Stable position could help the Licking Heights Hornets football team
Licking County Locos 17U achieve a shutout in baseball this summer
The Licking County Locos 17U defeated the Waverly Post 142 Junior Shockers 7-0 on Thursday in Lancaster.
PATASKALA – The Licking Heights football team will move into a long-awaited new stadium in 2024, and the new facility is raising expectations.
The Hornets are under pressure to perform well in this landmark season, but coach Austin Drewyor said they already have the motivation they need.
“We’re putting a lot of pressure on ourselves this season, whether we’re playing in a parking lot or a brand new facility,” Drewyor said. “We have to win. We can’t go back to 2-8. High school sports are about more than winning and losing, but we can’t go back to 2-8. The new facility will be the cherry on top and hopefully add more excitement to start the year. I think we’ll be worthy of that excitement.”
Heights was competitive in Drewyor’s first season as head coach, but the Hornets often failed to overcome the hurdle.
A talented graduating class won’t have many opportunities to perform in front of a home crowd, as they only have four home games, including a home opener against Tri-Valley on Aug. 30. They certainly feel the urge to make the most of it.
“We have a great team this year and we’re ready to win,” said senior receiver Josiah Ayers. “We’ve been training hard since January. … We’ll be ready for the first game there. Of course we want to win all the games. We’re looking forward to it.”
Heights hopes that a sense of stability underfoot will help the Hornets keep the ship on course.
Drewyor had just two years under his belt at the Heights when he took over as head coach following the retirement of Kele Waaland. Drewyor was not promoted until the end of the 2022-23 school year. He got off to a lightning start last summer but never really got going.
“It’s a night and day difference. I feel a lot more comfortable when everything is prepared,” Drewyor said. “I feel more comfortable knowing what to focus on with everything and having a better handle on all the things off the field. One of my main parents said, ‘Coach, you’re a lot calmer this year.’ I was able to really reflect on all the things I did well and poorly last year.”
The Hornets are feeling it, too. Senior quarterback Jalynn Fillmore has also spent the entire offseason leading the offense after playing the majority of the final two games last season.
“There’s a trust factor because we’ve been with (Drewyor) before and we know what’s going to happen. The bond is a lot better,” Fillmore said. “I’ve got a lot more reps, but I’ve got a lot of room to grow.”
Fillmore will primarily hand the ball off to senior Jake Lopinto, who totaled 613 yards receiving, 438 yards running and 12 TDs in both the backfield and slot. Ayers added 420 yards and three TDs on 35 catches on the outside.
Junior JJ Shackleford, a promising cornerback, will be a threat to Ayers’ counterpart, while senior Similoluwa Jaf-ogunlayi provides speed out of the backfield.
“I’ve been throwing to a lot of these guys for four or six years,” Fillmore said. “That’s huge.”
Ayers added: “We’re ready to make plays. Now it’s time for teamwork. We’ve got to put it all together and we will. There’s going to be a good connection with (Fillmore) this year.”
For Heights’ talented players to flourish, a maturing offensive line will be necessary. The Hornets have four starters back – senior Alijah Ferguson and juniors Dalton Pond, Matthew Schmitz and Fred Saunders. Their work in the weight room impressed Drewyor, a former standout tight end.
“These guys are really starting to develop with the work they’ve done behind the scenes,” Drewyor said. “We’ve got six or seven guys up there that are going to take a big step.”
Many of the top offensive players will also contribute on defense until some freshmen establish themselves in the starting lineup. Senior Christian Watson is expected to be a force at defensive end.
The defense, which allowed 23 points or fewer five times, was plagued by injuries, forcing Drewyor and longtime defensive coordinator Jeff Boyer to constantly stumble and shuffle. The unit was set to get reinforcements on the perimeter from senior Reece Powell, who was out of the program last season after starting as a sophomore.
The task is to turn stats into wins while navigating a challenging schedule. The Hornets visit Newark for the opener on Aug. 23 after opening the last three seasons against Johnstown. Additionally, away games at Sheridan in Week 3 and Buckeye Valley in Week 4 are part of the season opener with plenty of road games that will have a big impact on where they end up in the race for the Division II playoffs.
“The (returning players) haven’t really rested on their laurels,” Drewyor said. “Everyone realizes they can get better. That’s been the focus. We’ve changed some things in our culture. We’re never done making changes, but Heights is our number one priority. The guys who have had success want to win. They don’t want to just be a guy who had good stats on a bad team.”
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At a glance
- Coach: Austin Drewery
- State Classification: Division II, Region 7
- In 2023: 2-8, 1-3
- Key Players: Jake Lopinto, Sr., RB/DB; Jalynn Fillmore, Sr., QB/DB; Josiah Ayers, Sr., WR/DB; Alijah Ferguson, Sr., OL/LB; Dalton Pond, Jr., OL/DL; Christian Watson, Sr., TE/DL; Reece Powell, Sr., WR/DB; JJ Shackleford, Jr., WR/DB.
- What to expect: Heights hopes to become more consistent under second-year coach Drewyor, and a maturing offensive line led by Ferguson and Pond should help quality players excel. Lopinto is a returning All-Ohioan on defense, and he and Ayers lead an arsenal of weapons for Fillmore, who took the majority of snaps in the closing stages last season.
- Game to watch: Week 6 against Licking Valley. This will be only Heights’ second home game in its new stadium after a season filled with away games. A win over the Panthers would put the Hornets as contenders in the Licking County League-Buckeye Division.
- Postseason Outlook: A fast start will be crucial for Heights, which hasn’t started 2-1 since 2018. New opponents in Week 1 at Newark and Week 3 at Sheridan will give the Hornets a chance to earn plenty of computer points later in Division II.
