Young Bucks eager to flourish

BUCKSPORT – Soon Class C will feel the effects of the youth movement taking hold on the hill overlooking Broadway.

When a high school football team starts a junior under center and a sophomore in the backfield, most think the team will suffer a down year.

But when coach Joel Sankey’s running back played in four varsity games his freshman year, and when the quarterback starts half of the season as a sophomore, the coach isn’t worried about age.

“Our heart are the sophomores,” the 12th-year coach said.

Sankey’s young running back showed late promise in 2005. Nate Warren gained more than 180 yards in last year’s regular season finale and is projected to be this year’s starter.

Warren will rely heavily on an inexperienced offensive line, a line that graduated five starters that averaged 250 pounds, Sankey said.

“The offensive and defensive lines are a work in progress,” Sankey said. “They worked very hard this summer in the weight room and they have gotten stronger.”

A young line may mean more penalties for the Bucks. Sankey admitted the new blocking authority might make mistakes.

“As long as they make them going 100 miles per hour, and they don’t hang their heads, and they learn from [the mistakes] we should be OK,” he said.

Derek Fish will have the quarterbacking duties directly behind that line, after staring half of last season as a sophomore.

“We stated getting on a grove last year, so I think we will blossom out a lot more this year,” Fish said of the youthful team.

The Golden Bucks, who Sankey said had gone away from their traditional passing attack to a hard-nosed rushing game in recent years, will return to its style of the past.

“The kid [Fish] can throw and we have four kids that can catch the ball,” the coach said, adding they will run waggle and bootleg plays, giving Fish an opportunity to scramble.

Fish said the offense also would run some plays out of the shotgun, which should provide more chances to pass.

With a strong sophomore class, and a 25-man freshman team, Sankey said the Golden Bucks will have talent not only this season, but down the road as well.

“The future is very bright,” the coach said. “We have been very successful here and it looks like it is going to continue.”

BUCKSPORT GOLDEN BUCKS

2005 Results: 5-5, Lost to Mattanawcook in LTC Class C semifinals

Head coach: Joel Sankey, 12th year

Key players: Nate Warren, RB-LB, So.; Derek Fish, QB-DB, Jr.; Zach Gellerson, WR-DB, Jr; Derek Small, G-DT, Jr.; Mark Smith, G-DT, Jr.; Matt Gray, FB-LB, Sr.; Chris Maguire, WR-LB, Sr.; Todd Freeman, WR-DB, Sr.;

Outlook: Expectations are high again for the Bucks to return to the LTC playoffs, but a tough schedule awaits the Golden Bucks, who square off against western Maine powerhouse Jay in the opening week. Sankey believed the conference has seven realistic contenders for four playoff spots. “It will be a fight for that fourth spot,” Sankey said, including his team in that battle.