Leipsic could show some new things on offense

LEIPSIC – Last season Quin Schroeder was catching passes. This season he’s throwing them.

That might be the biggest change – and the least surprising difference – in Leipsic’s football team this season.

The Vikings had a vacancy at quarterback after three-year starter Dillan Niese graduated. And Schroeder was the obvious choice to replace him.

“We always knew Quin was going to be the next quarterback,” Leipsic coach Joe Kirkendall said about the junior QB who was a starter in football, basketball and baseball as a sophomore.

“He doesn’t fit our mold. We’ve had quarterbacks who are 6-1, 6-2 with the big arms. Quin is 5-7 and fast. That has been a process this summer. But he is a kid who has played a lot of football and has been around the game forever. It’s been a good transition and we’ll do some different things with him.”

Leipsic goes into its second season in the Northwest Conference with nine players who were starters at their position or positions in some cases on an 8-4 team last season.

Two of the returning starters – wide receiver Trent Siefker and Schroeder as a defensive back – were first-team All-NWC. Schroeder was honorable mention All-Ohio. Estevan Carrillo, who was honorable mention All-NWC at safety will be a starting wide receiver this season.

Carrillo is “a guy everybody is going to take notice of,” Kirkendall said.

Siefker is still recovering from an ACL injury suffered during basketball season. “We’re hoping him to get him back in week three or week four, somewhere in there. He looks really good. He’s just going to need some time to get himself settled in,” Kirkendall said.

The Vikings’ offensive line is led by three-year starter Payton Lammers and two-year starters Ethan Zeisloft and Seth Apple. Hayden Hiegel is back at the running back position.

“Skill-wise, we’re fast. We just have to figure out how everything meshes together,” Kirkendall said.

“Offensively there is a lot of experience but they’re not experienced yet with what we’re asking them to do. That just takes a little time. The downhill running game is always going to be a huge part of what we do but the quick passing game is going to be a work in progress incorporating some option game, which we haven’t done for a while, because of the athleticism at quarterback. That’s going to be a transition for us.

“We’ve never been an overly complicated scheme to prepare for. We just believe in having our kids be really good at what they do and being aggressive and maintaining the physical nature of our offense.”

Defensively, the secondary might be the strongest area for Leipsic.

“Quin Schroeder comes back and is as good as anybody around. Carrillo bounced around between safety and linebacker last year. We’re going to keep him at safety this year. Those two kids can run. They are very fast and very, very aggressive tacklers,” Kirkendall said.

Hayden Hiegel leads the linebacker group. Mike Jiminez is a new player who could get playing time at linebacker, in the offensive backfield and on the defensive line.

“Mike will play some in the offensive backfield. He is going to play some linebacker and some defensive end. So far in practice and in the weight room and in seven on sevens he has looked tremendous,” Kirkendall said.

LEIPSIC

Coach: Joe Kirkendall

Years At School: 12th. 100-35 at Leipsic and 119-56 overall.

Last Year’s Record: 8-4

Division: VII

Returning Starters: Quin Schroeder (QB/DB), Trent Siefker (WR/DB), Estevan Carillo (WR/DB), Payton Lammers (OL/DL), Ethan Zeisloft (OL/DL), Seth Apple (OL/DL), Caleb Ellerbrock (RB/DB), Hayden Hiegel (RB/LB), Jake Scheckelhoff (TE/WR)

Players To Watch: Quin Schroeder, a first-team All-Northwest Conference defensive back, will be the starting quarterback this season after the graduation of three-year starter Dillan Niese, which could bring some changes to the Vikings’ offensive style. Wide receiver Trent Siefker, a first-team All-NWC player last season, is progressing well after surgery for a torn ACL. Estevan Carillo brings speed as a wide receiver.

SCHEDULE

August 19 – at Liberty-Benton

August 26 – at Fairview

September 2 – at Pandora-Gilboa

September 9 –Ada

September 16 – Spencerville

September 23 – at Columbus Grove

September 30 – Bluffton

October 7 – at Delphos Jefferson

October 14 – at Allen East

October 21 – Crestview

All games start at 7 p.m.