If step one was finally breaking into the postseason as a program, Metea Valley entered the 2015 season with a very simple second goal.
Prove it could compete week in and week out inside the DuPage Valley Conference.
A second straight postseason appearance may have fallen to the wayside after a loss at Glenbard North in Week 8, but Ben Kleinhans and the rest of the Mustangs have a lot to be encouraged about.
Only once did the Mustangs drop consecutive games – losses at Naperville Central and at Wheaton North in Weeks 3 and 4.
Its first-ever victory over Waubonsie Valley after six tries and a triumph over Wheaton Warrenville South in a Week 7 visit to Red Grange Field are two victories Kleinhans and his program can hang their hat on.
“We obviously want to get a win in our last game to have momentum heading into the offseason and 4-5 is a lot better than 3-6,” Kleinhans said. “So we want to get that fourth win and I think looking back on the season, which when we have time the next couple weeks, we showed this year that we can compete in the DVC. There was really only two games where I thought the team you’re playing was (obviously better.)
“I thought the Glenbard North game was just we didn’t play well at all and the Naperville Central game, as well. They were a good team and we played well against them (in the first half). But, I think, overall it shows we can compete with pretty much everybody in the conference, probably more than maybe some people thought we would the first year.”
An offense that was led by quarterback Conner Lovely and running back Maurice Burkley was supported by a defensive unit that held three opponents under 10 points.
Burkley averaged 5.76 yards a carry as his 777 yards and four touchdowns provided a nice security blanket for Lovely, who threw for 1,421 yards with eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Despite Lovely and Burkley leaving because of graduation and whereas the team’s experience was more concentrated on the defensive side of the ball coming into the year, Kleinhans believe it’ll be flipped next fall.
“I think, this year – outside of Conner and Mo – we were pretty young on offense,” Kleinhans said. “Right now, we’re starting three juniors and a sophomore and one senior on the offensive line. So I think our experience next year early in the summer will be on offense.”
Whoever inherits the reins at quarterback will have Ben Loutsis back as a No. 1 receiving target after Loutsis caught 33 balls for 385 yards and three touchdowns.
After Loutsis, Alec Dodson’s 22 receptions for 302 yards and Blake Williams’ three catches for 38 yards and a TD will offer two other receiving targets for whoever takes over for Lovely.
Defensively, Matt Fehrmann’s unit will undergo a heavy undertaking as the program enters its second year in the DVC in 2016.
Fehrmann’s defense loses five of its top six tacklers – Burkley, Amiri Finner, Jon Mathison, Ben Sanchez and Blake Nicolls – from a unit that played better than the team’s 4-5 would indicate.
Burkley, Finner and Mathison all had at least 70 tackles – with Sanchez not far behind with 67.
The presence of Michael Robinson, who had 50 tackles, seven sacks and eight TFLs, will be a good place to start.
“Defense, we’ll have to replace some guys,” Kleinhans said. “We’ll be pretty young. I think the defensive line, we’re starting two juniors and a senior right now and the next two guys in are both juniors. So both lines – offensive and defensive line – will be experienced heading into the offseason and into next year. Looking for them to get stronger and continue to just develop as linemen. But I think, other than that, the juniors have had a pretty good year when we’ve asked them to step in and play.”
For a season that didn’t see them win consecutive games, the Mustangs’ 45-9 loss at Glenbard North in Week 8 was the season’s outlier.
At halftime against Neuqua Valley in Week 1, the Mustangs only trailed 17-14 and they took a 7-6 lead into halftime on the road at Naperville Central in Week 3.
That’s definitely a sign of progress as Kleinhans prepares to enter his fifth year at Metea Valley next fall.
“We’ll leave the season with a good taste in our mouth and momentum,” he said, “heading into the offseason and knowing this was our first year in the DVC under our belt and knowing that we can compete. We got the players to compete and now maybe we reevaluate some things that we do to maybe get a couple more wins the next year and the years after.”
