Sophomore tightend Gunnar Norred
watches as his teammates run drills at practice.
Christa Schroedel / The DePauw
For the past two years, the DePauw football program has been without a junior varsity program. Without a JV squad, many freshman and sophomores found themselves with zero playing time.
JV football hasn’t always been non-existent, but at the same time, it has never been able to become a consistent part of the Tigers’ program. However, things are different this season. The JV program is back, and is stronger than ever, with a roster of 41 players.
“Having a JV team now, we’re going in the right direction, and we’re only going to get better,” said assistant coach Brett Dietz, who does most of the play calling for the JV offense. “The future, talent wise, is very bright.”
First-year linebacker Joel Kauth agreed.
“The teams shown a lot of potential over the first two JV games and in practice,” Kauth said. “We’ve got a lot of talented guys.”
A big part in being able to bring back the JV team had to do with effective recruiting, something always crucial when looking for future varsity players.
“I think we have been recruiting very well and the JV team reflects that,” said sophomore linebacker Cy Stoltz, who transferred from the University of Missouri. “We should be contenders in conference not just this year but for many years to come.
After a condensed, one-half scrimmage against Franklin College at the start of September, the Tigers opened their season away against Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, beating the Fightin’ Engineers by a score of 28-21. The team returned to Franklin for an official game, where they were defeated by the Grizzlies 26-14.
Being the first time many of these players have seen the field this season, it’s comes as no surprise that the JV program serves as a learning process.
“The team is comprised of underclassmen, so mostly we’re still getting used to balancing everything,” Kauth said.
Along with mistakes, the squad has had to deal with problems just like any other team.
“Recently we have suffered some injuries that is thinning out some position groups,” first-year offensive lineman Thomas Cunningham said.
Regardless of the actual outcome, the games prove to be beneficial in many ways.
“It’s nice for the guys who don’t get playing time on Saturday to be able to hit someone else,” Stoltz said. “For me, it really serves as a barometer to test how much I’ve been improving this season.”
Despite now having two separate teams, the football program still functions as one. Both squads meet, lift, and practice together as a team, something the program has always done.
Nevertheless, DePauw head coach Bill Lynch welcomes the change.
“I believe a JV schedule is important for player development in a football program,” Lynch said. “The kids like playing in football games and not just practicing everyday. Not everyone can play in the games on Saturday.”
Dietz sees another benefit of the JV program as being to keep track of young talent.
“JV has guys we’re going to be counting on two-three years (from now) that might not have fully developed yet,” Dietz said. “It keeps them competitive and involved in doing our stuff.”
Although it’s not evident this year in having just been brought back, the JV program will do its job in preparing the underclassmen for the challenge of varsity play. DePauw football will be a program to watch for in the coming seasons.
Their next chance to prove themselves will come when they host the Wabash College Little Giants in a junior varsity version of the Monon Bell Classic at Blackstock Field on Sunday at 2 p.m.