Last year, Mohawk was bursting at the seams with experienced skill position players, but the linemen were a bit of a question mark.

This year, it’s the opposite.

Eleven seniors are gone, leaving behind a young group and some rebuilding to do — but some veteran linemen remain and will look to anchor the Warriors come fall.

“I graduated 11 and all of those 11 played significant time for us last year, and quite a few of them were very good football players, some of which are playing at the next level,” Mohawk coach Tim McCutcheon, in his fifth year as coach, said. “Any time you’re a small school and you’re losing that many seniors, that many high-caliber seniors, there’s going to be a little bit of a different look this year, for sure. Fortunately, up front, I bring back the majority of my line, so that’s a good place to start.”

After struggling for several seasons, going 0-9 in 2015 and 1-8 in 2016, Mohawk has been trending upward, going 5-4 in 2017 and picking up a playoff win vs. Seton LaSalle last year, finishing 9-3 after falling to Charleroi in the WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinals. The Warriors were led by senior quarterback Nick Wheeler, senior running back Braydon Cameron and senior wide receiver Nate McCutcheon.

This season, some younger players will compete to step into those skill position roles. That includes sophomores Marc Conti and Boden Leslie, who will battle it out for the quarterback spot.

“We have a competition going on at quarterback, both underclassmen, and all the other positions are underclassmen in the skill position areas,” McCutcheon said. “Last year, my huge question mark was my line, because we were in good shape in the skill positions, and this year the opposite is true. So far so good up front, but we have a lot of unproven young guys at the skill positions.”

Seniors Josh Kurtz and Nick Beam will be key figures on the offensive and defensive lines, and two juniors, linebacker Brian Cline and defensive back Jordan Mollenkopf, will play important roles as well.

McCutcheon is counting on the Warriors’ intensity staying high, even with less experienced players out on the field.

“We need some guys that are going to step up when the lights are on Friday night that are unproven,” McCutcheon said. “The guys I’m counting on definitely will keep growing and getting better. I know we’re going to be physical, I know we’re going to be aggressive and I know we’re going to be tough. I think those three things will keep us in any game, so then it’s going to come down to if we can make plays when it counts.”

Having played under the senior class that helped Mohawk get over the hump, however, should help.

Despite losing so many key contributors, the Warriors are keeping expectations high for the 2019 season.

“With this group, they came up playing underneath that group that just graduated,” McCutcheon said. “So they got to see what it takes to be good, the commitment it takes and the unity that it takes and the buy-in that it takes. So they’ve seen it and they’ve been a part of it. We know we’re the underdogs this year and I think they’re kind of embracing that. They’ve also been handed a torch by the guys that graduated and they don’t plan on dropping it, so they’re a feisty group, and even though they’re the underdogs, their plans are to win.”

Coach: Tim McCutcheon

Years at school: 5

2018 record: 9-3

WPIAL playoff appearances: 6

Returning starters: Offense 5, Defense 5

Key returners: Josh Kurtz (6-2, 205, Sr., OL-DL), Nick Beam (6-0, 250, Sr. OL-DL), Hunter Faulk (5-10, 215, Sr., LB)

Keys to success: Younger, unproven guys must step up after team lost many seniors.

Schedule

*Non-conference game

First Published: August 14, 2019, 10:00 a.m.