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11-28-2009, 09:12 AM
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n00b
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Hoosier Athletic Conference: Fort Wayne (TCY Dynasty)
In the great state of Indiana, schools like Notre Dame, Purdue, Indiana and Ball State gain a lot of the pub and press for their high prestige and fan bases. What many don't know though is that a small conference, the Hoosier Athletic Conference (or HAC for short), has some of the most competive football around.
My name is Steven Ray, coach of the Fort Wayne Mastadons. This is my first year coaching at this level. I've got two rules that I stand by. Number one, you're a STUDENT athlete. School Work comes first. Don't get the job done in the classroom, you've got no place on this team. Second rule, play hard from whistle to whistle. We may not have the most talent, but we're sure gonna outwork teams. If the guys can do those two things, I think we'll be alright. My first task as new head coach is to get familar with the guys that I'm gonna be working with. Syndicate Coordinator Allen Lyons is certainly on the tail end of his career being 66 years old and all. He's a money man, getting us the funds that we need. Outside of that, he's really not worth much. Academics aren't a high priority for him. Neither are any investigations into them. I've got a feeling this guy may butt heads a bit if grades start to become an issue. Mitchell Van Anden, our defensive coordinator, is in my eyes, one of the up and coming coordinators in the whole country. The guy knows his stuff. At just 34 years old, I really think Van Anden could be a one and done for us, since we're just a little school with really no reputation. I'm expecting big things from this kid. Offensive Coordinator Martin Burtnett seems like a good fit for a school like us. Specializing in the Wing Formation, Burnett is one of the few guys that will get everything out of his players natural abilities, especially his running backs. I'm a big fan of running the ball. Coach Burtnett will certainly do that. I like him. Recruiting wise, we're gonna stick around the Midwest as much as possible, meaning we're gonna lean on scout Ernest Tresca as much as possible. Tresca is hit and miss at times, specializing in quarterbacks and defensive lineman. Our best scout, Colin Ring, is down in the Deep South. Not really sure how much we're gonna be able to get down thier with our limited budget, but if I get in a pinch, he'd surely be the first I'd turn to. I've got to look over my roster and see what I've got to work with. I've gone ahead and put together a two deep at each position, with the first player listed being the starter (name - year - height - weight - hometown,state (high school): Code:
We really don't have much talent there. Our quarterback, Marc Majors, is the only reliable signal caller that we have. Getting a quarter is a big time must for us during recruiting. Our running backs are average at best. There really isn't much of a difference between the two of them. A big play back is something we desperately need. Once again, I'll be looking for one come recuiting time. We're really gonna have to rely on our receivers to get us through some tough stretches. They're gonna be our playmakers on offense. Tight End Dwight Sanders is the best player on offense for us, so he'll have to be solid night in and night out for us to be successful. Offensive line is gonna be a big concern for us. Jerome Carlson has the ability to play at any big time program in the country, but the rest leave a little something to be desired. Center especially will be a position where I think we're gonna struggle. Once again, that will be addressed during the recuiting season. Offensive line is a hit and miss. It's either you're a senior or a freshman. There's really no in between. The seniors aren't very good and the freshman aren't ready yet. Still, with the talent level on our team, we're gonna have to throw them in the fire and see what happens. Our linebackers are horrible. Blake Conrad is the only linebacker that is even respectable. Seriously, they are really, really bad. This could be a real problem for us. Our secondary is alright if we don't have any injuries. If we do, watch out. We're not gonna be very good. We don't have the depth yet to be able to go to our backups yet. That'll change if I've got something to say about it. |
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11-28-2009, 09:20 AM
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#2 |
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n00b
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Schedule
We've got a tough one this year, headlined by a fight against a top 25 team. Here's what we're up against: Code:
It's gonna be a tough battle for us to finish above .500. Realistically, if we win four games, I'd be happy this year. I've got to admit, I was hoping for an easier batch of games, but hey, that's the hand that we were dealt. With any luck, we could sneak up on a few teams, but with the lack of talent on the roster, I don't think it'll happen. It's time to see how good our coordinators really are. They're gonna have to earn their money this year. |
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11-28-2009, 09:51 AM
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#3 |
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n00b
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Week 1: Bye
