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DeKALB – Talen Tate said he’s back at about 100% after an injury he suffered during track season.
Good thing, too, since he said that despite only returning three starters from last year’s playoff team, the DeKalb running back and the Barbs aren’t expecting a dropoff this year.
[ Photos: DeKalb football opens practices in preparation for the upcoming season ]
“I have a lot high expectations,” said Tate, a four-year starter at running back who sprained his groin during the track season. “A lot of people don’t think we’re going to be as good because we have a lot of younger guys. But I don’t think that’s gonna stop us this year. I think by the time the season is ready we’re gonna be ready to go.”
Tate said he’s been doing a lot of physical therapy and is ready to roll when the season kicks off Aug. 25 against Sycamore at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb.
DeKalb coach Derek Schneeman said Tate’s recovery has gone well. Schneeman said Tate is ready for a featured role after rushing for 824 yards and 10 touchdowns while splitting the running back role with since-graduated Jamari Brown last season.
“I have a lot high expectations. A lot of people don’t think we’re going to be as good because we have a lot of younger guys. But I don’t think that’s gonna stop us this year.”
And not just featured at running back. Schneeman said the Barbs have to find a way to get Tate the ball more.
“He didn’t see many opportunities to catch a ton of balls last year,” Schneeman said. “That’s something we really need to utilize more. He can be a tough matchup for a lot of teams when he’s on the edge, either a slot or even running routes out of the backfield. That’s where we need to get him more involved, just find other ways to get him the ball.”
Tate, linebacker Daniel Roman-Johnson and wide receiver Xavier Dandridge, all seniors, are the only returning starters for the Barbs from a team that went 6-4 last season.
Tate said he’s enjoyed being in more of a leadership role and helping get the younger players up to speed.
“I think we can do a lot offensively with Davon Grant, Xavier Dandridge,” Tate said. “We just have a lot of guys we can get the ball to, especially with our QB. I think we can get it to those guys.”
The 6-foot-4 Grant was a basketball standout as a freshman and will try to have the same success this year at receiver. Tate said the QB he was referring to was Cole Latimer. Schneeman said it’s still a competition under center between the sophomore Latimer and Mikey Hodge.
“We’ve played two before, we played one, just depends,” Schneeman said. “I don’t like keeping guys off the field if they’ve earned the chance to play. So we’ll see.”
Tate has been starting since his freshman season, the COVID-shortened spring of 2021 campaign. Dandridge also started that year, and Roman-Johnson has started since his sophomore season.
Schneeman said there are fewer than 20 seniors on this year’s team, but the smaller class is offset by what the leaders, especially the returning starters, have accomplished.
“But the leaders that we have are guys that have started for three or four years and have played a lot of varsity football,” Schneeman said. “So we’re blessed to have that. Daniel, Talen, Xavier are all leaders for us both on and off the field. So that’s helped tremendously in bringing our younger guys along.”
DeKalb at a glance
Last year: 6-4, 4-2 DuPage Valley, lost 21-13 at Moline in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs.
Keep an eye on: Daniel Roman-Johnson, sr., LB; Talen Tate, sr., RB; Xavier Dandridge, sr., WR/CB; Owen Sisson, soph., OL/DL; Josh Jones, sr., LG; Nick Waddle, soph., OL; Jayden Owens, jr., OL; Jauharie Wilson, jr., S; Mariyan Dudley, jr., RB; Davon Grant, soph., WR; Derrion Straughter, soph., WR; Billy Miller, jr., WR/CB; Pierre Cathina, jr., DL; J.J. Pineira, jr., DL; Justin O’Neal, jr., DL; Matthew Clayton, jr., LB; Otto Eidsness, soph., LB; Diego Roman-Johnson, sr., DB; Rahsheed Greer, sr., DB
Worth noting: The offense is loaded with speed at the skill positions. With five new starters, Schneeman called the offensive line a work in progress. He said Sisson, Jones, Waddle and Owens are likely to be four of the five staters, with the fifth up in the air. Sisson likely would have started last year if not for a knee injury, while Owens was a starter on the sophomore team. Dandridge might see snaps at running back as well, giving some relief to Tate and Dudley. The receiving group has some height with Grant at 6-4 and Straughter 6-2. Schneeman said the defensive line may be the strongest group from top to bottom, and added he liked what Wilson has brought to the safety position.