East looks to build on turnaround
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BY KEN HAMBLETON / Lincoln Journal Star
The memory of Lincoln East’s Jim Ebke being stopped at the goal line by Millard South in last year’s state quarterfinals remains fresh in the minds of many this fall.
“That burns in the back of our heads,” said Spartan senior tackle Mike Yardley. “It motivates us in the heat in practice. It helped get people into the weight room and into running during the offseason.”
Still, Lincoln East had plenty to celebrate. An 8-3 season was an amazing turnaround from a 1-8 record in 2005.
“We don’t ever want to live through that again, either,” Yardley said of his sophomore season.
But to build upon last year’s success, East must find its way without Ebke, the all-everything quarterback now at South Dakota State.
“There were times last year when Jim just took over the game and we rode him as far as we could,” said senior linebacker and tight end Sam Meginnis. “Now, it’s important to understand we’ve all got to fill that gap.”
East coach John Gingery said he is counting on a group of players to fill the hole.
“You have to have five, six guys pick up the load when a player of Ebke’s caliber moves on,” he said. “Guys have to want that pressure to make it work.
“Thank goodness we have guys stepping up to lead and to be the playmakers,” he said.
The playmakers may not fit the traditional sense of the term, because the leaders are linebacker Sam Meginnis; returning linemen Graham Thurber, Yardley, Vinny Lucchino, Tyler Ohlman, Josh Aldridge, Harry Meginnis and Brian Olson; and linebackers Nate Tucker, Chris Connor and Mike Knott.
“I look around at practice and I see guys who want to lead, guys who are willing to push each other to improve and guys willing to help the new guys learn,” Sam Meginnis said.
Yardley added, “I know that I am stronger and quicker than a year ago, and I know from blocking guys, there are a lot of people around here who are stronger and quicker this year.”
Even the extreme heat of the first two weeks of practice has not cut the enthusiasm for hard work, Meginnis said.
“We know that if we give it everything we have, we can enjoy what we did a year ago,” he said. “You know the hot days eventually end, and you can go home and sit on the couch in the A/C with a feeling of accomplishment after a hot day, anyway,” he said.
Scott Sunderman and Matt Palm are battling for the starting quarterback spot. Gingery might use both.
“Both guys bring qualities to the game,” he said. “We might have to wait for one to rise to the top or use both. We’re going to need a lot of people to make this offense work.
“We’ve got a very good line with a lot of experience, and we have some good receivers,” Gingery said.
“The best thing we have is confidence of a large group of players who had a great season a year ago. They like that feeling of achieving.”
Yardley and cousins Sam and Harry Meginnis have been starters the last two seasons.
“Those guys have been there, in the 1-8 season and last year, and they know what it takes,” said Gingery, now in his 12th year at East. “They are part of the reason we had more than 100 kids all summer long in the weight room. That’s a big difference from five years ago when we had maybe 30 kids for the offseason workouts.”
Gingery said the changes came with a new attitude about football.
“We started playing better. Then we had a season where we lost 10 starters to injuries and the sophomores had to step in. Those guys are now the seniors, and they have shown how good they can be,” Gingery said.
“They believe in themselves and in each other, and they have a pride in ownership of this team.”
Reach Ken Hambleton at 473-7313 or khambleton@journalstar.com.
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