High school football 2015 preview: Woodstock

Quick hits

Coach: Tommy Thompson (first season)

Last year's record: 1-8 overall, 1-5 FVC Fox

Fast fact: The Blue Streaks have a new coaching staff after missing the playoffs the past five seasons, going 10-35 in that time.

Scouting report

• Tommy Thompson takes over a Woodstock program that went 1-8 last season and has missed the playoffs for five years in a row. Thompson coached five seasons at two schools in Mississippi, going 22-29 and winning one division championship. “He brought new excitement and energy to the team and everybody’s excited to be here every day, it’s a lot different than last year,” Langdon Scott said.

- Senior quarterback Zach Cullum will direct the Woodstock offense. Last season, Cullum completed 40 of 94 passing attempts for 563 yards with five touchdowns and nine interceptions. Now the full-time starter, Cullum appraised his areas for personal development as: “My footwork needs to develop more and I need to learn how to throw the ball away instead of forcing it in and just reading the open guy and hitting him when he’s open.”

• Thompson said he wants the offense to be versatile and balanced, putting Cullum in efficient positions to use what the Blue Streaks believe is a good set of offensive weapons. One primary target will be junior Jacob Sumner, and senior Sam Wright is a leader among the receiving corps. Seniors Nick Sundberg and Martin Halilaj will work at fullback.

• Another part of the new coaching staff is defensive coordinator Ed Brucker. The former Woodstock and Marian Central head coach was in charge of the Blue Streaks for their 1997 Class 5A title. Thompson said the relatively small unit will be aggressive with the blitz and use a five-man linebacking corps. Up front, players such as Langdon Scott and Devante Martyne give them some physical presence.

“We really don’t have the size, but we do have the speed and that’s actually what we’re using,” linebacker Nick Sundberg said. “I think it’s going to work out, we’ve got a lot of speedy guys that are interchangeable, put them anywhere. And we hit really hard, so we should be good.”

What makes them better

• A former college player with a background in military service, Thompson has been stressing structure, discipline and preparation in his first preseason with the Blue Streaks. Thompson said a focus will be on “teaching a little more,” whether that means extra time studying film or stopping a drill to correct something on the spot.

Schedule

Date Opponent Time

Aug. 28 @ Round Lake           7:30 p.m.

Sept. 4 @ Crystal Lake Central* 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 11 Woodsock North* 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 18 @ McHenry 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 25 @ Grayslake Central* 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 2 Prairie Ridge* 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 9 Grayslake North* 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 16 @ Champaign Central 7 p.m.

Oct. 23 Hampshire* 7:15 p.m.

*–FVC Fox Division game