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St. Mary’s calls on a new signal-caller By Tim Trower for the Mail Tribune Updated: Sep 02, 2022 11:03 AM A A 5 View all photos Crusaders have high hopes as Delplanche shifts from running back A funny thing happened to St. Mary’s on the way to the 2022 football season. The Crusaders found themselves without someone to man the rather crucial position of quarterback. “It’s a little bit of unknown territory,” said coach Jamie Young, who is entering his 13th season. “We had a situation where we found we didn’t have anybody coming back with experience.” Senior Tyson Delplanche, a running back and first-team all-league cornerback, came to the rescue. “We approached him,” said Young, “and he’s a kid who is a relentless competitor and has embraced it from Day 1 and has really worked hard. He had a chance to do some 7-on-7 and a little scrimmage work in our camp this summer, and he did some really good things.” Delplanche has plenty of help as he grows into the role. St. Mary’s features eight returning starters on offense, including a host of physical linemen, and is preparing for a run at the Class 3A state playoffs after narrowly missing out last season. Three of the expanded Far West League’s 10 teams qualify for the 16-team playoff bracket. The Crusaders went 5-4 overall in 2021 but 0-3 in the FWL. Two of the league setbacks were to powerhouses Cascade Christian and South Umpqua. The third was a forfeit to Siuslaw because of St. Mary’s injury depleted roster. “That was a game I felt would have been a good, competitive game,” said Young. “We win that and we’re in the playoffs. “I see us being in a similar situation. I think we have the ability to be competitive, but we’re going to have to stay healthy. That’s really the biggest thing. With the number of kids we have who have played as much football as they have, we have a very decent amount of experience. Can we do this for nine weeks, and hopefully longer, staying healthy and ready to go?” Nearly every position is manned by a two-way starter, meaning depth will again be an Achilles’ heel as the Crusaders take on the robust FWL schedule. Every game will be in league. “I’m excited about the league,” said Young. “It certainly puts the emphasis on league play. There’s not a lot of room for error there, but we’re all dealing with the same thing. You can’t play your way into league, we just get started.” They’ll do so with Delplanche at the helm. Last season, he led the Crusaders in passes defended, including two interceptions. Now he’s on the other end of the aerial game. Young doesn’t plan significant changes to the offense, and he believes Delplanche’s experience at other positions will help him acclimate. “He’s also spent some time at slot receiver,” said Young, “so he’s kind of done it all for us. We recognize we’re asking a lot of him, but he’s the type of kid that will jump in there. “We’ve had some good quarterbacks, and even with those kids, we’ve tried to be pretty balanced. I wouldn’t say we’re not going to throw the ball at all. We have talented receivers, so I think we’ll try to stay as balanced as we can.” Junior wide receiver TJ Flowers was the FWL first-team kick returner last season and is dangerous with the ball. Senior receiver Jaden Foster returns after being sidelined most of last year with an injury. Senior tight end and wing Heemir Patel provides another outlet for Delplanche. “He has had an outstanding offseason and just really worked hard,” said Young. “He runs good routes and has very good hands. He is going to be a very big part of our offense.” Indiana Olson will handle the bulk of the rushing chores. A tough, durable runner, the junior prefers a north-south approach. “He is very decisive,” said Young. “He’s a kid who doesn’t have a lot of carries for losses.” Up front, Kyan Hidde leads a unit that helped the Crusaders average 156 rushing yards and 24 points per game last year. The 6-foot-2, 245-pound Hidde, a senior guard, was an FWL first-team choice. His returning line mates are center Ethan Cano, guard AJ Borovansky and tackle Ty Kronenberger, all seniors. The same players will be on a defense that includes returning end Rex Smith and safeties Spencer and Bradley Patten. “We really did do some good things last year,” said Young. “I thought we competed well with a group of kids that rarely left the field. We just really need to stay healthy. We have a good-sized senior group and a group with a lot of experience. We’re hoping that puts us in a position to compete for one of those playoff spots.” CRUSADERS HEAD COACH Jamie Young (13th year, 55-51) GENERAL INFORMATION ASSISTANTS: Josh Aldrich (offensive coordinator), Joe Kronenberger (offensive line/defensive line), Stephen Thomas (offensive line/defensive line), Tanny Flowers (special teams/running backs), Cole Eldred (receivers/defensive backs), Ben Young (running backs/defensive backs). 2021 LEAGUE RECORD: 0-3 (fourth FWL). 2021 OVERALL RECORD: 5-4. PREDICTED FINISH THIS YEAR: Seventh. 2021 RESULTS St. Mary’sOpponents 20North Valley 21 21Illinois Valley 6 20Pleasant Hill 14 43Harrisburg 14 6South Umpqua 55 7Cascade Christian 35 35Elmira 32 0Sutherlin (forfeit) 2 41Douglas 0 RETURNING STARTERS OFFENSE (9): Receiver TJ Flowers (6-1, 170, jr.), receiver Jaden Foster (6-2, 175, sr.), quarterback Tyson Delplanche (5-10, 165, sr.), running back Indiana Olson (6-0, 170, jr.), center Ethan Cano (5-10, 180, sr.), guard Kyan Hidde (6-2, 245, sr.), guard AJ Borovansky (5-11, 235, sr.), tackle Ty Kronenberger (6-0, 255, sr.), tight end Heemir Patel (6-2, 210, sr.). DEFENSE (11): Cornerback TJ Flowers, cornerback Tyson Delplanche, linebacker Indiana Olson, strong safety Ethan Cano, linebacker Kyan Hidde, tackle AJ Borovansky, nose guard Ty Kronenberger, end Heemir Patel, end Rex Smith (6-3, 220, jr.), safety Bradley Patten (6-0, 170, so.), safety Spencer Patten (5-10, 170, sr.). OTHER NOTABLES Safety Jaden Foster, kicker Noah Friesen (6-0, 165, sr.), offensive guard/linebacker Mason Jun (6-0, 185, jr.). 2022 SCHEDULE Sept. 2at Sutherlin, 7 p.m. Sept. 9at North Valley, 7 p.m. Sept. 16PHOENIX, 7 p.m. Sept. 23at Lakeview, 7 p.m. Sept. 30SOUTH UMPQUA, 7 p.m. Oct. 7at Douglas, 7 p.m. Oct. 14BROOKINGS-HARBOR, 7 p.m. Oct. 21CASCADE CHRISTIAN, 7 p.m. Oct. 28at Coquille, 7 p.m. Tim Trower is a freelance writer. To comment on this article, write to [email protected]. Andy Atkinson/Mail Tribune. St. Mary's senior Tyson Delplanche has made the move to quarterback this season. Andy Atkinson/Mail Tribune. St. Mary's senior Heemir Patel returns at tight end this season for the Crusaders. Andy Atkinson/Mail Tribune. St. Mary's football players gather during a recent practice. Andy Atkinson/Mail Tribune. St. Mary's linemen work on getting off the ball during a recent football practice. Andy Atkinson/Mail Tribune. St. Mary's runs through a recent football practice.