With the the season starting and us on a bye week, we got to work on trying to improve our team for next year. We know we need some serious talent upgrades, but the positions that I'm targeting hard are quarterback, offensive lineman, defensive ends, linebackers and players in the secondary. We're gonna have our full alotment of 16 scholarships to fill (although we have 23 open at the end of the year), so we're really gonna have a chance to put some quality young men in the program. Ricardo Dawkins is easily the highest ranked prospect that we're after this week, #121 overall according to Rivals.com and the 13th ranked offensive guard in the country. Hailing from Morristown, Indiana, Dawkins wants to stay close to home and focus on his academics. He's a smart young man, holding close to a 4.0 GPA. He's the type of player that would excel here as a Mastadon. Dawkins wasn't the only player we're after from the state of Indiana. (DE) Leonard Waschke, (ILB) Darren Chepaitis and (C) Claude Smith and (DE) Sammy Stotts all got offered today as I like what I saw. We then ventured over into the Illini state to see what we could dig up. We weren't disappointed. Tackle Brett Borders is someone that could really be a cornerstone for this program. Safety Steven Jacobs is a Chicago area product that brings a toughness that you need your secondary to possess. Linebacker Artie Rogers is someone that is always in the right place at the right time. Corner Bobby Hansen may not be ranked in the top 1000 by Rivals, but my scout and I have determined he's probably one of the better prospects flying under the radar, picking off eight passes already in just four games played. We're off to a good start recruiting wise. We're bringing in kids that are smart, student athletes that can get it done both in the classroom and the field. I've still yet to reach into Michigan and Ohio to see what we can get from those two talent rich states. Fort Wayne will be relivant sooner rather then later. |
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11-28-2009, 11:34 AM
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#4 |
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n00b
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Week 2: Fort Wayne @ Connecticut
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This one was close until the fourth quarter, where our inexperience came through. We had no answer for them in the fourth, we just didn't. They marched up and down the field at will. We didn't have a single turnover today. We just couldn't stop anyone. It's so frustrating to get this close and then lose. Our quarterback play was shaky at best. True freshman Kerry Preston actually outplayed Marc Majors. Preston accounted for 6-13 for 137 yards and a touchdown while Majors finished with 8-19 for 104 yards. Sophmore Don Walker was one of our few bright spots on offense, rushing for 103 yards on just 18 attempts. His backup, J.T. Kaske was pretty good himself, 46 yards on 8 attempts. Our running game actually helped us stay in the game. Defensively, we struggled mightely. Like I said, we couldn't stop anything they did in the fourth quarter. Conrad Blake was good, getting 13 tackles. Backup linebacker Christian Distel finished the game with two sacks. Defensive end Jeremy Gonzalez showed his athleticism, picking off a pass today, the only turnover we created. First game of my tenure and we lost. This feels horrible, but we've got to forget it and get ready for San Jose State coming to the Fort. We've got a bye week to get ready, so that certainly helps if any of the guys have nagging injuries or what not. It'll also give me some extra time to look at prospects a bit. Recruiting Notable players that we contacted this week were lead by quarterback Calvin Jamison from Maple Grove, Minnesota. Ranked as the 47th best quarterback in the nation, Jamison is the type of player that could really do well in the HAC. Jamison is also being recruited by his home state school, Minnesota as well as Missouri. Here's a list of all the players that we've offered and who else is after them: Code:
We've got a uphill battle with a few of these guys. It's time to see who is serious about wanting to come here and who is just pulling our chain. I'm pretty sure we're gonna cut off ties with Dawkins. He's already taking visits. That's not a good thing for us. It's not like we don't have other options out there. We'll be alright. I've got a good feeling about this recruiting season. |
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11-28-2009, 11:53 AM
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#5 |
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n00b
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Week 3: Bye
Recuiting, recruiting, recruiting. Here's the full list of players we're after and who else is after them: Code:
We're going heavy on secondary players and linebackers. We offered a few backup plans in the quarterback Sanders and running back, Gardner. We've also offered a guard that will get the majority of the recuiting effort since the big boys are after Dawkins. This is all the recruits that we'll be after until some of them start to commit. If we can pull in some of these guys though, there's no question that our talent level will improve greatly. |
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11-28-2009, 12:21 PM
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#6 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Williamsburg, Virginia
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Looks like you're off and running pretty well. I'm a recruiting junkie--both in sports sims and in "real life," so I'm enjoying your recruiting updates. Keep up the good work. The Mastodons have won themselves at least one fan.
