Crater

HEAD COACH

Berk Brown (third year, 10-6)

GENERAL INFORMATION

ASSISTANTS: Vinny Gay (assistant head coach/special teams), David Douglas (receivers), Bryce Peila (defensive backs/JV defensive coordinator), Brad Eaton (offensive line), Beau Canfield (defensive line/JV head coach), JR Godley (running backs/JV offensive coordinator), Crayton Gillespie (linemen), Folger Few (freshman head coach), Devyn Grady (freshman offensive coordinator), David deVilleneuve (freshman defensive coordinator), Jimmy Hausauer (freshman). 2021 LEAGUE RECORD: 6-1 (second, MWL). 2021 OVERALL RECORD: 6-4.

PREDICTED FINISH THIS YEAR: Second.

2021 RESULTS Brown

CRATER OPPONENTS 31 ................................ North Bend 0 14 ...................................Mazma 42 15 ................................. Churchill 13 28 .................................Springfield 6 28 ................................ Willamette 7 0 ................................... Thurston 9 3 ................................... Summit 24 45 ................................... Ashland 0 State Playoffs 11 .............................. North Salem 27 RETURNING STARTERS

OFFENSE (5): Quarterback Shane Wood (6-2, 195, jr.), tackle Justin Brehm (6-0, 250, jr.), guard Reagan Gowen (6-0, 210, so.), tight end Kayden Gardner (6-2, 215, jr.), receiver Andrew Schatz (6-0, 170, sr.).

DEFENSE (7): Safety Aidan Chenoweth (5-10, 165, sr.), safety Scott Price (6-2, 175, sr.), linebacker Kayden Gardner, defensive end Luke Higginson (6-3, 195, sr.), defensive tackle Justin Brehm, defensive end Mike Sherrill (6-1, 195, sr.), linebacker Tony Dowens (5-11, 170, sr.).

OTHER NOTABLES

Running back Andrew Kelly (5-10, 180, sr.), receiver Spencer Bramucci (5-9, 155, sr.), center Gio Gonzales (5-10, 225, so.), guard Jakobi Cole (6-0, 240, so.), tackle Caleb Canfield (6-1, 190, jr.).

2022 SCHEDULE

Sept. 2 ..................... at North Bend, 7 p.m. Sept. 9 .......................... HENLEY, 7 p.m. Sept. 16 .................... at Springfield, 7 p.m. Sept. 23 ...................... at Thurston, 7 p.m. Sept. 30 .................. NORTH EUGENE, 7 p.m. Oct. 7 ........................ Willamette, 7 p.m. Oct. 14 ......................EAGLE POINT, 7 p.m. Oct. 21 ....................... at Churchill, 7 p.m. Oct. 28 ................... SOUTH EUGENE, 7 p.m.

“We’re going to learn how gritty they are, how tough we can become as a team. We’re going to go 3½ hours to the coast and then come home against a tough Henley team who’s going to be one of the top teams at the 4A level. Then we have to go on the road two weeks in a row on a trip to Springfield, so we’re going to find out how good and how tough we are really, really quick.”

Crater aims for more balance

Comets look to open things up more on o ense to complement stout defense

By Danny Penza

Mail Tribune

CENTRAL POINT — During his first two seasons as Crater head coach, Berk Brown has seen both a senior-laiden squad and one of relative inexperience come through Dutch Meyer Field.

Come 2022, Brown is searching for some sort of happy medium.

“It’s kind of funny to say this, but we’re young again,” quipped Brown. “It’s almost not fair to say, but we have 15 seniors who have provided a great deal of leadership throughout our offseason and are great guys who show up every day.”

Schatz Even with a bevy of seniors to replace from the 2021 abbreviated spring season, Brown led the Comets to a 6-4 overall record, a second-place finish in the Midwestern League and another Price appearance in the Class 5A state playoffs. The Comets did things their own unique way last season — relying on a bruising running game centered around senior

Brehm running back Caden Lasater while holding opponents to an average of 13.8 points per game, second only to MWL champ and 5A finalist Thurston.

As the Comets enter the 2022 season, Brown is very much hoping that his young squad can benefit from all of the success they had a year ago.

Friday’s trip to North Bend will be the first of an opening stretch where Crater will play three of its first four games away from Central Point.

“We’re going to learn how gritty they are, how tough we can become as a team,” Brown said of his team’s opening month. “We’re going to go 3½ hours to the coast and then come home against a tough Henley team who’s going to be one of the top teams at the 4A level. Then we have to go on the road two weeks in a row on a trip to Springfield, so we’re going to find out how good and how tough we are really, really quick.”

The Comets do have the task of replacing two all-state players in Lasater and lineman Jimmy Jordahl, who was a first-team pick on both sides of the ball.

Brown says Crater is likely starting

ANDY ATKINSON / MAIL TRIBUNE

Crater quarterback Shane Wood takes over under center full time for a Comets offense that wants to have more of a presence through the air in 2022.

three sophomores and a pair of juniors up front on the offensive line — a unit that he hopes can come together quickly.

Just two of those were starters last season, tackle Justin Brehm and guard Reagan Gowen.

“It’s not going to be their physical ability that’s going to prevent them from blocking people up front,” said Brown of the Comets’ offensive line. “It’s going to be their understanding of all of our calls and checks that we make in our pass protections and our run game. And it’s whether we’re working as a cohesive unit because we only have two returning starters.”

That is mainly because Brown envisions the Comets spreading things out a lot more than they did a year ago.

“This year, we’re different,” said Brown, who will call the plays on both offense and defense this season. “We’re a lot more mature than last year and I think we have more athletic ability so that we can spread the ball around to all six eligible wide receivers.” That young offensive line will be looking to keep junior quarterback Shane Wood upright and give him time to throw as the Comets want to not be as dependent on the run game. Just as he was coming into the 2021 season, Wood will be the Comets’ starter under center. Wood had an up and down season as a sophomore, with Brown going to receiver-turned-quarterback Javon Smith early in 2021 before Wood returned as starter toward the tail end of the regular season.