Spring Mills looking to continue program upswing in year five

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Spring Mills is coming off of a second straight football playoff appearance in the school’s short, four-year history.

“We were definitely pleased with last season,” said Spring Mills coach Derek Munson. “Coming into the season, we felt like we were going to be competitive, but we did have some question marks. We got off to a little bit of a rough start in the first game, but battled back to make the playoffs.”

As the No. 13 seed in 2015, the Cardinals lost on the road to Capital, 62-7. But four straight wins to end the 2016 regular season put Spring Mills back in the playoffs again as the No. 13 seed. And while the end result was still a loss, it was a much closer setback to Morgantown, 25-7.

“We feel like we’re headed in the right direction and we feel real good about where we are in the weight room with the guys working hard and their development,” Munson said. “We had a new coaching staff and a young coaching staff starting this thing off four years ago and we’re starting to gel a little bit better. We feel like we’re moving in the right direction.”

The Cardinals lost 14 seniors overall from that 2016 team, including standout running back Demetreus Jalepes and senior quarterback Colton Henson. One of the strengths will be up front for Spring Mills as the Cardinals return all but one starter along the offensive line.

Junior Evin Hurt and senior Trenton Kearns took reps at quarterback during summer 7-on-7s and will compete in preseason practices. Receiver Brock Shockey will also be a significant weapon offensively for the Cardinals, back in the mix after battling a shoulder injury over the last couple of years.

Spring Mills improved defensively as the year went on last season and returns several key pieces there.

“We feel pretty good about our guys up front, defensively, with a lot of those guys back,” Munson said. “We have a little bit more depth on the back-end than what we’ve had. It’s really a matter of trying to replace three senior linebackers from last year.”

The Cardinals open up the 2017 season home against Musselman — a contest they lost last year 54-7 on the road.

“We’ll have a tough one in the first week against Musselman. That will be a good test to see where we are and where we’ll go,” Munson said. “The one thing I do know about our program in the last couple of years is that we’ve definitely gotten better as the season has progressed, so that’s a plus.”