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11-28-2009, 12:53 PM
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#7 | |
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n00b
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Quote:
Thank you kind sir. I like you are a big time recruiting junkie (sim and real life). That's one of the major things that drives me to play the games. I'm glad you're reading along (as I am with yours). Hopefully, Coach Ray can turn this thing around sooner rather then later. |
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11-28-2009, 01:42 PM
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#8 |
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n00b
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Week 4: San Jose State @ Fort Wayne
Code:
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First win under our belt and boy does it feel good. We got good efforts from our running backs today, threw the ball well and our defense was able to come up with stops when we needed them. What I really like is we had to come from behind to win this one. Scoring 15 points in the final quarter is always a good thing. Marc Majors went the whole game and didn't disappoint today, completing 18-28 for 296 yards and 4 touchdown passes. Deron Webster finished the game with 4 catches for 71 yards while Bruce Harrigan had 5 receptions 69 yards. Deion Galloway finished with 3 catches for 81 yards. Our running game is quitely effective, meaning we don't get huge numbers yet have awesome gains. Don Walker rushed for 88 yards on 15 attempts while his backup, J.T. Kaske had the first rushing touchdown of his career, finishing the game with 49 yards on 9 attempts. Conrad Blake, like I predicted, is the man for us on defense. Today, he finished with 12 total tackles. He's really our only defensive playmaker that we have. We're lucky to have the guy. Melvin Hurst was a terror rushing the passer, getting two sacks while backup corner R.J. Rees came through with one of the biggest interceptions that Fort Wayne has ever had. Good win that we really need to build apon. We've got a tough one coming up against Miami (OH) next week so we've definately got our work cut out for ourselves. Not many in the nation will think we have a real chance, but I do. We're gonna give the people of Fort Wayne something to talk about. Recruiting Man, we've got a lot of guys that picked up offers from different schools. We're sticking with the guys that we had last week, thinking that we have enough offered to hopefully fill up the good majority of our 16 scholarship allotment. Here's the list: Code:
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11-28-2009, 02:16 PM
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#9 |
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n00b
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Week 5: Miami (OH) @ Fort Wayne
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Once again, we lose after leading in the fourth quarter. This one is hard to bite. We should have won this one. We were in control the whole way up until the fourth. Damn, this one sucks. Marc Majors had an up and down game, completing 10-23 for 132 yards with 2 touchdowns and one huge interception that set up Miami (OH) final touchdown drive. That costly interception gave the Redhawks the ball at our own 40 with just over 4 minutes left. That was a play that I wish wouldn't have happened, but it did. Our rushing game was good again, with Walker and Kaske combining for 157 yards on 25 carries and a touchdown by Kaske, his second in as many games. Conrad Blake paced us with 12 tackles while both our starting corners, Roman Gerhardt and Eric Garrett intercepted a pass. Oscar Compton recorded his first sack of the year (actually finished with 1.5 for the game). Conference play starts next week. I'm so excited to see where our program stacks up with the other programs in the HAC, especially when we have similar talent levels. It should be a good measuring stick for us going forward. Recruiting Code:
Code:
More and more guys are getting offers from bigger, more prestigous schools. Guys should start to commit soon. It's gonna be nice to see where some of these guys decide where they want to continue their playing careers. Hopefully, more then a few will choose Fort Wayne. |
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11-28-2009, 05:54 PM
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#10 |
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n00b
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Week 6: Fort Wayne (1-2) @ Elkhart
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One word best describes how this game was won by us. Interceptions. Yep, they threw an amazing 6 picks in this one, 3 to one guy, freshman backup safety Grady Porterfield. Porterfield probably had the play of the game, taking a pick back 59 yards for a pick 6 when Elkhart had itself a nice little drive going. We played well today. This could be a jumping off point for us. We ran the hell out of the ball today. Our top two running backs, Don Walker and J.T. Kaske, combined for 33 rushing attempts. Walker had 105 yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns while Kaske added his third rushing score in as many games, finishing wtih 62 yards on 13 carries. This was certainly our guys saying we're gonna control the line. Conrad Blake once again paced us with 9 tackles and an interception. Porterfield had the 3 picks (which went for 122 yards), but there were 2 more players with interceptions, Eric Garrett and Otis Robbins. That's two in as many games for Garrett. Jeremy Gonzalez had a nice game, recording two sacks while Oscar Crompton, backup corner Irving Hartman and little used freshman d-tackle O.J. Hogendoorn all recorded one. This was a solid win for us, especially coming in as -13 point underdogs. It's always nice to prove the people in Vegas wrong. Don't ever count the Mastadons of Fort Wayne out. We're here to stay. Fort Wayne Record: 2-2, 1-0 Conf. Recruiting Took a couple of hits this week. Here's the updated list: Code:
I knew that Dawkins was a real long shot, but it sucks that we lost out on Smith. Oh well, we've still got a shot at some of the guys on the list, so hope is not lost yet. Like I said, we're gonna need some time here. This thing isn't gonna happen over night. I knew that coming in. I hope the A.D. realizes that as well. |
