By Joanna Chadwick
Fall sports practices don’t start until Aug. 19, which means that teams are in a dead period.
“We can still work them out, so we can have weights and conditioning with them,” Carroll coach Dusty Trail said. “But we can’t do anything football specific with them…. We work out together as a team early in the morning, lift and do some runs.”
It’s a quieter period before the intensity of the season begins.
And after a strong summer, Trail has high hopes for the season.
“We’re further along than we were last year,” said Trail, who’s team was 3-6. “We had an opportunity to add a couple more camps this summer. The more reps you get, the better it will be for you.”
Carroll has quite a few multi-sport athletes, so balancing schedules was sometimes an issue.
“That’s probably the biggest struggle coaches have in the summer time — trying to figure out that balance,” Trail said. “… We have 15-20 kids playing baseball, and they’re all on competitive summer league teams that travel a lot.
“It can be tough to get kids in. That seems to evolve every year. We used to schedule everything football-related on Monday and Tuesday, but now we’ve got a lot of kids missing stuff on Mondays because tournaments run through the weekend, and they’re either traveling on Monday or finishing up on Monday.”
Trail has a ton of optimism about his team after watching them through the summer.
“They remind me of the 2017 group that won the state championship,” he said. “We were undersized that year, and that’s kind of been the story of Carroll football.
“We’ve had success because we learn how to play together, we’re coachable and we do the right things. We’re getting back to that and emphasizing it more so.”
Carter Clupny, who has battle injuries, will start at quarterback.
He suffered a broken leg in the 2023 preseason, had a foot injury in 2022 and a shoulder injury in 2021
A catcher for Carroll’s baseball team, Clupny has got a strong arm.
“He’s a good leader, he keeps things light,” Trail said. “He’s a happy-go-lucky kid, and he’ll really help out our team, not only with his play, but with his attitude and his leadership. He’ll sneak up on people because nobody knows who he is.”
The receiving corps starts with Nathan Goertz, who is 6-3 and athletic.
“I think he’s got an opportunity to have a breakout year,” Trail said.
Then there’s Nick Wineland, who is 6-1 and has speed.
Zane White (6-3, 235) will be a key on the offensive line.
“He’s probably our best product as far as being a possible college recruit,” Trail said. “He’ll be key as far as leadership is concerned. The rest of our line will be pretty young.”
JP Carillo (5-10, 200) is back at center, Trail has high expectations for him.
“He’s not a prototypical center,” Trail said. “But he’s strong, he’s a fighter and he’s a leader.”
On defense, Mason Kaltenbach (6-1, 230) will lead the line. Trail’s son, Ridge (5-9, 190), who was thrown into a starting position last year, is back at linebacker along with Brendan Stonestreet (6-0, 205), an honorable mention all-league pick in 2023.
“We’ll be young,” Trail said. “We’ll have a lot of sophomores and juniors playing. Those seniors who are back, their playing experience will be very valuable. The way they play will be good motivation and inspiration for the young kids.”
