CLARKSVILLE, Ohio — Clinton-Massie senior right tackle Owen Trick doesn't have too many individual goals this season.
"I want to win state and that's really about it," Trick said during practice last week. "I'm more of a team guy than anything."
More than seven months after the Falcons captured the Division IV state championship in a dramatic ending, Clinton-Massie wants a return trip to Canton in December.
"That's the only thing on our minds," Trick said. "We talk about it every single day. But in the same breath, you got to worry about it each day. You got to take it one thing at a time."
That patience is what head coach Dan McSurley has taught his players this summer. This is simply a new journey.
"We're looking forward to this year," said McSurley, who is in his 27th season. "We've kind of put last year behind us and those memories and all those experiences. But, I think the game of football every year is different. You've got a new team."
There is still plenty familiar for a Falcons' program that is trying to win back-to-back state titles since 2012 and 2013.
Senior quarterback Keegan Lamb — last year's backup quarterback — will lead the Falcons' well-known wishbone, triple-option offense.
Clinton-Massie, a Division IV program, plays a difficult schedule including three Division II opponents in the likes of Edgewood, Columbus St. Francis DeSales and Harrison. A Sept. 30 showdown at Western Brown and senior quarterback Drew Novak could go a long way in determining a Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference title.
McSurley said he wants the Falcons to limit any potential injuries each week in order to prepare to play at a high level.
"It's about attrition really," said McSurley. "Teams that can field a healthy team at the end of the year have a tremendous advantage so that's really going to be a point of focus for us."
