Aug. 18--John Hoerster is used to having a go-to guy.
Three seasons ago, it was running back Jakari Cammon. In 2013, it was wide receiver Simmie Cobbs. Last year, it was do-it-all quarterback Lloyd Yates, who will be playing at Northwestern this season.
It will not be as easy offensively for Oak Park-River Forest in 2015. But Hoerster, the Huskies' fifth-year coach, considers the lack of stars a blessing in disguise.
"It's a gift and a curse," Hoerster said. "That if you needed a big play, this kid was going to make the play for you. For example, we had Lloyd Yates last year -- if you needed something to happen, you'd pull him to the sidelines and say, 'We need a play here, and find a way to do it.'
"This year, we don't really have those big-play, go-to guys we may have had in the past. I'm excited to see if that emerges, and it might, but the blessing of that is we have a bunch of guys who can make a play."
Chief among the playmaking candidates is third-year varsity running back Antonio Cannon. The 5-foot-9, 180-pound senior captain, who was named Oak Park's special teams player of the year as a sophomore, will be counted on to help take the reins of a new-look offense that also graduated four starting offensive linemen.
Hoerster sees Cannon's experience and explosiveness as integral pieces to assist Yates' replacement, junior Jeremy Hunt. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder will not be expected to fill Yates' large shoes, but must make good decisions in an offense that will feature Cannon, running back Jamari Watson and five or six receivers that Hoerster says will see significant playing time.
Hunt, who also plays baseball and basketball for the Huskies, has the size, speed and athleticism Hoerster prefers in a high-school signal caller.
"If you were going to ask a defensive coordinator in high-school football, one thing that could keep them up at night is a quarterback that can run and make things happen," Hoerster said. "A quarterback who just sits in the pocket makes it much easier for the coordinator to game plan. In a perfect world, you want a guy who can do something with his arm and his legs. Now, he doesn't have to be great at either, but needs to be good at both."
The defense should be the team's core. Middle linebacker Jamari Moore and defensive lineman Allen Stallings, a three-year starter, are senior captains expected to lead perhaps the most athletic group Hoerster's had at Oak Park. Moore and Stallings have exceeded the coaching staff's expectations since the end of last season, only increasing confidence in them as players to build a quick, deep defensive unit around.
"We feel like we have a very athletic group of kids," Hoerster said of the defense. "We might not have a ton of size, but we have kids who can fly around and are super athletic. A lot of kids who are track guys, wrestlers, basketball players, lacrosse players. Guys who are savvy athletes with room to grow."
Oak Park-River Forest
2014: 7-3 (4-2, 3rd place West Suburban Silver)
Playoffs: 8A first round (L 39-15 to Barrington)
Coach: John Hoerster (26-15 in fifth season)
Key player: Antonio Cannon, sr., RB (117 carries, 842 yards, 10 TDs).
