Countdown to kickoff: Saukees believe physical play, run game can lead to playoff pursuit

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PITTSFIELD, Ill. — The Pittsfield football program’s playoff drought is long enough that senior linebacker Draven Puterbaugh doesn’t remember seeing one.

“It hasn’t happened in quite some time,” he said.

Fifteen years in fact.

Yet, there’s a distinct hope and strong belief this could be the team that ends that drought. The Saukees won their final two games last season, learned if they run the ball efficiently good things happen and have assembled one of their most physically imposing rosters of recent memory.

All told, that could lead to a playoff berth.

“I’d like to be a part of that,” Puterbaugh said. “I’m sure my friends and my teammates would like to be a part of that, too.”

It’s going to take a change in offensive identity and a follow-through on the offseason weight training to make that possible.

Run, Saukees, run

Pittsfield coach Zach Ferguson is taking what the roster is providing and tailoring the offense to suit that. That starts with a physically imposing line and a stable of capable running backs.

The Saukees average around 240 pounds per man across the front line with senior left guard Jaron White providing the anchor. The 6-foot-4, 285-pound White is entering his third season as a starter and believes the experience up front will matter as much as anything early in the season.

“We’re going to come out of the gate firing on all cylinders,” he said.

The plan is to plow people over, too.

“We’re bigger all round than we have been in a long time,” Ferguson said. “Even our smaller kids have improved in the weight room. We’re looking forward to showing off our strength and seeing how much better it makes us.”

The idea of running the ball has the Saukees excited.

“Later last season, we figured out if we run the ball we generate more yards, we score and we win more games,” said Puterbaugh, who is expected to start at tight end. “We’re more experienced because we’ve played and we’re committed to this program. And we’re physical.”

That holds true in the backfield as well.

A pair of seniors — Jesse Davidsmeyer and Lane Foster — along with juniors Jake Oitker and Jaydenn Moore will get carries out of the backfield, while Ferguson ran through a list of names of potential playmakers on the edge. 

Davidsmeyer rushed for 557 yards and seven touchdowns last season.

“Our skill guys are pretty deep,” Ferguson said.

They are a known commodity because they’ve been in the program for two or three years at least.

“We didn’t have any turnover,” Ferguson said. “We know what our kids are capable of, but we’re also looking forward to seeing how much they’ve grown. Some of them are bigger and stronger. Some of them are faster. Some may end up in different positions.

“We have to play somebody because we have to see what we have.”

That happens Week 1 when Jacksonville comes calling.

Finding an opponent

When Riverton announced in July it would not field a varsity team this fall, Pittsfield lost its season-opening opponent with the unlikely prospect it could find a replacement.

“Free win,” Puterbaugh said of his reaction to that news which would have resulted in a forfeit victory for the Saukees.

Just before the calendar turned from July to August, however, the Saukees landed an on-the-field foe. Jacksonville, a Class 5A program just 30 miles from Pittsfield, lost its Week 1 opponent when St. Louis Soldan chose not to field a varsity team.

Suddenly, the Saukees had something to play for and something to prove.

“We have to go compete,” Puterbaugh said. “Let’s get ready.”

Although Jacksonville is a larger school that plays in a premier conference, it presents a similar challenge to what the rest of the Sangamo Conference does for the Saukees.

“In the Sangamo, it’s a gauntlet,” Ferguson said. “It doesn’t matter who you’re playing or what their record is. The teams are good no matter if they are 0-9 or 1-8. They’re going to be able to go to other conferences and beat a lot of teams.

“So getting the chance to play against a team like that in Week 1 is good for us. We have to step up and show we can compete.”

Defensively, the Saukees are confident that will be the case week in and week out.

“We’re all big and we’re not scared to hit anyone,” Puterbaugh said.

The physicality from Puterbaugh and Owen Shaw, who will start in the middle at linebacker, is part of the reason for the excitement about how much better the defense can be. The Saukees return nine starters on defense, including six of their front seven.

“Our run defense last year was really pretty good,” Ferguson said. “We had some pass defense issues. That has been our focus in summer practices to fix our pass defense. We’ll hit people. We can stop people in the run, but we have to stop big plays.”

That comes down to commitment to doing things correctly.

“I’m a key person on fundamentals,” Puterbaugh said. “Don’t jump to the big steps, take small steps. If you know how to do it, do it right. You’re going to be successful if you do that.”

So far, that’s what Puterbaugh is seeing the Saukees embrace.

“Everything clicks, and that really helps our younger guys because we can teach them how and why it clicks,” Puterbaugh said. “We have good rhythm throughout practice.”