Offseason work is key for football
By: Bob Nuse
It’s really hard to say just what kind of season the Montgomery High football team had this year.
On one hand, they posted first-ever wins over Warren Hills and Somerville.
On the other hand, they only won one other game and finished 3-7.
But, on yet another hand, they came within one late drive of winning a game that would have put the Cougars in the state playoffs for the first time in program history.
For Montgomery, it was a season of ups and downs and in the end one that probably helped a lot of young players grow in to varsity players.
"We were pretty competitive, we just didn’t get it done a lot of times," said Montgomery coach Zoran Milich, whose team finished the season with a 14-0 loss to Hillsborough on Thanksgiving Day. "We had a lot of young players that were out there playing for us. But overall, we were a competitive team and we were only one play away from making the state playoffs.
"We had a lot of turnovers this year and that was something that really hurt us. There were really three things that hurt us this year. We didn’t capitalize inside the red zone, we turned the ball over too much, and we gave up too many points with a young defense. But I think the defense might be the strength of our team next year."
That’s because the Cougars started a large number of young players on defense this year. And if those players who return next year put in the effort to improve that Milich hopes they will, Montgomery should be a much better team.
"As long as they work and do what they’re supposed to do, we should get better," Milich said. "This is an important off-season for us. They have to decide if they’re willing to work and make the commitment or if they want to rest on their laurels. This will be a big off-season for the weight room and sprint training. That’s what is going to determine what we do on the field next year."
This season was one that had some highlights. In addition to the three wins, the Cougars nearly rallied to beat Monroe, a win that would have given them a state playoff berth.
"We beat Warren Hills up there for the first time and we beat Somerville," Milich said. "We beat Voorhees, 6-0, with a shutout, which was a nice effort. We did some nice things in our wins and in some of our losses."
The season brings to an end the careers of the Cougar seniors several of whom made an impact for more than this year.
"(Will) Treichler and Steve Watson were both three-year starters for us," Milich said. "And Mike Andrew has had two solid years. They’ve all done a real nice job. And this year we also had a number of seniors who finally got their chance to play this year after four years. Adrian Colarusso and Pat O’Donnell had nice years. Mike Jasper was a kid who played all over for us and actually started on the defensive line last game and did a nice job."
Now it’s up to the returning players to try to take the positives and build on them for next season.
"We have a chance to be decent," Milich said. "But the kids have to get it done in the weight room and in speed training. We’ll see how hungry they are. There will be a lot of experienced guys back and guys who played a lot this year. It will be interesting to see which guys step up."

