Woodstown plans to pass the football a bit more this season and has two big targets for QB Webb to locate; RB Hill hoping for good news Monday
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – The day Woodstown football coach John Adams told Max Webb he had every intention of throwing the football more this season the senior’s eyes got real wide and a broad smile crossed his face. What quarterback wouldn’t want the chance to air it out, especially when he has a couple 6-4 and 6-6 targets on either end?
It’s not like the Wolverines are going to air it out 30 times a game, maybe half that much depending on the circumstances, but enough to make opponents respect that part of the offense. They put that part on display in Thursday’s scrimmage with St. Joe of Hammonton and weren’t shy about showing it.
The most visible of their receivers is 6-foot-4 veteran Garrett Leyman and 6-6 newcomer Rocco String. If you can’t recognize them coming off the bus, you’re just not paying attention.
In the three 10-and-10 segments with the first two units, the Wolverines threw it 10 times. Webb threw it five times in the opening set alone, completing three for 56 yards and had another in the numbers dropped in the end zone. His first completion was nice downfield throw to Leyman for 33 yards after just missing on the play before.
“I saw he had a step on his corner and just gave him a chance and he finally jumped for a ball and made it look easy,” Webb said.
It’s the kind of pass you can complete when you’ve got guys with that kind of size.
“They can go get it where most of the other guys in high school can’t get it,” Webb said. “They’re more open with their height, you can just put it up above everybody else.”
If you think the quarterback is excited about the prospects of bringing more passing to the offense, imagine how the receivers feel.
“It’s going to be more exciting for all of us,” String said. “It gives us way more power, more confidence in order to go far in the playoffs and make the big step to where we’re trying to reach our goals.”
“It’s definitely going to make our offense a lot harder to defend,” Leyman said.
Leyman is a proven commodity. He played on last year’s 8-2 team and had five of the Wolverines’ 54 total receptions for 57 yards. He caught two balls from Webb Thursday for 45 yards and maybe even more impressive provided the main blocking for Bobby Donahue’s 34-yard run.
String is a little more unknown. He is back on the football field for the first time since the seventh grade. He was a 6-1 right tackle and defensive end then, but hung up the helmet through high school to concentrate on baseball. He returned this year because he “wanted to hit someone” and every day urging from Adams in Algebra II class.
He may become even more impactful as a rush end on defense, but he’ll make an appealing option for the Wolverines to move the chains.
String hasn’t caught a ball in a game ever, but he hasn’t dropped many in practice. He caught a 5-yard pass from backup QB Jack Holladay and missed one on the next play but more because he got tangled up in his route than any hands of stone; he still got his hands on it, though.
“We knew what Leyman had, he was starter for us last year and he’s gotten faster, runs smoother, catching the ball better, so he definitely progressed as the year went on,” Adams said. “But Rocco was a big question mark. He didn’t play since middle school, we had no clue what he could do and we get him out here running routes and stuff and he’s catching everything you throw to him.
“You just put that ball up a little bit, he’s so tall he can go up over anybody and get it. He’s also coming along in the blocking game, so we’re really excited about the ability to use him.”
To the point they just moved a tight end who had been in that mix to tackle to provide more depth and competition in that slot.
As for the scrimmage, the Wolverines saw everything they wanted. They moved the ball well — through the air and on the ground) – didn’t give up much on defense, got players lined up in the right spots and even rolled out a new legacy kicker who is sure to be a weapon this season. Even though they only scored one touchdown, the 1s twice were deep inside the red zone when they ran out of plays
Even running back James Hill was on the sideline in a supporting role as he moves closer to a potential return from his offseason knee injury next week. The Wolverines are hoping for some good news on that front Monday when Hill returns to his doctor for clearance, a date he confidently calls “my return to sports.”.
He’s likely to experience a measured return when he is allowed back, but he expressed confidence in the rest of the running back corps keeping the offense moving. The Wolverines showed plenty of capable ballcarriers in the scrimmage. Donohue had 59 yards on six carries, Bryce Belinfanti had 50 and a nice spinning touchdown on seven carries and Alex Torres had 28 on four carries.
The first two defenses held St. Joe’s offense to only 28 yards in 30 plays with Torres and Anthony Ford-Dale grabbing interceptions. And kicker Jake Ware, a mid-year transfer from Delaware whose grandfather’s name is on the field, showed a big and consistent leg in both placements and kickoffs.
“I was really pleased with our guys,” Adams said. “Every set of 10 that we ran, we ran 10 different formations with different things out of them, so I was glad we got lined up right. I was glad with how fast they were coming off the ball. I thought our backs ran the ball hard. I thought Max threw the ball pretty well
“Defensively we were flying to the ball. When they were out on defense I thought we were pretty stout against them not giving up anything big. I thought our first string on both sides did really, really well.”
The Wolverines scrimmage again Saturday at Overbrook.
Top photo: Woodstown receivers Rocco String (L) and Garrett Leyman (R) talk things over with quarterback Max Webb during Thursday’s scrimmage with St. Joe of Hammonton.
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