Heelan defense draws high marks
By Terry Hersomthersom@siouxcityjournal.com | Posted: Friday, November 21, 2008
Whichever trophy gets sent back to Sioux City on Saturday, Class 3A state champion or runner-up, the face of this 2008 Bishop Heelan football team will probably always be tailback Brandon Wegher.
There are simply too many gaudy numbers, too many highlights reel plays, too many rival coaches left shaking their heads for Wegher's role for the Crusaders to take something less than top billing.
Nonetheless, the University of Iowa recruit who has treated his offensive line to dinner every time he has rushed for 200 yards - eight times this year, 14 times the last two seasons combined -- knows he hasn't been flying solo throughout his team's 13 games this season, all of them wins.
And, even though Wegher received "best we've ever faced'' applause from the last two coaches he's faced, those same two men, Harlan's Curt Bladt and Clear Lake's Fred Wieck, were both quick to point out the overall quality of Coach Roger Jansen's entire squad.
The defense, in particular, has drawn high marks, limiting nine of 13 opponents to seven points or less.
"That was by far the best defense we've come up against,'' said Wieck, who has directed Clear Lake teams to playoff berths the last 11 seasons in a row. "They took away what we like to do. They dominated us and Brandon Wegher dominated us.''
Clear Lake, ranked No. 2 behind Heelan in the final Associated Press poll, came into the Monday semifinal averaging better than 340 yards and 35.8 points a game on offense.
Heelan, which bolted to a 27-0 halftime lead and then coasted home with a 27-7 win, held the Lions to just 119 yards and no points before a late drive starting with 2:12 to play gave Wieck's team a touchdown and 80 additional yards, mainly against reserves.
"Our defense has been the foundation all season,'' said Jansen, Heelan's all-time winningest coach with a 10-year mark of 88-21. "When the offense has struggled, the defense has always been there. We're going to hang out hat on it. Our defense has been the heart of it all season.''
It starts with an impressive front four, a senior quartet who all got into the mix at some point when they were sophomores two years ago.
Defensive end Buckley Wright, a 6-1, 210-pounder, leads the team in solo tackles with 66 and his 32.5 tackles for loss are easily a team high.
Jake Skibinski (6-1, 200) brings similar pressure from the other end position and the tackles, Josh Bousquet (6-3, 225) and Sean Geary (6-0, 225), have nearly identical statistics as the ends.
Wright, Geary and Skibinski are also veterans in an all-senior offensive line that includes three-year starter Taylor Nelson at center and Billy Peterson at tackle.
Joel McCabe, a 6-2, 225-pound senior, was among the defensive leaders a year ago, but McCabe, also a tight end on offense, has missed seven games with a shoulder injury, allowing juniors Jared Weaver and Alex Pick to see considerable action at inside linebacker.
The other inside linebacker, George Wakeman, another junior, is actually Heelan's leader in terms of total tackles with 104 on 43 solos and 61 assists. Technically, Wright would be first with 82 points and Wakeman second with 73.5 under a popular statistical system that awards one point for solo tackles and one-half for assists.
Jerry Steffen, Heelan's veteran defensive coordinator, starts Jordan Lester and Nate Berger at the outside linebacker positions. Lester is a 6-1, 215-pound senior who doubles at fullback on offense and has already announced plans to play for Briar Cliff. Berger is a junior and his fraternal twin brother, Nick, starts at cornerback along with senior veteran Ben Rickord.
Matt Casey also sees considerable action in the secondary, where Wegher has been the safety on various occasions. And, Cole Wegher, a starter as a sophomore last year, was in the lineup for the first four games before a season-ending injury.
Two of the four games in which Heelan surrendered more than seven points were blowout wins over Lawton-Bronson (62-13) and Spencer (52-15). The other two were the Crusaders' two encounters with tradition-rich Harlan, a 28-13 verdict on the second Friday of the regular season and a 38-21 playoff triumph in which Heelan led 38-7 before the Cyclones scored twice in the final 5:36.
There are simply too many gaudy numbers, too many highlights reel plays, too many rival coaches left shaking their heads for Wegher's role for the Crusaders to take something less than top billing.
Nonetheless, the University of Iowa recruit who has treated his offensive line to dinner every time he has rushed for 200 yards - eight times this year, 14 times the last two seasons combined -- knows he hasn't been flying solo throughout his team's 13 games this season, all of them wins.
And, even though Wegher received "best we've ever faced'' applause from the last two coaches he's faced, those same two men, Harlan's Curt Bladt and Clear Lake's Fred Wieck, were both quick to point out the overall quality of Coach Roger Jansen's entire squad.
The defense, in particular, has drawn high marks, limiting nine of 13 opponents to seven points or less.
"That was by far the best defense we've come up against,'' said Wieck, who has directed Clear Lake teams to playoff berths the last 11 seasons in a row. "They took away what we like to do. They dominated us and Brandon Wegher dominated us.''
Clear Lake, ranked No. 2 behind Heelan in the final Associated Press poll, came into the Monday semifinal averaging better than 340 yards and 35.8 points a game on offense.
Heelan, which bolted to a 27-0 halftime lead and then coasted home with a 27-7 win, held the Lions to just 119 yards and no points before a late drive starting with 2:12 to play gave Wieck's team a touchdown and 80 additional yards, mainly against reserves.
"Our defense has been the foundation all season,'' said Jansen, Heelan's all-time winningest coach with a 10-year mark of 88-21. "When the offense has struggled, the defense has always been there. We're going to hang out hat on it. Our defense has been the heart of it all season.''
It starts with an impressive front four, a senior quartet who all got into the mix at some point when they were sophomores two years ago.
Defensive end Buckley Wright, a 6-1, 210-pounder, leads the team in solo tackles with 66 and his 32.5 tackles for loss are easily a team high.
Jake Skibinski (6-1, 200) brings similar pressure from the other end position and the tackles, Josh Bousquet (6-3, 225) and Sean Geary (6-0, 225), have nearly identical statistics as the ends.
Wright, Geary and Skibinski are also veterans in an all-senior offensive line that includes three-year starter Taylor Nelson at center and Billy Peterson at tackle.
Joel McCabe, a 6-2, 225-pound senior, was among the defensive leaders a year ago, but McCabe, also a tight end on offense, has missed seven games with a shoulder injury, allowing juniors Jared Weaver and Alex Pick to see considerable action at inside linebacker.
The other inside linebacker, George Wakeman, another junior, is actually Heelan's leader in terms of total tackles with 104 on 43 solos and 61 assists. Technically, Wright would be first with 82 points and Wakeman second with 73.5 under a popular statistical system that awards one point for solo tackles and one-half for assists.
Jerry Steffen, Heelan's veteran defensive coordinator, starts Jordan Lester and Nate Berger at the outside linebacker positions. Lester is a 6-1, 215-pound senior who doubles at fullback on offense and has already announced plans to play for Briar Cliff. Berger is a junior and his fraternal twin brother, Nick, starts at cornerback along with senior veteran Ben Rickord.
Matt Casey also sees considerable action in the secondary, where Wegher has been the safety on various occasions. And, Cole Wegher, a starter as a sophomore last year, was in the lineup for the first four games before a season-ending injury.
Two of the four games in which Heelan surrendered more than seven points were blowout wins over Lawton-Bronson (62-13) and Spencer (52-15). The other two were the Crusaders' two encounters with tradition-rich Harlan, a 28-13 verdict on the second Friday of the regular season and a 38-21 playoff triumph in which Heelan led 38-7 before the Cyclones scored twice in the final 5:36.
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