High school football preview 2021: With a pair of 6-foot-5 receivers in Bryce Hoerig and Ayden Bath, Vermilion is thinking big

It's been a tough run for Vermilion in recent years but with a pair of 6-foot-5, fast, athletic and smart wide receivers and a three-year quarterback, the Sailors might just soar this season. Those receivers — Bryce Hoerig and Ayden Bath — will be giving defensive coordinators nightmares, while causing also problems for offensive coordinators while playing in the defensive backfield. "In the summer, receivers and quarterbacks worked together on routes," Bath said. "Just trying to learn everybody's strengths. We have a good feel for how fast our receivers can run and where we should put everybody." "I cannot tell you how excited I am about that," quarterback Ben Rini said of getting to throw to Hoerig and Bath. "Those guys — they're ball hawks. They're huge. I'm comfortable just throwing it up. I've got trust in those guys. We work together all the time. It's just like a security blanket for me. I know I've got two big athletes on the outside I can always go to." "It will be a huge help for us," Sailors coach Brett Colahan said. "They're multisport athletes. Bryce played basketball and Ayden did wonders in track. He was third in the high jump in the state and second or third in hurdles." "Being a receiver, being able to have a release for (Rini) to just throw over the top," Bath said of how he approaches the game. "Just go for it. Same thing with defense. Just go up and go for the ball and get it back for us on offense." Both players carry impressive GPAs and both should be able to play somewhere next year be it in football, basketball or track. "Football's in their future," Colahan said. "Told them, get with us, we'll do everything we can if that's the avenue they want. They have the one thing that can't be coached and that's size. They both have good speed. They have those athletic attributes in their favor." Winning two of their last three games last year gave the Sailors some momentum going into this season. "Yeah, very much," Bath said. "Ending off the season on a very good note, having the team come together, really put the pieces together. We've got a few new guys that are still learning but they're doing good, they're picking it up. We have a lot of guys back from last year that have that connection, that team chemistry that will carry over." "I think it does a lot for us," Hoerig said. "Our specialists are a good group. I think only a couple of them are inexperienced. We're pretty seasoned when it comes to receivers and running backs. Just our line— it's there— it just needs a little work." Bath believes Vermilion's offense will be balanced but he wants to play a big role in it. "We'll definitely do a lot of both (running and passing)," he said. "Our offense is based on the run-pass option. We're ready for pretty much anything. "Same thing on defense. We're ready for the pass, we're ready for the run. We're practicing to be the best at what we can do." Vermilion has also spent time on the mental aspect of the game. "Last year, something would happen and we'd be down on ourselves for the next 10 plays," Hoerig said. "This year, even if we have a bad play, we need to regroup and we need to play better and just get past it. "In the past years, we dwelled on lost games for that entire practice week after. We can't do that. We have to get over it on Saturday." Even through the threat of games being canceled due to the COVID situation a year ago, Hoerig pushed through. "I prepared like any other week," he said. "If there was a possibility of playing that week, I was ready. "The entire season, it was weird not getting up and going to school. We'd go on Zoom. That was really weird. It got my schedule whacked up but I got through it. We were good." Hoerig wants to continue his education at Ohio University. Bath is hoping to get an academic scholarship. "I would like to go to college," Bath said. "I'm thinking about trying to get a scholarship through academics or even sports and try to carry my way. I don't exactly have a major I'm set on right now. I'm still thinking about that. If that's not the option, I'll probably join the Air Force." Contact Tim Gebhardt at 329-7135 or at timothygeb@msn.com.