Prep football: DeKalb focused on revamping energy, playing with a chip on shoulders after 2-7 year

DeKALB – After a 2-7 season, including a winless showing in the DuPage Valley Conference, DeKalb coach Derek Schneeman said the Barbs are bringing a different energy to the football field this year.

“I think the guys just have a chip on their shoulders,” Schneeman said. “Nobody has gotten down. We’ve used that to fuel us in the offseason.”

The Barbs competed Sunday at a 7-on-7 tournament at NIU.

Although the Barbs try to run a balanced offense, Schneeman said tournaments like these allow for improvement in the passing game, and senior quarterback Adrien McVicar is looking to shore up his skills behind center.

“[McVicar] is just so much more comfortable,” Schneeman said. “Last year, I felt like his head was spinning at times, and then it was just a lot for him to process. This year, everything’s slowed down. You can tell he’s much more comfortable.”

McVicar found last season’s transition from receiver to quarterback difficult but believes he has improved over the past year.

“I wasn’t ready for [playing quarterback], but I got used to it as the year has gone on,” McVicar said. “I think my improvement from then to now is definitely very good.”

After a season that didn’t go as planned for the Barbs, the messaging is simple as summer camp rolls on.

“Just win,” McVicar said. “Win as much as we can. We weren’t there in the head [last season] to be competitive. Now we’ve got a lot of heart.”

“I think the kids are just itching to get back to where we should be,” defensive coordinator Jeff Saurbaugh said.

Saurbaugh’s seeing improvement from the defense and is impressed by Ethan Tierney, who exited last season early after injury.

“He’s had a great offseason,” Saurbaugh said. “He’s been to a couple camps this year, and he’s looked really good.”

As the Barbs move deeper into summer workouts and the lead-up into padded camps, NIU’s 7-on-7 tournament allows players to shake the rust off and tighten up on the smaller positional aspects, but wins and losses are not the focus.

This was the Barbs first 7-on-7 tournament of the summer and the conference record from last season is fuelling the summer work in search of the redemption arc.

“As long as the kids are improving and getting better, that’s all we’re looking for,” Saurbaugh said.