When the Chesterton Trojans take the field tonight at 7 p.m. for their scrimmage against Hobart, nobody really knows what to expect.

Fresh off a Duneland Athletic Conference championship and berth in the Sectional Finals, the Trojans have proven to the rest of Northwest Indiana that you can’t overlook them.

“Expectations coming out of last year are high,” Chesterton coach John Snyder said. “Our goal, and hope, is to maintain the level of play we had and contend for another DAC championship.”

It won’t be easy.

“In order to have success, you have to work for it,” Snyder said. “Kids tend to think they’ll be successful just because they were before. That’s something we’ve tried to work on this year. It doesn’t just happen.”

On offense, the Trojans will have to replace DAC Offensive MVP Aaron Knight at quarterback.

“It’ll be hard to replace the type of player that Aaron (Knight) was at quarterback because of the type of athlete he was,” Snyder said. “The thing we did learn last year is that you have to have two guys that are ready to run your offense. Right now with Jon Watson and Taylor Brown, I think we have that.”

Knight isn’t the only thing Snyder has to replace on the offensive side of the ball.

“We basically lost all of our skill positions,” Snyder said. “Losing our fullback has been a bigger loss than we thought it was. We have guys to do the job, but they start on defense and you can only take so many hits before the body breaks down.

“I think our skill level is equal to the kids we had last year. Andrew Bobrowski is going to have to step up as a receiver for us. Brown is going to have to be more of a focal point. Will Butz and Dan Jensen are doing good things for us too.”

The strength of the Trojans will probably come from the big guys up front.

“Our strength is probably going to be the offensive and defensive lines,” Snyder said. “We are trying to nurse some guys through some injuries and have them ready to go the first or second week of the season.

“You’re always an injury or two away from being a totally different team and we are going through that right now. We’re pretty beat up. We need to find some kids to step into some new spots.”

Defensively is where the Trojans won a lot of games late in the season and that should be the case again this year.

“I think defensively we could be really good,” Snyder said. “Three of our four defensive lineman are coming back and I think Dan Dellumo can step into that other spot and do some nice things.

“Our linebackers have two solid guys coming back and we just have to find a third one that will be disciplined on his keys.

“In the secondary, Taylor Brown is back and Matt Raffin with his speed can do the job on the other side. Bobrowski and Jensen will have to become factors as safeties.”

The special teams should be a strength with the leg of sophomore Kyle Schmidt.

“With Kyle’s ability to kick we have a real weapon,” Snyder said. “His ability to kickoff into the end zone can make a team have to go 80 yards and put us in good field position if we do the job defensively.

“And we also know that if we get inside the 40 we have a chance to go for points. If we miss, the ball’s in the end zone and they still get it at the 20.”

The Trojans only real concern comes on fourth down if they have to punt it away.

“My only real concern right now is punting,” Snyder said. “We’re going to have to find someone to line up and do the job there for us.”

The Trojans open the regular season at home on Aug. 21 against Lew Wallace at 7 p.m. That will be followed by a date at New Prairie and the DAC opener against Michigan City.

“I think Michigan City, man-for-man, probably has the most talent in the conference,” Snyder said. “Valpo has great speed and a lot of experience at the skill positions. They’ll really try to stretch and spread the field.

“LaPorte has eight starters back on offense including their three-year starting quarterback. They’ll be really good.”

That means the Trojans may operate underneath the radar. Just like last year.

Posted 8/14/2009