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11-29-2009, 09:44 AM
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#11 |
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n00b
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Week 7: Evansville @ Fort Wayne (2-2)
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We had this one going our way through most of the first half and then, bam. Fumbled the ball and Evansville took it back for 6 + 1. That one play absolutely killed us. We lost all momentum. We couldn't do anything right from there. We turned the ball over way to much. Not to often, a team has the ball almost 2/3 of the time and losses by 25 freaking points. Ahhhhh. I can't believe we let this one slip away. Our inexperience really showed. Our running game was awesome today. Don Walker rushed the ball 27 times for 132 yards while J.T. Kaske had 79 yards on 17 attempts. Starting quarterback Marc Majors was hurt for this one, so true freshman Kerry Preston had to go it alone today, with not the best results. The youngster finished the game going 11-23 for 123 yards with a touchdown and a interception. Deion Galloway was the receiver that got the lone touchdown pass, finishing with 3 catches for 31 yards. Conrad Blake was the lone bright spot on defense for us, finishing with 8 tackles, a sack and a interception. Leo Wallen and R.J. Rees both had sacks in this one. Fort Wayne: 2-3, 1-1 Conf. Recruiting Finally, we got some good news. Here's the list: Code:
That's right. We got the first recuit under my tenure here! Artie Rodgers has the chance to come in and provide and immediate impact for us. Ranked as the #29 overall outside linebacker in the nation, I think he'll give us a toughness that we don't have this year. In 8 games this year, he recorded 96 tackles, 7.5 sacks and 5 interceptions. This kid can really play and should be a player in the HAC for sometime to come. |
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11-29-2009, 10:29 AM
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#12 |
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n00b
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Week 8: Fort Wayne (2-3) @ Gary
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This was one ugly game to watch, no doubt. Neither team got much of anything accomplished on offense. It was almost like neither team wnted to win this one. If it weren't for a late holding penalty that kept Gary's last drive alive, the outcome of this one could very well have been different. It wasn't so there's really nothing more to say. Player of the game for us was easily linebacker Conrad Blake who finished the game with an amazing 25 tackles. I've never seen a player with that many tackles in one game before. That's just crazy. He's a special type of player, no doubt. Thank god we have him for another year. Our rushing game really let us down today. Don Walker had 79 yards on 17 carries while J.T. Kaskefinished with 38 yards on just 6 carries. We really needed these guys to come through since we had absolutely no threat of a passing game. This really blows. Fort Wayne Record: 2-4, 1-2 Conf. Recruiting Got a mixed bag of emotions today. I'm not gonna comment on who we missed out on, but who decided they wanted to become a Mastadon: Code:
Rich Ronsbottom was a late get for us. We jumped on him late, but that's ok. He's a big time time run stopper that has a little trouble rushing the passer. He's currently ranked as the 49th ranked defensive end, so he's got some skills. We really like what he brings to the table. Inside lineabacker Darren Chepaitis is the first Indiana born player that we've gotten this recruiting cycle. He's certainly a good one, ranked #32 for inside linebackers according to Rivals. We're not only filling needs here, we're getting good, quality young men. Bobby Hansen, a 6'0 cornerback, is the final player that we got his week. Although not ranked in the top 1000 by Rivals, we feel like he's a player that is flying under the radar, having graded out very well with the scouts and me. Usually, I'm not this excited for the 96th ranked corner in the country, but this kid I think really has a chance to be good. |
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12-03-2009, 01:49 PM
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#13 |
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n00b
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Week 9: Fort Wayne @ Kokomo
Code:
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Marc Majors, can he play or what? The dude did everything for us today. He passed the ball with great efficency, rushed the ball all over Kokomo and didn't make a single mistake. Majors threw two touchdown passes, both to Deron Webster. I mean, come on. The dude was 22-25 passing for the day. That doesn't happen every game. Our defense really stepped up today and made the nessicary plays to get the job done. For once, we had a new tackle leader, Oliver Vauthier, who finished with nine tackles. Conrad Blake wasn't far behind with 8 total tackles. So, we won the game. We're finally making some nice headway and progress into turning this program around. We've started to get the recruits that we need (you'll see that in a minute) to compete with the big boys of the HAC. I like where we're headed right now. Fort Wayne Record: 3-4, 2-2 Conf. Recruiting Lots and lots of movement this week: Code:
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Without a doubt, the highest ranked recruit for us is Roosevelt McCloud, a top 250 recruit as listed by Rivals. McCloud keeps the chains moving. He knows how to make the catch in traffic, a dynamic type of player. He's a Indiana kid, something that I said before the season would be a huge priority for us. Defensive End Leonard Waschke is another high profile committ that had a ton of offers, yet chose to stay close to home and play for the Mastadons. He's a big time pass rusher, something that we need to be competitve in conference. I really like this kid. Trent Blades is another d-lineman that specializes in rushing the passer. Although not an Indiana boy, I thought he was to good to pass up. I'm really liking this recruiting class. We're pulling in quality young men that know how to play the game, yet won't get in trouble with the grades. That's an important aspect for me. Last edited by Baller23Boogie : 12-03-2009 at 01:49 PM. |
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