Legendary prep coach again running a program. Cardinal Mooney hoping same success follows.
The Cardinal Mooney High football team lost several stellar players from the 2017 squad to graduation, but first-year coach Paul Maechtle believes the Cougars have the pieces in place to overcome those departures.
“There’s some inexperience in Friday night activities, but they’ve been experienced with the group,” said Maechtle, who takes over as head coach after three seasons as a Cougars assistant and a legendary 33-year head coaching career at Southeast.
“The 10th graders have molded in well with the juniors. The juniors have accepted them, and the seniors have accepted them. I think there’s some good chemistry there among those kids.”
The Cougars, who finished 4-5 last season after forfeiting two games, plan to run a faster-paced offense directed by junior quarterback Ryan Bolduc. Junior wide receiver Meko Mayes figures to be his primary target, and junior running back Tray Hall figures to receive the bulk of the carries. Senior Sam Koscho will play running back and slot receiver.
Bolduc, who received some playing time last fall in place of the since-graduated starter Jack Koscho, will be taking over an offense that returns four starters. Hall and many of the team’s receivers will be starting for the first time in their careers.
“We’re still going to have a good run game with Tray Hall because he’s a really good running back, too,” Bolduc said. “He’s very similar to Bryce Williams (who signed with Minnesota). Our passing game will be more incorporated into the offense. We’ll definitely be faster, but it’s all just stick to the basics and just move the ball, move the chains.”
The defense — which returns three starters, all in the secondary — likely will need time to come together as a unit.
The Cougars have Sam Koscho at strong safety, as well as senior safety Rees Swink, junior cornerback Ty Deener and junior cornerback Miles Curley to rely upon. However, they have no starters returning on the defensive line or at linebacker.
“Obviously, the secondary is pretty strong,” said Koscho, who plans to continue his football career at Dartmouth next year. “They know what they’re doing. It’s just a matter of the younger kids on the line and the linebackers learning their responsibilities.
“Once they get comfortable with it, they’ll know what to do.”
What to watch for in 2018
Mayes joined the Cougars two years ago as a 6-foot-1 freshman with great promise, and he showed flashes of the player he could become when he had two touchdowns and 144 receiving yards in the Cougars’ season-opener against Bishop Verot last year.
But, Maechtle said, stiffness and dropped passes have kept Mayes from reaching his potential. With several talented wide receivers from last season gone, Mayes needs to take a step forward. Maechtle said Mayes is showing progress in preseason practice.
“The other day at practice, he made one of those catches where you go, ‘Oooooooooh,’ ” Maechtle said. “That’s what you’re waiting to see. He was looking over one shoulder (for the pass) and came back and caught it over the other. Two years ago and last year, he would’ve fought it.
“Now, can he do that and rise? That’s what you’d hope. He’s a junior now. He’s played varsity football for two years, so he should be able to take that step.”
What can go right
With their offense undergoing an overhaul, the Cougars will be counting on their offensive line to perform well. The group has the experience and size to stand tall up front.
The offensive line returns three players who saw extended action last season, including seniors Sam Linares (6-2, 225) and Matt Dellapietro (6-3, 275). Junior Michael Bright (6-1, 330) is coming back after missing much of last year because of a broken leg.
The Cougars could also have size few Class 3A programs have at the two tackle positions, depending on how junior Nate Marshall (6-6, 243) and sophomore Gabe Hahn (6-5, 220) develop throughout preseason camp.
“We’ve got a solid line right now,” Bolduc said. “There are no weaknesses on our line.”
What can go wrong
One of the keys for a successful high school defense is stopping an opponent’s run game, which could be a challenge this fall for the Cougars. The team doesn’t have any returning starters within the defense’s front six in Maechtle’s 4-2-5 system.
“We’ve got to find a way to make sure that those guys that are new are doing the best they can to make it available for Sam to make tackles without letting (opponents) get too many gashes going,” Maechtle said. “That’s going to be an adventure as we continue to grow.”
Maechtle said the Cougars have moved two defensive linemen to linebacker and one linebacker to the defensive line, creating more of a learning curve.
One possibility to fix the Cougars’ woes would be having an offensive lineman or multiple offensive linemen playing both ways, something Maechtle would prefer to avoid. The Cougars could also switch from their 4-2-5 system to using multiple fronts.
Difference-makers
- Sam Koscho (Sr., RB/WR/S)
- Ryan Bolduc (Jr., QB)
- Tray Hall (Jr., RB)
- Meko Mayes (Jr., WR)
- Rees Swink (Sr., S)
- Ty Deener (Jr., CB)
- Miles Curley (Jr., CB)
- Michael Bright (Jr., OL)
- Matt Dellapietro (Sr., OL)
The last word
“We have a really good chemistry between our players on offense. It’s a brotherhood between us. We’ve all been putting in the work together. We all see that. We want to see each other succeed, we all want to be one team, we want to be there for each other.” — Cougars junior quarterback Ryan Bolduc
Cardinal Mooney’s 2018 schedule
Aug. 24 vs. Fort Myers Bishop Verot, 7 p.m.
Aug. 31 vs. IMG White, 7 p.m.
Sept. 7 at Tampa Berkeley Prep, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 21 at Englewood Lemon Bay, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 28 at Clearwater Calvary Christian, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 5 vs. Southeast, 7 p.m.
Oct. 11 vs. Naples First Baptist Academy, 7 p.m.
Oct. 19 at Avon Park, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 26 vs. Clearwater Central Catholic, 7 p.m.
Nov. 2 vs. Booker, 7:30 p.m.
This story was originally published August 13, 2018 at 2:19 PM.