GILMAN FOOTBALL PREVIEW - Depth has Pirates optimistic about their chances in 2024

GILMAN FOOTBALL PREVIEW

The Gilman Pirates may be in their fifth season of eight-player football, but don’t let the eight-player perception fool you. Numbers are not an issue on the 2024 roster.

The Pirates enter the new season with a roster that one could argue is deeper than several 11-man teams Gilman has had in the past. As usual, expectations are quite high as is motivation after a fine 2023 season ended at 9-1 and a little earlier than anticipated in Level 2 of the WIAA playoffs with a lastseason loss to eventual state runner-up Thorp.

“There is a lot more motivation,” said senior Joey Syryczuk.

“I think a lot of the guys tried to get into the weight room and do what they could do to get work in,” senior Max Ustianowski said of the team’s off-season. “We all came out some days and worked together. We’ve just been trying to get that team chemistry together.”

“We have good numbers with 35,” Gilman head coach Robin Rosemeyer said. “We have some good experience coming back at really every level. It’s just a matter of making things jell well together. We’re not real big, maybe a little bigger than we have been. We have a little bit of speed though and kids who can make plays.”

Gilman is set to kick off the new season tonight, Thursday, at 7 p.m. with a non-conference game at Rib Lake, who is starting its first year of eight-player football after a 35-year co-op with Prentice ended. The Pirates are at Frederic Sept. 6 before facing Cornell on Sept. 13 for the home opener and the first game in Gilman’s new conference, the North Central East.

The Pirates return nine seniors and six juniors from last year’s team, most of whom saw quality time at the varsity level.

“We have good depth with all of the upperclassmen and some of those skilled sophomores that are ready to go too,” Rosemeyer said. “We’re really able to go twodeep at every position fairly comfortably, which is a nice problem to have.”

Some of the seniors said the depth isn’t just helpful in games, it makes them better players in practice.

“We have really good scout teams that help us a lot defensive-wise and offensive-wise,” Ustianowski said. “They give us a really good look at what other teams do.”

“I know it was last year, but the toughest offensive line I ever went through was our own scout offense,” said senior defensive lineman Lee Zagorski, who the Pirates are happy to have back after he injured his knee late last fall. “You don’t ever find anyone harder to go through. They try to make it tough on you.”

“You have to work hard because if you don’t, they replace you that fast with so many kids on the team,” Syryczuk said. “It’s whoever wants it more.”

Offensively, Gilman brings back Syryczuk, a first-team all-conference pick, at guard and senior Brayden Olynick at center, while sophomore Taydyn Angell takes over the other guard spot. Zagorski and junior Dawson Grunseth are capable guards if needed and junior Dawson Robinson gives Gilman a strong back-up center.

The quarterback position is in good hands as well as senior Dawson Krizan and sophomore Logan Halida return. Krizan was a second-team pick in the Central Wisconsin East throwing for seven touchdowns and no interceptions in seven games before a shoulder injury knocked him out. Halida filled in admirably from there as a freshman, completing 21 of 29 passes for 341 yards and three scores, including a big 12 of-14 performance in Gilman’s playoff win over Newman Catholic where he threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns. The Pirates have plenty of options at the positions of running back and tight end. Rosemeyer likes the combination of speed and size at running back. The speedsters would include seniors Chad Konsella and Brady McAlpine and junior Tony Syryczuk. Junior Alex Copenhaver brings the size and sophomore Kolby Keepers brings a little of both. He opened some eyes in his freshman season, rushing for 232 yards and four touchdowns on 27 carries. He is likely to miss some time early on after hurting his knee during Friday’s scrimmages at Cornell. Sophomore Henry Syryczuk should see some carries. Krizan was also a big part of the running game last fall, racking up 484 yards and seven touchdowns before his injury.

The tight end crew includes Ustianowski, seniors Trevor Vick and Mitch Moran and juniors Cooper Krug and Sawyer Winger.

“They’re quick kids and they’re pretty tough kids,” Rosemeyer said of the ends. “As a tight end that’s important for us because in the play action, they need to catch the pass, but they’re very involved in our run game too with their blocking.”

“I think our passing game is going to be a lot better than it was last year,” Krizan said.

Defensively, the Pirates lost All-State linebacker Troy Duellman, but they return Zagorski as a first-team all-conference lineman and Ustianowski as an allconference defensive back.

The Pirates unveiled a new defensive scheme in Friday’s scrimmage that featured a two-man defensive line, backed on most plays by four linebackers.

“It gives us a little more speed out there with more four linebacker sets,” Rosemeyer said. “It helps cover spread offenses a little easier. It might allow us to blitz a little more. We may end up playing more man-to-man than we have in the past, but that’s part of the blitzing. We have the speed that we can cover people.”

The Pirates should have a strong rotation of six players to use on the defensive line, where there will still likely be some threeman looks. Zagorski, Joey Syryczuk, Angell, Olynick, Robinson and Grunseth make up that crew.

Keepers was off to an impressive start at middle linebacker. The Pirates will have to adjust for the time being. Henry Syryczuk and Copenhaver are expected to see time in the middle and Tony Syryczuk has some experience playing both inside and outside. Outside linebackers are expected to include Krug, Winger, Logan Halida and sophomores Lucas Halida and James Wojcik. Krizan has linebacking experience too, but his defensive time will be limited to try to keep his shoulder healthy.

The Pirates’ safeties are all seniors, giving them confidence they’ll be able to defend strong passing teams. Ustianowski, Konsella, McAlpine, Vick and Moran fill those positions.

During the 2023 regular season, Gilman shut out four teams and only allowed two touchdowns once. Gilman averaged 50 points per game, but Thorp held them to 20 in the Level 2 game and stole the 24-20 win late.

The North Central East Conference features seven teams, four of whom figure to be teams to watch in the conference title and WIAA playoff picture. The team getting the most pre-season publicity is McDonell Central, a team Gilman hasn’t faced since 2021.

“McDonell, we were able to see a little bit of them on their scrimmage film and they looked very good,” Rosemeyer said. “Thorp is going to have a nice returning team, Owen-Withee is going to have nice returning team. With us in that mix with them, that’s four really good teams in the conference. Lake Holcombe and Cornell are still building. Alma Center Lincoln is still kind of building. I think it will be a good four-team race.”

In the week one WisSports.net state coaches poll released Tuesday, McDonell, Gilman and Thorp were voted as the top three teams in the state in the pre-season rankings, while Owen-Withee was 10th.

“We want to go all the way,” Vick said. “I would say a goal is 100% every game,” Ustianowski said. “No game taken as a joke, no matter who the team is.”