By ED LOOMAN

For The Times Leader

WELLSBURG–Mac McLean enters his fourth season as Brooke’s football coach with “a lot of confidence” in his “number ones.”

The key, however, to rebounding from last season’s injury-riddled, 2-8 season lies with “the supporting cast.”

“Our keys to success might not lie with the top people on our depth chart,” McLean said earlier this month. “The keys are going to be with our supporting cast. We need to find kids in our junior and sophomore classes who can spell our starters. Plus, we need to get our talented ninth graders ready to fill in on special teams.

“When I put my number ones out there and look at them, I say to myself ‘this is going to be a pretty good football team. At the same time, however, I look at how thin we are in some spots.

“The supporting players need to hold things down for three or four plays so we can give our mainstays some breaks and keep them fresh. Our older guys have to play to their potential and, of course, stay healthy. The key is going to be with the kids who may not be listed in the preseason article but hopefully will see their names in articles by the end of the year.”

To say 2016 was a nightmare from an injury standpoint would be a major understatement. By Week 3, 13 names on Brooke’s top 22 list had changed.

“What was amazing about last season was the support I received from other coaches around the valley,” McLean stated. “I heard horror stories from everybody about their experiences with similar seasons.

“One coach told me that even though last season sucked for us, he bet I became a better football coach. We were reshuffling the deck all the time. It was a hard pill to swallow but it makes you work harder. Looking back, I realized I learned a lot of tough lessons and I hope it made me better at what I do.”

McLean noted the offseason was “the best we’ve had since I’ve been here.”

“The attendance in the weight room and the energy in the room was great,” he continued. “We have a lot of guys who were forced into action last season before they were ready. Their reaction to that was I think it kind of put a chip on their shoulders. When you have a season like last year, you can have a mutiny. Kids could just turn their backs and walk away. That hasn’t been my experience.

“Our kids want to get out there and get the ball teed up on Thursday against Wheeling Park. We all want to get this year started and make last year just a memory. It was a trying time around here for players and coaches. We’re ready to turn the page and move on.”

Brooke has 67 players on its roster, which includes 26 freshmen.

“Numbers wise one of the biggest positive, even though it may be an unproven positive, is we have a really, really good group of freshmen,” said McLean, who guided the Bruins to the West Virginia Class AAA playoffs in 2015. “That’s one of the reasons why we decided to fold our freshmen program and mold those thus into the JV roster.

“When you look at our depth chart, we have a very small sophomore class. There are going to be ninth graders on the field for us and they’re going to be out there because they belong out there. This is the most talented freshmen class that walked in here since I’ve been here. We’re really excited about that. Now, of course, I wish they were a year older but that’s OK.”

As he reviewed his depth chart, McLean couldn’t help but smile when discussing his offensive line.

“I think the biggest strength of our team is the front five on the offensive line,” he stressed. “They are big, strong and did well in linemen competition this summer. They are a weight room group and have really bought into what we are teaching them. I like what I see but right now we’re seeing them in t-shirts and shorts and everyone looks like a million dollars in t-shirts and shorts.

“The down side is there’s not many of them. If I could take my starting five and only play them on offense, I’d probably have the most dominate offensive line I’ve had as a coach. A lot of these guys, however, won’t get to leave the field. That’s just going to be a problem for me. We have kind of a small enrollment for our division, so we just have to find a way to get through it.”

The line is led by tackles junior Scott Browning, who has started since his freshman season, and senior Jonathan Gallagher, the biggest player on Brooke’s roster at 6-6, 280.

“He dropped 50 pounds in the offseason and has been working really hard,” McLean said of Gallagher. “He should have an outstanding season for us.”

Senior Carson Secrist, who transferred from New Philadelphia, will start at one guard with senior Kyler Haynes manning the other spot.

Brooke’s center will be senior Skyler Rice. McLean noted junior Jimmy Willis will be “the utility guy” along the offensive line, providing relief at all three positions.

Junior Austin Reitter also is ticketed to see action up front.

Players vying for time at tight end are senior Adam Horvath, junior George Makricostas and senior Walker Morris.

Senior Ethan Secrist is healthy again and will lead Brooke’s experienced receiving corps.

“It’s a shame he missed most of junior year,” McLean said of E. Secrist.

Junior Aleksey Rasz, who moved to tight end in 2016 “out of necessity,” returns to a receiving spot along with senior Kenny Taylor, who as McLean noted “saw considerable time for us last season.”

Senior Tripp Moore, who transferred from Madonna, and senior Josh “Scrubs” Richie add depth at receiver. McLean said Moore has been “impressive” as a newcomer to the Brooke program.

At quarterback, McLean reported the Bruins “have a competition going on right now.”

Involved in that competition are juniors Logan Williams and Gage Yost. Both saw playing time in 2016. Yost passed for 867 yards and eight touchdowns while Williams threw for 456 yards and three scores.

“Logan had a growth spurt in the offseason and he’s turned things into a competition with Gage,” McLean noted.

“They are different types of quarterbacks. Logan is a pure pocket passer while Gage is a good ball carrier in addition to being a good passer.

Sophomore Alex Lilly will provide backup to Yost and Williams.

Junior Dalton Valero is the most experienced ball carrier returning to the tailback spot. Senior Zeke Farmer got some carries a season ago and McLean is hoping he can “double the touches Farmer gets this year.” Sophomore Max Camilletti also is battling for playing time.

Juniors C.J. Helms and Kenton Conley, a transfer from Moon Township, are the top fullback candidates.

McLean called Conley “an impressive guy who started at linebacker for Moon last season.”

Defensively, the Bruins will employ a base 4-4 look.

Browning and Horvath will start at defensive ends with Gallagher and Haynes at tackles.

“We have some promising young kids along the defensive line,” McLean stated. “Since our four starters also start on the offensive line, we’ll be working the young guys in slowly in order to spell our regulars.”

Helms and C. Secrist are penciled in as starters at inside linebacker with Yost, E. Secrist and Conley in the mix at outside linebacker.

“We probably have more athletes at linebacker than anywhere else on the team,” the Brooke coach said. “We should have some solid depth there.”

Valero returns to start at free safety with freshman Aaron Scipio being counted on to add depth.

McLean said there are “four to five guys in the mix” for playing time at corner. They include Richie, Taylor, senior Nic Provenzano, junior Austin Provenzano and Camilletti.

E. Secrist will handle the punting duties while sophomore Noah Horvath returns at the placekicker.

“Defensively, kind of like we are offensively, we have depth at the skilled positions–we’re just short on big boys,” McLean commented.

Speed, according to McLean, is another major strength for the 2017 Bruins.

“We were a slow football team last year with all the injuries we suffered,” he commented. “This year, our speed guys are back and some of our young guys have great speed. We can move and we can get open. We’ll be looking to create space for our speed guys.

(All games begin

at 7 p.m. unless noted)

Aug. 24 — at Wheeling Park

Sept. 8 — University, 7:30

Sept. 15 — at Morgantown

Sept. 22 — Pitts. Perry, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 29 — at Indian Creek

Oct. 6 — South, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 13 — at John Marshall

Oct. 20 — Buck.-Up., 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 27 — at Weir

Nov. 3 — Princeton, 7:30 p.m.