Arbor View Capsule Preview
Coach: Dan Barnson, second year (2-8).
2007 record: 2-8 (0-7 Northwest).
Returning starters: Five offense, five defense.
Top players: RB/DB Ryan Hill (Sr.); FB/LB Gabe Toney (Sr.); OT Charles Cullison (Sr.); QB/LB Austin Anderson (Jr.); QB Tony Bilyeu (Sr.); OT/DT Sam Melaerts (Jr.); DB/RB Xavion Johnson (Sr.).
Outlook: The Aggies already have received a shot in the arm from their junior class, which went 8-1 as a junior varsity team last year.
Barnson elected to keep all of his sophomores on JV last year to allow them to bond.
“That whole group has come up together, and they’ve really come together with the seniors,” Barnson said.
Toney transferred from Shadow Ridge, where he had 152 tackles last season, and should be a leader on defense. The Aggies have plenty of size and spent the summer bulking up in the weight room, but don’t have a lot of proven offensive weapons.
“The excitement is there, but we have a long way to go,” Barnson said.