United Township Panthers 2021 Football Preview
by Joe Winkel @JoeTheShowQCSN
The spring of 2021 righted nearly two decades worth of wrongs for the United Township football program. As the horn sounded in Sterling to cap their come from behind victory and 4th in a row to close the spring campaign, the “what if?” feelings for many finally melted away. Beating the conference champions (giving them their first WB6 loss in the process) in the fashion they did proved that this UT team was different and that they had climbed the mountain. As time passes now, it is time for a new crop of stars to don the orange and black and lead the charge. After graduating more than 20 seniors, this UT team is enduring a face lift, but one that is met with anticipation of the youth and talent coming up ready to contribute.
The energy radiating from the Soule Bowl after the Panthers finally exorcised the demons of the past can be felt all over the community when talking to anyone about the program. Coach Nick Welch and his staff has changed the outlook of this group in such a short amount of time. From day 1 on the field, even the untrained eye could tell how much different things were moving in regards to the program. The buzz was back. Now moving into a season with so many unknowns, the excitement is as high as it has ever been, with the possibilities of what this team can produce on the field. The Panthers are going to be replacing nearly every starter, but the freshman and sophomore levels were very successful in the spring, and there are some seniors now who are ready to take the reins as leaders in Fall 2021.
“Without a doubt we lost a ton of senior leadership from the spring but as expected we have had some great senior leadership throughout this summer,” said Welch. “We have been led by seniors Trent Roberts, Tyler Bohnert, Darrell Stewart and Antwan Hawthorne, who will be the captains for the 2021 season. Those 4 have done a great job of helping our team continue the work that was established from the previous groups of seniors. We will be a very young team this Fall with potentially 7 sophomores starting on the varsity and it’ll be up to the seniors to lead our team to the success we hope to have.”
Roberts was eye popping in his limited action in the spring before his season ended due to injury. Expect him to be a name called from the defensive line position a lot this fall. Bohnert was another who made heads turn when his number was called. Coach Welch has always spoken highly of Bohnert’s football IQ, and in the spring vs Alleman his number was called unexpectedly and he dominated in a Panther victory. As Welch said, he expects up to 7 sophomores to see the field this season and all of them are talented. The underclassmen are full of talented skill players with potential game breaking ability. The biggest thing looming over this young group will be can they form an identity fast enough to contend at the top of the league this fall. Coach Welch believes so.
“I don’t think our identity changes in regards to who we are,” said Welch. “For example, we get off the bus and run power and counter on offense. That is a clear identity and that will not change heading into the Fall. What will change is how we get to that final product might have to be a little more creative than we had to be in the Spring. Defensively, we are continuing to build that identity and we are working to figure out what exactly we want to be on that side. Although statistically we weren’t great against the pass in the spring, we did a nice job for most of the season in stopping the run. We want to continue to do that and make teams become one dimensional.”
The defensive side was much maligned the last 2 seasons, but make no mistake, when needed they bowed up and made a big difference in all 4 Panthers wins during the spring. A big key this year will be if they can turn teams over and create more possessions for the offense. If so that will factor big into their success. Offensively, balance could be the name of the game for UT. After dominating the ground game last year, the Panthers will look to try and keep that mentality of over powering the opposition. This team, though young, will have the same type of explosive playmakers on the perimeter as it did the last two years. Expect the speed and skill of UT to shine this fall.
This won’t be easy. The Panthers, by far, have the most potential outcomes of what their team can be this season in the league. If things take longer than expected to develop this team could struggle, but if the kids show they can make things happen, the sky’s the limit for this group. There are challenges unlike any other for this team, but Coach Welch and the players are more than willing to stare them in the face and say “bring it on.” “I think there are always challenges as you enter a new season, and this season will not be an exception,” said Welch. “I feel entering practice today that we are further along than we were at this point the past two summers and it isn’t even close.”
You can only be young for so long, and this team is going to go through growing pains, but they are in good hands. Nick Welch and his staff has led a tidal wave of change through the UTHS community since the day he was hired as head coach. It might take some time, but these new faces are going to be prepared to continue what the two classes ahead of them built for them. “At the end of the day, though, you cannot replace experience. We will be a very young team this fall and it will take a couple games for them to adjust to the speed and physicality of the game without a doubt,” Welch said in regards to his group going into week 1. “ ‘You’re young until you’re old’ — that quote is a great description of our team. Although we are young, we hope our young guys can grow up quickly and adjust to the demands of varsity football.”
Who knows what to expect when it comes to the orange and black brigade in the fall of 2021. They might have a new cast of characters, but if history has taught anyone anything it’s that doubting this program will get you a quick reality check. The Panthers program is back, and we will sit back and wait to watch what new stories these youngsters get to tell on the field.
