By AARON PETCHAL

For The Times Leader

RICHMOND — Shane O’Brien is trying to build a program at Edison.

The Edison football team took a step forward last season, going 3-2 after five weeks before finishing the season with a record of 4-6.

“Our record was not what we hoped it would be, but that has never been our message,” said O’Brien, who is in his second season as head coach at Edison. “We do not focus on the outcome. We are focused on the process. We took a good step forward last season. Our goal every day is to get better. If we do that and focus on the process, the results will take care of themselves.”

O’Brien spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Edison before taking over the head coaching duties from Nate Moses, who served as the team’s head coach for the 2017 season.

“I learned so much last year,” O’Brien said. “This is my second year, and things are definitely going much smoother. We were able to keep the coaching staff together, and we have a good group of kids in the program. Things are going smoother.

“I think as a coach you should always be learning. I am going from my first year to my second year, and I think this is going to be my biggest learning experience. I am lucky enough to have a lot of good people around me. There is a great staff around me. I learned a lot last year, but I don’t think you ever stop learning.”

The Wildcats could have had a couple of more victories last season, but they were unable to make enough plays in those games to pull out victories, especially in a 32-29 loss to arch-rival Indian Creek in Week 10 on the road.

“We are focused on the process and not the outcome,” O’Brien said. “We know we are going to have some close games. We know some games are going to come down to one or two plays. Our focus is we want the kids to play the best they can play every play all year. We want them to understand the situation.”

Edison is looking to take another step forward this season, and the Wildcats will be counting on their experienced players to help them do that.

“I think one of the most important things about this year’s team is we have a good group of seniors coming back,” O’Brien said. “We took a step forward last season, and we want to take another step forward this season. The seniors are providing good leadership. The kids have a good work ethic, they are dedicated and they are hard working. They are doing things the right way.”

In order to take that next step, O’Brien’s alma mater is going to have to rely heavily on the big boys up front on the offensive and defensive lines.

“We are going to be run-oriented this season,” said O’Brien, who is a 2012 graduate of Edison. “Our linemen our are strength. They are a quality group. We have some three-year starters up there.

“We also have some good running backs and skilled receivers. We have a lot of good senior leadership and experience. We are going to be strong between the tackles, along with our tight ends and in our running game.”

The Wildcats roster is a mixed bag this season. Edison has a good group of seniors to lead the way, while the team also has a good amount of underclassmen, who are looking to make their mark on the field this season and in the future.

“We have about 40 kids,” O’Brien said. “That number is a little lower than I had hoped, but the guys who are here want to be here. They are dedicated. They want to be here. It is a lower number than we would have liked, but I like the quality of the guys we have here. I think with football and sports in general that numbers are down across the board in the valley. I am confident in our guys.”

Edison started last season with 46 players on the roster, 17 of which were seniors.

The biggest loss for Edison is the graduation of dual-threat starting quarterback Anthony Sinicropi. He, who only played one season of football, also played basketball and baseball, while spending his summers playing for the Richmond Post 740 and Jefferson County Post 33 American Legion baseball teams.

Sinicropi was 125 of 216 passing for 1,362 yards, 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He rushed for 422 yards and six more scores.

“Anthony is the one that stands out the most,” O’Brien said. “That is to be expected. He was our quarterback. Any time you have to replace your quarterback it is tough.”

Edison also lost its defensive leader in Bryce McAFoose.

“Another guy is Bryce McAfoose,” O’Brien said. “He was our top tackler on defense. It is going to be tough to replace him.

“We also had a good core group of receivers and tight ends we spread the ball around to when we threw it. We lost players like Bryce McAfoose, Andrew Kinney and Ryan Higgs.”

QUARTERBACK

This season, senior Noah Woods will be re-taking over the quarterback duties. Woods played some at quarterback during his sophomore season, before moving to wide receiver last season as a junior.

“Last year, he was the back up to Anthony when Anthony won the job,” O’Brien said. “He ended up going to receiver last year. This year, he is back at quarterback, and he is the leader of our team offensively.”

Woods is a good athlete, but he is not the same type of player as Sinicropi. He hauled in 28 passes for 300 yards and seven touchdowns last year.

“He’s definitely one of the best athletes we have in the school athletic-wise,” O’Brien said. “He’s not the same player as Anthony, so we are not going to ask him to do the same things. Anthony was a dangerous runner. I’m not saying Noah is not, but he’s just a different player. We are not going to ask him to do the same things. We want to make sure we are in the right plays with the right packages with the right guys around him so he can show off his strengths.”

BACKFIELD

Toronto transfer Tyler Griffith is the team’s starting running back. Griffith played football last season at Edison, before transferring to Toronto where he played on the Red Knights Ohio Division IV state championship-winning baseball team. He rushed for 35 yards and a touchdown last season, while catching nine passes for 120 yards and a TD.

Vinnie Marcino and Blaise Kaiser will both see time at fullback.

RECEIVERS

Edison’s main foursome of receivers this season are Tristan Hughes, Gage Cline, Tyler Shrieve and Izack McClug. Hughes and Cline will be the starters. Shrieve, who racked up 99 rushing yards and 34 receiving, will back up Hughes, while McClurg will back up Cline.

