Ida Blue Streaks 2021 Preview

By Frank Vajcner

Going 4-4 may not seem like much, but given that the Ida Blue Streaks had a much stronger second half of the season, there is reason for optimism. 18 letter winners return (12 of which were starters last season) for Year Five of the Jeff Potter era.

Head Coach: Jeff Potter (24-15, fifth season)

Assistant Coaches: Dave Potter, Chris Leonard, BJ Spears, Zac Shopshire, Clay Sampson, Zack Johnston.

Scrimmage Date and Location: Ida will be hosting a scrimmage on August 19 at 5 pm.

Offense: The Streaks’ full house T attack averaged 35.3 points per game last season. Despite losing leading rusher Jacob Lewis, running the ball will continue to be a strength. Senior RB Owen Sampson is a three-year starter on varsity, and is electrifying with the ball in his hands. Junior Luke Levicki will look to build off of a breakout season as a sophomore, while fellow junior Jaedan Gianino and senior Austin Schafer will see plenty of action in the offensive backfield. 

At QB, junior Nate Miller returns after throwing for six TDs last season, but will need a go-to option in the passing attack with junior TE Kirby Carsten out with an injury. Speaking of TE, senior Nick Hovest returns, and junior Zach Lindsay will get a crack at a starting spot.

Up front, the line will be anchored by senior Elliot Morrison at center, and senior Ty Hathaway at guard. Fellow senior Seth Pizzo was one that Potter mentioned as a player to watch on the line.

Defense: Seven starters are back on this side of the ball. The line will be anchored by Hovest, Morrison, and Hathaway. Schafer is the top returning tackler at LB, and Lindsay will look to take another starting spot at LB. Sampson, Gianino, and Levicki will be the players to watch in the secondary.

On special teams, Sampson is a threat to run back a kick at any moment.

Coach’s Outlook: We have many challenges in front of us as we start the season on the road for the first three games.  Our seniors will need to step up and lead us if we want to have success.  Clinton still returns a solid core after they finished runner-up in the state finals.  Both Blissfield and Hillsdale are well-coached and in the mix for the league title.  The league is competitive from top to bottom, so we have our work cut out for us.   

FNV Outlook: I’m truly bullish on the Blue Streaks this season. The talent and coaching are there to win games and qualify for the playoffs, but which Ida team will we see this season? The first half team that got taken to the woodshed by Clinton and Hillsdale, or the team that turned it on in the second half and came within a whisker of knocking off Blissfield not once, but twice? Games against Clinton, Hillsdale, and Blissfield will show what the Blue Streaks are made of, and don’t overlook a Week 2 road trip to Whiteford.