Erie-Prophetstown, with addition of talented underclassmen, holds high hopes for the future

Erie-Prophetstown’s most recent results, paired with the promise of new varsity players, makes for the potential of brighter days ahead.

Now it needs to play out on the football field.

The Panthers have put together only one winning season over the last nine but did win three of their last four games last year to finish 3-6.

Added to that momentum, E-P this fall adds a talented junior group that collectively went 8-1 as sophomores.

“We just kept improving last year every single week. The guys just stuck with it,” E-P coach Tyler Whitebread said. “We have a good incoming group from last year’s sophomore team. We’re excited to see what they can do on varsity. We’re excited, but we are young.”

Leading the returning players is senior running back/defensive back Demetree Larsen. The two-way first team All-Three Rivers Athletic Conference pick rushed for a team-high 627 yards with four touchdowns last season and had 402 receiving yards with four TD catches.

“He’s a guy that knows football, and he understands it,” Whitebread said. “He has great instincts and a lot of God-given ability that he utilizes. It’s fun to watch him play. We’re expecting a similar to better season from him.”

Senior Amen Barron, a 5-foot-9, 225-pound guard/linebacker, was the Panthers’ leading tackler last season and a second-team all-conference pick.

“He’s kind of a weight room junkie. Physically, I would put him toe-to-toe against every other player on our team,” Whitebread said. “He is slowly becoming a super good leader for us. The guys follow him. Offensively, he can do things pulling and trapping at guard. Most of his big hits come on the offensive side.”

Among the Panthers’ other returning players, junior Keegan Winckler started on defense as a sophomore but is expected to be the team’s starting quarterback this fall. Whitebread calls junior wide receiver/linebacker Gaven Adams “a leader that’s put a ton of time in during the offseason to become a better player,” and junior receiver/defensive back Connor Keegan is a “quiet leader, super athletic, has put a ton of time in the weight room.”

Up front, senior Nolan Gerlach was injured for the first few games last season and, Whitebread said, had a tough time getting his footing, but Gerlach is healthy now and a starter on both sides of the line. Incoming junior Max Milem can do a little bit of everything, and will be the Panthers’ slot receiver and backup safety. Braylon Swertfeger, a senior tight end/linebacker, got a little bit of time as a junior, and Whitebread called him a “fearless kid who throws his body around.” Whitebread also expects big things out of sophomore running back/linebacker Tristan Hovey.

Two-way linemen Derek Naftzer and Caleb Reymer are two more sophomores who could make an impact.

“These younger kids, they’ve just had success throughout the years,” Whitebread said. “It’s a group that is committed to being the best they can be, and it’s a good number of kids that are athletic and can move around and play multiple positions. They’re just smart athletes who understand the game.”

Key to the Panthers coming together is how well students from Erie and Prophetstown high schools can jell and trust each other, how quickly the team’s seniors can help lead the juniors and the juniors having the ability to play at the varsity at a high level.

“We have to get it going right away,” Whitebread said. “Last year that started halfway through the season, and it was too late for us.”

Schedule: Aug. 30 at Kewanee, Sept. 6 vs. Hall, Sept. 13 vs. Newman, Sept. 20 at Rockridge, Sept. 27 vs. Mercer County, Oct. 4 at Riverdale, Oct. 11 vs. Orion, Oct. 18 at Mendota, Oct. 25 at Princeton