last season.
With no back head and shoulders above the rest at the moment, expect a dose of seniors Braylan Campbell and Andre Morman early on.
Up front, the Wildcats will be anchored at left tackle by senior and TCU commit Joseph Noteboom, with sophomore Lukas Arrieta bookending the line on the right side. Senior Francis Mtuke returns as a starter, with the likes of seniors Kevin Holland and Evan Hainlin also projected to see time. The versatility of players like Noteboom and Hainlin will be utilized as well, with the two as options for situational packages on the defensive line.
The full-time anchors up front on defense include senior Troy Propes and sophomore Sam Tecklenburg at tackle, with seniors Matt Hintz and Jonathon Coleman at end.
"We're going to do what we do," said Eric Fisher, Plano defensive coordinator. "The scheme works and is proven. For us, it's about execution. As long as we line up and play the way we're supposed to, we're confident we can play the type of defense that everyone expects us to."
Fisher, in his second year overseeing the defense, added that the Wildcats' secondary -- while still green -- has taken the biggest leap of any defensive unit during the offseason. A large part of that has been the development of junior safety Austin Connell as the eyes and ears of the outfit.
"[Connell] figured out what it was like to play 5A football last year," Fisher said. "With his experience, it's so crucial because he's going to get everybody lined up and in position as far as coverage goes."
Aiding Connell at safety will be sophomore Cody Farhat, while juniors Josh Johnson, Collin Carpenter and senior Dylan Muckey help out at cornerback.
Experience is a bit more on the side of the linebacker corps, most notably with the return of District 8-5A Newcomer of the Year junior David Griffith, plus senior Brian Hanks and junior Tim Yoder.
The unit will look to improve on the 2011 edition of the defense, which surrendered 30.1 points per district contest.
A rough-and-tumble non-district schedule should help ease any growing pains. Plano is embarking on a slate familiar to fans with three schools from 2011's district schedule on the docket. Among those is Lewisville, which Plano opens against Friday at 7:30 p.m. from Kimbrough Stadium. It's one of five games, including Hebron and Flower Mound Marcus, which will pave the way to a crucial five-game stretch of 10-5A play.
"We have a new district and there are fewer teams to play," Noteboom said. "I think we'll be well-prepared and we'll be ready to get one of those playoff spots."
"We've set realistic goals," McCullough added. "We know we're still young and we know this will be a challenge."
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