Rensselaer likes its position.
The Bombers, the 2014 Class 2A state champions, have moved back to 2A after spending two years in 3A because of the success factor.
Fifteen starters return from last season’s team that finished 8-3. By itself, that has Rensselaer feeling pretty good.
Throw in the fact that last year’s JV team went undefeated, the freshman team only lost one game and the eighth-grade team also was undefeated, and it feels a lot like 2014.
Aidan Stevens, an all-area selection last year at defensive end, is optimistic.
“We have a chance to be a good team,” he said. “Obviously, it didn’t work out for us in 3A, but 2A is wide open. We have a lot of young talent that is stepping up for us.”
Rensselaer coach Chris Meeks said this team is built on speed and quickness.
Stevens, a 5-foot-11 senior defensive end, finished with six sacks and 16 tackles for losses last season. He added 61 yards rushing on seven carries.
He’ll be featured more this year in the Bombers’ running game. Stevens also will do the placekicking. In 2017, he converted 33 of 39 extra points and made four field goals.
Stevens has multiple ties to Rensselaer. His brother, Keegan, was a backup quarterback on the 2014 team who was injured for most of that season. His father, Matt, is an assistant coach for Meeks.
Aidan also pitches and plays shortstop for the baseball team.
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He said defense will be the “strong suit” for the Bombers.
Also returning for Rensselaer are Owen Davisson, 5-10, 220-pound defensive lineman who finished with 29 tackles, and Jarred Riegle, a 6-1, 240-pound lineman. Both are juniors. Riegle had two sacks last year.
Luke Standish, a junior linebacker who totaled 111 tackles, also returns. So does senior linebacker Jose Hernandez.
Two starters, senior Brayden Wright and junior Jackson Hughes, are back in the secondary. Both Wright and Hughes each had two interceptions last season. Overall, eight starters return on defense.
The big issue is how to adjust on offense.
Quarterback Jaylen Gilbert, who passed for 1,028 yards, graduated. Elijah Hickman, a 5-9, 160-pound junior, is the new quarterback. Hickman ran for 114 yards and two touchdowns in 2017.
Wright, a 5-10, 160-pound senior who rushed for 226 yards last year, will be part of the backfield.
Meeks said he plans to use “five to eight different” guys at running back.
“We lost a lot of production there,” he said. “We do think we have kids who can step in and play.”
Stevens confirmed the offense is under construction.
“It’s hard to tell at this point,” he said of the offense. “Defense is definitely our strong point.
Meeks didn’t want to say too much, but he feels good about this team.
“We are very optimistic,” he said. “It’s a building process. When the tournament starts, we feel like we can be a real threat.”