Logan Hanchin will start at tight end. He had three receptions for 39 yards in 2018.

OFFENSIVE LINE

The line up front consists of left tackle Lukas McCain, left guard Levi Waggoner, center Hunter Russell, right guard Kolten Hanlin and right tackle Cody Waggoner.

In the words of Woody Hayes, the Wildcats offense will feature an offensive strategy consisting of “three yards and a cloud of dust” this season.

“It is not a new system for us,” O’Brien said. “The terminology is the same. We are just focused on making sure we get the right guys in the right spots. The guys know the system.

“They understand their jobs. We just want to fine tune the details.

“This year, we are really emphasizing situational football. We want to make sure we understand down and distance and what time it is in the game.”

DEFENSIVE LINE

The Wildcats will be running a 4-2-5 defensive scheme.

“I feel really good about our defense,” O’Brien said. “We are going to try and be more aggressive on defense. We have a strong front seven. We have a good group of seniors who are returning on the defensive line, at defensive end and at linebacker. I feel good about the guys we have up front. We are simplifying things. We want them to play with more confidence, and we want them to be more aggressive.”

On the defensive line, Levi Waggoner and Hanchin will be the starting defensive ends, while Cody Waggoner will be starting at one of the defensive tackle spots. McCain and Hanlin will both see time at the other defensive tackle spot.

LINEBACKER

Marcino and Kaiser will serve as the team’s two starting inside linebackers.

SECONDARY

Hughes will start at one of the two cornerback spots. Griffith will be the team’s strong safety, while Woods will serve as the free safety. Cline and McClurg will both be seeing time at the other cornerback spot, while Jacob Cusick and Shrieve will both see time at weak safety.

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Wildcats have some question marks when it comes to special teams.

Carter Montgomery will once again handle the kicking duties, while Woods will handle the punting job, along with holding for extra points and field goals. Montgomery hit 18 PATs and three field goals last year.

“We are excited to get things kicked off,” O’Brien said. “We are excited to get things started.”

Edison plays the same 10 teams this season as it played last season.

“The only difference is the home and away games,” O’Brien said. “We are familiar with the teams. We know what they are good at. There are some new coaches. You never know what you are going to get. Things are different year to year. There are always new guys who are going to emerge.”

One of the toughest parts of the schedule comes from Weeks 4-7 when the Wildcats play four straight games away from the friendly confines of Cartwright Memorial Field.

“That is definitely going to be a challenge for us, especially with everything that comes with a road game — the packing and the traveling,” O’Brien said. “We have a new locker room, but we will have to be going to different locker rooms. We are not going to be home.”

“We are going to prepare for those games the way we normally do. Once you are on the field, it is the same game.”

Edison is scheduled to start the season at 7 p.m. Friday at home against Southern Local. The Indians defeated the Wildcats, 39-13, in last season’s opener at Wigwam Stadium. Southern finished last season with a record of 9-2 and made a trip to the Ohio Division VI Region 21 playoffs where it fell to Norwayne, 52-16, in the regional quarterfinals. The Indians return a good bit of talent this season.

“We are up for the challenge,” O’Brien said. “We are on a mission in Week 1. We respect them. We know they are a good team, but we are not going to prepare any differently for them than we would any other Week 1 opponent.

“Everybody wants to win their Week 1 game. We are going to prepare to do that. We know they are a quality opponent. We know they are a good team, but win or lose it is not going to change how we prepare for Week 2.”

The Wildcats would like to build so momentum going into their stretch of four straight road games, and Edison hopes that possible momentum will carry over into the remainder of the season.

“We want to have success early in the year,” O’Brien said. “We want to build up some momentum moving forward. We have a couple of scrimmages coming up that will hopefully build up our confidence. But, win or lose, we are going to continue to prepare the same way.”

Edison has not ended a season with a winning record since finishing with an 8-2 mark back in 2010. A 19-7 loss to Indian Creek in Week 10 on the road kept the Wildcats from making the playoffs in Division III Region 11.

Edison’s lone appearance in the playoffs came back in 2002 when the Wildcats finished third in the Division III Region 9 standings. Beaver Local defeated Edison, 23-12, in the regional quarterfinals on the road a week after the Wildcats defeated the Beavers, 41-12, in a driving rain storm the week before. Edison ended the season with a record of 9-2.

“We have set some team goals, but it is not something we talk about publicly,” O’Brien said. “Our goal is we want to get the most out of every game. We do not want to waste an opportunity to get better. There are 10 Friday nights, and you don’t want to waste them. You don’t want them to slip by because you are not going to be able to get them back. We are going to focus on the little things.

“Obviously, our big goal is to get back to the playoffs. Everyone knows we want to get back there. We know how to accomplish that goal and how to get there. That is our big goal.”

O’Brien will once again be assisted by a good group of assistant coaches. They are Jason Fogle, Greg Marsh, Spencer Bendle, Mark Smyth, Al Johnson, Nolan Marcus, Tyler Stagani and Kenny Cranston. Alicia Corbini is the trainer.