2023 Record: 8-2 overall, 6-1 in Flyway (2nd)
Lost in Level 1 (No. 1 seed) against No. 8 Mayville (36-25)
Key Losses: WR Noah Gensler (1st team), OL/DL Oscar Blohm (1st), QB/S Sam Loehr (2nd/1st), RB/S Noah Schumacher (2nd), OL/LB Chop Simmons (2nd), OLB Jack Karst (1st), DL Sebie Paul
Key Returners: ATH Gannan Schwartz, LB Moses Metzger, RB Cole Keifenheim, WR Miles McAuly, WR/CB Marcus Christensen
Last season had been earmarked as “the year” for WLA football.
The Vikings had plenty of success, winning their first eight games prior to a conference championship game loss to Springs and a first-round upset exit to Mayville in the playoffs.
It was a season that had been building for several years, with experience at nearly every position on both sides of the ball.
Coach Kevin Loehr, who heads into his sixth year at the helm, said although it would be easy to dwell on the loss of the exceptional Class of 2024, he is still excited with the group of skill guys on this year’s team.
“Our junior class brings a lot of speed with them,” Loehr said. “We are hoping they have minimal one way starters. We’ve got a lot of those speed guys that we can mix in and we are definitely going to be more of a speed team this year.”
Gannan Schwartz headlines that junior class and is one of the most dynamic athletes in the conference. The Vikings plan to have Schwartz step in at quarterback, replacing Sam Loehr, who led the Flyway in passing in 2023.
Schwartz will share a backfield with classmate Cole Keifenheim, who got work last year as the backup running back. Keifenheim also started several games due to injuries ahead of him.
He rushed for 253 yards on just 51 carries last season.
“Cole surprised us a little last year,” Loehr said. “We thought he really read the blocks well and hit his holes and he’s going to be the feature back this year. He’s going to get a lot of carries and we’re going to count on him a lot.
“[With Schwartz], it’s going to be a two dimensional speed back there and I think teams are going to have to honor that. We’re excited to see what happens here.”
Despite the team having low numbers, WLA hopes to play Schwartz and Keifenheim exclusively on offense to keep them fresh.
Senior wide receiver Miles McAuly said he is excited with what the running game could look like this year.
“In the Flyway, you’re running the ball all the time so we got all these athletic, shifty guys that can hand the ball off and you’re getting five, six yards [before contact],” McAuly said.
He said he thinks if the Vikings can be successful rushing the ball, passing plays for him and fellow senior WR Marcus Christensen will open up.
“Just make sure we get the run game down,” McAuly said. “If we get the run game down the pass game opens up, play action, you know, you’ll find those big plays every couple and a while.”
McAuly was an explosive player in the passing game last year. Although he only caught seven passes, he made the most of them averaging 35.3 yards per reception and two long TDs.
The question on the offensive side will be in the trenches, where WLA lost experience at every position, including all-conference performers in Oscar Blohm and Chop Simmons.
Some of those same players impacted the defensive side as well, where seniors accounted for 422 tackles, 32 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
Moses Metzger said he has seen a hunger from younger players to step up and capitalize on the openings left by last year’s seniors.
“There have been lots of great guys that I’ve gotten to play with the last three years, but I’m excited for this year too,” Metzger said. “We’ve got strong underclassmen to step up and fill all of those big roles.”
Metzger is the leading returning defender from his linebacker spot, where he recorded 38 tackles last season.
He said his main goal as a defensive leader is to make sure every player knows his assignment.
“We need a lot of communication,” Metzger said. “We’ve got a lot of newer guys. Guys who have played on JV but it’s a little faster up at Varsity and as long as we communicate well and know what we’re doing we’ll be solid.
“I’m really just trying to help everybody see where they’re going. I think I have played all of those spots actually over the last two years and really just hoping to hit some people.”
Schwartz was also the most productive and most dynamic special teams player last year, though the Vikings may be cautious about putting their QB in return situations.
Schwartz piled up more than 700 yards on 30 combined punt and kick returns and scored four times.
Loehr said beyond the X’s and O’s, he has seen that the team has dedicated itself to working hard off the field in the weight room to improve, for which he credited the seniors.
“We got some good heart there in the senior class and they had a good summer in the weight room,” Loehr said. “Coach [Ryan] Jacobs had them in there. I think they put a lot of time in there and you can see it here in the contact days. They bring some great leadership and I’m excited to see what they can do.”
Loehr has now led the Vikings to the playoffs three times in four chances. He said he expects this team to be in the top-half of the Flyway yet again, which would likely result in another trip to the postseason.
“You have to be able to run the ball, you gotta be able to stop the run, there’s no doubt,” Loehr said. “It’s going to be that way this year and every game is a dogfight in the Flyway.
“We’ll see where the chips fall but I like our chances.”
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