Erie-Prophetstown to rely on experience on defense, multiple weapons on offense

ERIE – The Erie-Prophetstown defense this fall sees a lot of experience in the linebacking corps, but not much up front.

The Panthers return all of the starters from the shortened spring season at linebacker, moving some around, but are looking for people to step up to fill in for some now-graduated defensive linemen.

Defensively, the Panthers have been looking strong when everyone’s on the same page, coach Jesse Abbott said. The key is going to be doing that and playing fast.

“Up front, it’s going to be D-line, linebackers just understanding what their job is game to game,” Abbott said. “Being able to just play fast and play physical.”

The defensive line has three big interior players, including Clay Hockaday and Jaeson Gaylord, who did not play in the spring. Joining them up front is returning senior Elijah Friedrichsen.

Jacob Otten is in line to start at defensive end, but there is a job opening at the other end spot.

“We’ve got to fill in the other one with a couple guys who I think are very capable, Nick Ballard and Jason Johnson,” Abbott said. “It’s just going to be probably a rotational thing. We don’t have a lot of depth, so when we can get some rest for guys, it’s going to be pretty big.”

Abbott feels the strength of the defense will be at linebacker, where all four starters return.

“We had to move one kid to a different position, but otherwise three of our four are in the same position as last year,” Abbott said. “That’s going to be big.”

On offense, quarterback Kolby Franks is back, and offers the Panthers a dual threat with his ability to both throw and run.

Behind Franks is a large cast of running backs who are all capable of stepping in and making plays.

“It just opens up the playbook more and it gives us more opportunities to get at the defense,” Franks said. “It allows us to create more sets out of things. It’s more to our advantage.”

Abbott plans to use Franks in shotgun more often this fall, rarely putting him under center in hopes that spreading things out more will be a better use to the athletic ability on the field.

Franks should see plenty of chances to run the ball, as will Connor Sibley and Jase Grunder.

“One of the things we’ve preached, we did a little of it in the spring, is to have our guys understand that we might not have a 1,000-yard rusher, we might not have a 15-touchdown kid, but we might have four guys with 500 yards,” Abbott said. “We might have five different guys catch passes. That’s something we sold to them in the spring, sold to them in the summer, and we’re seeing the benefits of that right now. They understand how each thing they do is important to the other guy.”

Paving the way is a Panthers offensive line which has the senior presence of Otten and Mason Misfeldt.

“We’re looking pretty good,” senior center Max Vahle said. “We’re coming together pretty good, feeling good. We’re all family.”