PERU — First-year head coach Nick Damiani is far from the only person in a new role on the Peru football team.
The Indians lost 22 players from the 2009 team and have just one returning starter. So Damiani, who replaced veteran coach Larry Ewald, and his players will be figuring things out together this season. He talked about that at one of their first practices.
"I said, 'You guys realize that we're kind of learning this stuff as we go together. I'm stepping in for someone who's been here for 22 years, the winningest coach in Section VII. If I was afraid to make mistakes, I wouldn't be doing this. What we've got to work together to do is not make the same mistakes twice and learn from them,' " Damiani said.
"I said, 'We're basically at a fork in the road in our program. Do we want to continue the tradition and take the right path together, or do we want to head in the other direction?' "
The Indians have a bunch of young players and a new offense, but Damiani insisted they have the same old expectation — to be one of the top teams in Class B. Peru opens Saturday at Gouverneur.
Peru lost its quarterback, its three leading rushers and its two standout receivers from the group that went 7-2 last year. The 2010 Indians don't have much size, but Damiani said they're fast and athletic and he has built a scheme around those traits.
The Indians will run a spread offense with single-back sets, just one formation, no tight ends and no huddle. Damiani said he talked to a coach at Utah State, which runs the system in part because, like Peru, it has a small offensive line.
"It's designed for athletic kids that are fast, and an offensive line that is athletic and can run," Damiani said. "We run a lot of motions, and then our run game, our pass game, our screen game is all around that motion."
Ryan Kenny will be directing that offense. The senior has never played quarterback before, but Damiani said he has plenty of athleticism, and that helped him beat out junior Taylor Rock. The coach said Peru could use both signal-callers, but Kenny has been named the starter.
"Kenny's the kid for now. He got the job," Damiani said. "And it's a senior leading the offense, which is good. He's very athletic; he's got great feet. He's a hard-nosed kid — he can take a little bit of abuse."
Junior Mike Holdridge, the only receiver with any varsity experience, will be Kenny's No. 1 target. Alex Cederstrom, a junior who had 25 carries for 102 yards last season, is the top running back.
Colby Way is the only experienced offensive lineman, and he played just three games last season before getting hurt. Damiani called the line the area that needs the most work.
The defense includes the sole returning starter, senior Bobby Wilkins.
"We've got Wilkins at middle linebacker kind of leading the defense for us. And then a lot of youth," Damiani said with a smile. "But a lot of speed."
With so few experienced players and just eight seniors, Damiani said finding leadership has been a struggle. But after a team meeting, some seniors have emerged. Wilkins and Way were elected captains, and Damiani called them "quality leaders."
With six teams in Class B this year, playoff spots will go to the top four. Damiani is confident the Indians will be in the hunt.
"We will be a contender in Class B," Damiani said. "We went down to face quality, quality teams (for scrimmages in the Albany area) this past weekend and we competed, which tells me we can compete anywhere around here."
The players "already understand that just because the leadership has changed, the program hasn't changed."
E-mail Courtney Lewis at: clewis@pressrepublican.com
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