High school football 2023: Black River thinking big after big finish last season

SULLVIAN TWP. — No team had as dramatic a midseason reversal as Black River did a year ago. After starting the season 0-4 while getting outscored 136-32, the Pirates saved their season by winning their final six Lorain County League games to finish second in the conference and earn a spot in the Division VI, Region 22 playoffs. With returning All-Ohio seniors Eric Groesser and Blake Hopkins leading the way, Black River is hoping to capitalize on the momentum it built in the second half of last season. "Finishing 6-1 showed us how good we can be," Groesser said. "We had a shot up until the final regular-season game of winning conference." Groesser earned his All-Ohio honor as a punter but he had a big year under center as well, throwing for 1,803 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also had 417 yards and five touchdowns rushing. "Now that I've started a whole season at quarterback on varsity I know better what to expect," Groesser said. "I think we're going to spread the ball out a lot more to different players this year. We have a lot of young guys who are going to surprise people." The Pirates also return their leading rusher in Hopkins, who was also the team's leading tackler. He earned All-Ohio honorable mention honors at linebacker after recording 136 tackles and a sack. "Ending last year the way we did should just carry over into this season," Hopkins said. "We're all buying in and wanting to win. I think we're going to be pretty good. We have a lot of players back and a really good coaching staff. If we stay heathy it should be a good year." Black River returns seven starters on offense and six on defense from a that finished 6-5, 6-1 in the conference. "We were forced to play a lot of young guys last year and that got the ball rolling for a good offseason," Pirates coach Kyle Clark said. "Now those guys have that experience under their belt plus they had another offseason to get better. "Having Blake Hopkins back is especially big for our younger players. Blake has been there and done that so they can watch him and learn from him. And having Eric Groesser back at quarterback for us is huge. He's been a phenomenal player and a great leader." In addition to a veteran backfield, Black River will also benefit from having five veteran lineman — Ryan Graves, R.J. Bentley, Owen Chapman, Cooper McKean and Lukas Steinbrenner. "On offense we have a lot of weapons," Groesser said. "Obviously Hopkins but also Seth Gaspari (junior running back) and Bryce Murray (sophomore running back) and John Kray is an outstanding receiver." In additional to starting at wide receiver, Kray is also the starting free safety. "He's the quarterback of the defense," Clark said of Kray. "He can probably call the defense as good as we can as coaches and sometime he does call it. He'll make the checks and get everyone lined up." Black River's first two opponents this fall — Hillsdale and Northwestern — won playoff games a year ago so the Pirates will be tested right from the opening kickoff. "We're trying to take it one day at a time," Groesser said. "We have a lot of young guys playing varsity, we're a little short on numbers but we make up for that with talent. We're confident we can make it work." "This is one of the most dedicated groups I've had," Clark said. "The expectation is we're going to be more advanced in the beginning stages of the season. We're not going to have to game plan as simplistically as we did for those non-league games last year because we have so many guys back with varsity experience." With so many returning players on both sides of the ball Clark and the Pirates coaching staff have been to move past X's and O's and work on getting their players ready for the pressure they will face under the Friday night lights. "In the preseason we had to find ways to make the guys uncomfortable," Clark said. "Not in a bad way but by putting them in pressure situations so that when games come around they are a little more relaxed and ready for the pressure." It's been said pressure makes diamonds. In the Black River locker room, the hope is that pressure and how the Pirates respond to it will result in the first conference title since they won a share of Patriot Athletic Conference Stars Division in 2013. Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chronicet.com. Black River Pirates CONFERENCE: Lorain County League 2022 RECORD: 6-5, 6-1COACH: Kyle Clark, 5th year (24-19)RETURNING LETTERMEN: 27RETURNING STARTERS: 13 (7 offense, 6 defense)PLAYOFF APPEARANCES: 14LAST TIME IN PLAYOFFS: 2022 — lost 42-17 to eventual state semifinalist Columbus Grove in the opening round in Division VI NUMBERS GAME: 40.1 — All-Ohio punter Eric Groesser's net average last season on 15 attempts. PLAYERS TO WATCH: Senior linemen Cooper McKean and R.J. Bentley. The veteran two-way performers are expected to be the leaders on a line that could be among the best in the LCL. Schedule Aug. 18&emsp;&emsp;HillsdaleAug. 25&emsp;&emsp;NorthwesternSept. 1&emsp; &emsp;at BrooklynSept. 8&emsp;&emsp; Wellington*Sept. 15&emsp;&emsp;at Firelands*Sept. 22&emsp;&emsp;Keystone*Sept. 29&emsp;&emsp;at Oberlin (7:30)*Oct. 6&emsp;&emsp; at Brookside*Oct. 13&emsp; at Clearview*Oct. 20&emsp;&emsp; Columbia* * Lorain County League games All games at 7 p.m. unless noted