High school football 2020: No longer a rookie, Brookside coach Scott O'Donnell thinks second year will be a better one

SHEFFIELD — Brookside second-year coach Scott O'Donnell is no longer the new guy. He thinks that will be key to turning things around for the Cardinals, who finished 2-8 last year and 1-6 in their first season in the Lorain County League. "I know these guys now and they know me," O'Donnell said. "These guys know the system and we had a lot more time together in the offseason. Believe it or not, even though we weren't all in the weight room at the same time, we did a lot of Zooms and we're a lot further ahead than where we were a year ago. "We're really developing the culture of the team and we are all more comfortable together as a team. Our numbers are better than a year ago, but it's still not where it needs to be. I think when we start getting things turned around and winning games, that will take care of itself." If Brookside is going to reverse the trend, it's going to have to start up front on the offensive and defensive lines, where the Cardinals have plenty of familiar faces. Senior Jon Whitmer, junior Collin Houpt, sophomore Collin Thompson and sophomore Ryan Kelley all started last year and should be prepared when the season kicks off Friday. Where the Cards need the most improvement is on defense. Brookside allowed nearly 37 points per game and surrendered 40 or more five times last year. "Once we got back out here, it didn't take long to get the football mentality back and start getting ready for the season," said junior linebacker/running back Karson Nail. "We're trying to be more aggressive on the defensive side of the ball and I like what we are doing. We really have to get after the ball and hit some people this year. We know we have to be better tacklers and we have really focused on team and individual tackling drills. We had some games where we missed a lot of tackles and that has really been an emphasis this year." Brookside got shut out by Cloverleaf to open the season last year, but found some rhythm, averaging 25 points over the next four games and notching wins over John F. Kennedy and Oberlin. The wheels came off in the second half, with the Cardinals scoring only 30 points and being shutout three times in losses to Keystone, Black River and Clearview. Brookside is hoping that junior Kenny Grobolsek can help the offense stay consistent after he racked up 1,537 all-purpose yards in 2019. Grobolsek has mainly been a running back, but he could see line up at wide receiver or quarterback to keep opposing defenses guessing and to give other returning skilled players a chance to take advantage of mismatches. "I know I have a target on my back, but it just makes me work even harder in the offseason. I want to be a person that stands out on the field," Grobolsek said. "I want to be a person that other people look up to and I'm just going to do everything I can to help the team when I step on the field. I'm looking forward to the challenge of going out there and making plays, no matter where I line up on the field this year. It's going to be a little different, but I'm looking forward to doing what I can to help us score points." O'Donnell plans on changing things up on offense. "Last year it was Kenny left, Kenny right and Kenny up the middle, and that's pretty easy to defend when you know what's coming," he said. "We have more guys that can touch the ball and I think we are going to be much improved passing the ball with Jake Montgomery and Kenny both taking reps at quarterback. "We know what we have this year and I really believe we are going to be a better team all-around, with so many players returning this season." BROOKSIDE CARDINALS CONFERENCE: Lorain County League (Division IV) 2018 RECORD: 2-8, 1-6 (Lorain County League) COACH: Scott O'Donnell, 2nd year, 2-8 (25-25 at Lake Catholic) RETURNING LETTERMEN: 24 RETURNING STARTERS: 22 (11 offense, 11 defense) PLAYOFF APPEARANCES: None LAST TIME IN PLAYOFFS: None NUMBERS GAME: 7 — The number of games Brookside has won the past four years, with its last winning season (6-4) coming in 2015. PLAYER TO WATCH: Junior running back/quarterback/wide receiver Kenny Grobolsek is a load for opposing defenses and equally as entertaining to watch for the fans. Grobolsek had over 1,500 all-purpose yards for the Cardinals last year. SCHEDULE: Aug. 28……..Westlake Sept. 4..…….Wellington * Sept. 11…….at Firelands * Sept. 18……at Keystone * Sept. 25……at Black River * Oct. 2….…...Columbia * Oct. 9/10……OHSAA Playoffs Oct 16..……..Oberlin * * Lorain County League All games start at 7:00 p.m. Contact James Brady at 329-7135 or jbrady_ct@yahoo.com.