B-T looks to build on playoff appearance
Evan Nehring of Blair-Taylor ran after making a catch during practice on Thursday. (Times photograph by Andrew Dannehy)
The 2022 Blair-Taylor football team enters the season with many players from the 2021 playoff team returning, but is still in a completely different situation.
The 2021 Wildcats entered the season with a lot of inexperienced players looking to fill positions, but they had a returning senior standout at quarterback in Cain Fremstad. This year, those inexperienced players are battle-tested, but the team needs to find a new quarterback.
Coach Andy Nehring isn’t too worried about it, saying the team will still run the same offense, but will adjust to fit the strength of his players.
“We will unitize different formations and schemes that fit our players better,” Nehring said. “But the offense as a whole will stay the same.”
As for Fremstad’s replacement, that hasn’t quite been sorted out yet. As of last week, Nehring had Ben Lien, Tavian Shramek and Ethan Knisley practicing at the position. Each brings different strengths to the B-T offense.
Fremstad made a lot of plays for B-T, passing for 1,174 yards and rushing for 334 more with a combined 20 touchdowns, but he wasn’t the only playmaker.
Jackson Shramek stepped up, rushing for 741 yards — an average of 4.8 per carry — as a sophomore. He could see more action this year and Knisley also contributed as a running back with 135 yards.
All-conference receiver Evan Nehring returns after leading the team last season with 31 catches for 406 yards and six touchdowns. Gabe Armitage caught 25 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns, Jackson Shramek and Zach Nitek both had 13 catches — Nitek totaled 208 yards in the air.
Nehring and Dylan Elvaker were all-conference picks on the defensive line as was Armitage as a linebacker.
Other returning seniors include Grason Armitage, Seth Jahr, Bryan Rogstad, Colton Koxlien, Gunar Koxlien, Ashton Roseth, Shane Smith and Adrian Ewing.
“We will rely on them to set the tone for our team this year,” Coach Nehring said.
B-T had 43 players out for the sport this year as Nehring credited his assistant coaches for keeping open lines of communication. While they figure out the quarterback situation, the coach expects to see his team get better through hard work.
“We expect to see our players improve as the season progresses. It is our goal to give our best effort regardless of the score,” Nehring said.
After going winless in 2017, the Wildcats have made the playoffs in all four years Nehring has led the program, going 24-15 in that span.
Nehring said his program has an established identity for playing team football and he hopes the benefits of playing extend beyond the field. “Above all, it’s our goal to have our player is prove the quality of their character because they came out for football.”
