<p>Most of the names on the Franklin College depth chart this fall aren’t necessarily familiar ones — at least not yet.</p>
<p>That doesn’t mean that the Grizzlies are setting the bar any lower than they have in the past.</p>
<p>Despite losing 16 starters from last season, Franklin head coach Mike Leonard and his squad are approaching the 2018 campaign the same way. They’ve won at least a share of the HCAC championship each of the last eight years and hope to keep that run going.</p>
<p>"We’ve been there before and we know what it takes, and I don’t think we’ve lowered the expectation at all," senior defensive lineman Tyler Reed said.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]
<p>Gone are most of the main cogs from last year’s league champ, including All-Everything quarterback Chase Burton, receivers Deontez Alexander, Lee Wroblewski and Tanner Wroblewski, leading rusher Jordan Brown and five of the top six tacklers on defense. </p>
<p>Leonard says that the 2018 Grizzlies don’t yet have any stars, but senior linebacker Austin Fleming — probably the closest thing they do have to a star after he racked up a team-best 100 tackles last fall — is confident that a few will emerge over the course of this season.</p>
<p>"We have a lot of players that haven’t yet been noticed," Fleming said. "I’m extremely confident in the upcoming superstars that we have."</p>
<p>"We expect these guys to grow into their role as quickly as possible," Leonard said. "I’m hoping that the sophomores that will be playing will play like experienced juniors, and the few freshmen that are going to have to play early — they’ll be freshmen for a couple of games, but … you hope guys grow up fast."</p>
<p>Starting this Saturday, they’ll have to. Franklin opens at home against Benedictine (Illinois), which went 7-3 a year ago and returns its top two rushers.</p>
<p>"Hopefully, later in the year, some statistics are going to fly off the page and they’re going to be pretty good," Leonard said. "But the key thing is going to be building team."</p>
<p>The building offensively will start with breaking in a new starting quarterback, Braden Smith. The 6-foot-6 junior completed 28 of 40 passes for 404 yards in limited action a year ago.</p>
<p>His most experienced targets are junior running back Jacob Earl (526 yards rushing in 2017) and senior receiver Brad Bonomini (40 catches), who says that players aren’t putting pressure on Smith to shoulder the same leadership burden that Burton previously carried.</p>
<p>"Everyone leads in this environment," Bonomini said. "All the older guys, everyone’s stepping up and trying to lead in their own way. There’s not one solo leader."</p>
<p>The right side of the offensive line features a pair of senior holdovers in guard Matt Anderson and tackle Paul Eisberg, a Greenwood native. But there’s far less experience on the left, where freshman Evan Hosea is slated to start at left tackle.</p>
<p>On defense, Fleming is far and away the top returning tackler; Reed and Zak Prater are next with 39 and 28, respectively. That trio, along with cornerback David Masayile (26 tackles), will be counted on to spearhead the defense.</p>
<p>Despite the relative inexperience on both sides of the ball, Leonard has been approaching the preseason the same way he would with a veteran team.</p>
<p>"There is no dial-back," he said. "There’s a system to how you put things in, and it doesn’t matter who’s there."</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="2018 schedule" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p><strong>Date;Opponent;Time</strong></p>
<p>Saturday;Benedictine;6 p.m.</p>
<p>Sept. 8;at Albion;6 p.m.</p>
<p>Sept. 15;at Anderson;1:30 p.m.</p>
<p>Sept. 29;Rose-Hulman;1:30 p.m.</p>
<p>Oct. 6;at Defiance;1:30 p.m.</p>
<p>Oct. 13;at Mount St. Joseph;1:30 p.m.</p>
<p>Oct. 20;Earlham;1:30 p.m.</p>
<p>Oct. 27;at Manchester;1:30 p.m.</p>
<p>Nov. 3;Bluffton;1:30 p.m.</p>
<p>Nov. 10;Hanover;1:30 p.m.</p>[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title="Scouting the Grizzlies" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p><span style="text-decoration: underline">Franklin College football</span></p>
<p>Head coach: Mike Leonard</p>
<p>Last season: 8-3 (8-0 HCAC); lost to Wartburg 35-34 in overtime during first round of NCAA Division III playoffs</p>
<p>Returning starters: OL Matt Anderson, OL Paul Eisberg, DT Tyler Reed, DT Zak Prater, LB Austin Fleming, CB David Masayile</p>
<p>Others to watch: OL Evan Hosea, OL Austin Woiteshek, OL Tre Akers, QB Braden Smith, RB Jacob Earl, WR Brad Bonomini, WR Ben Fleet, WR Joey Siderewicz, WR Ryker Stout, TE Devin Parrish, DL Bryce Hale, DL Brady Hale, LB Brayton Shannon, LB John McKinney, DB Alex Frey, DB Chaz Hill, DB Chris Knight, K/P Carter Brown, LS Logan Feigel</p>
<p>Outlook: There will be plenty of new faces in the starting lineup for Franklin College this fall, but HCAC foes aren’t fooled — the league’s coaches still picked the Grizzlies to win yet another conference title. Whether Leonard’s team can make good on that prediction will depend on how quickly a slew of last year’s bit players can adapt to starring roles.</p>
<p>Smith saw plenty of mop-up snaps a year ago, and he’s got some offensive running mates with experience in Earl and Bonomini. Fleming is the most proven asset on defense, but Reed and Prater are back in front of him on the interior line. Expect the Rose-Hulman game on Sept. 29 to determine whether the Grizzlies can rule the HCAC yet again and return to the Division III playoffs.</p>
<p>Notable: The Grizzlies have won eight consecutive HCAC championships (six outright, two shared) and 10 of the last 11.</p>[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title="At a glance" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>A quick look at what to expect from Franklin College’s other fall sports teams in 2018:</p>
<p><strong>Women’s soccer</strong></p>
<p>All-American forward Maddie Fleet is back to pace the defending HCAC champions, who are fresh off the first NCAA tournament appearance in school history.</p>
<p><strong>Men’s soccer</strong></p>
<p>Seniors Trey Floyd, Luke Oliver and Sam Stallsmith hope to get the Grizzlies moving upward in the HCAC standings.</p>
<p><strong>Volleyball</strong></p>
<p>Senior Libby Stahl and sophomore Abigail Sewell, a Franklin grad, try to help a veteran Grizzlies team bounce back from a down year.</p>
<p><strong>Men’s cross country</strong></p>
<p>Juniors Clayton Brumfield and Blaine Conners should again be the top performers for the Grizzlies, who finished seventh in the HCAC meet a year ago.</p>
<p><strong>Women’s cross country</strong></p>
<p>Krista Robinson of Greenwood, the 2017 HCAC Freshman of the Year, will try to pull the Grizzlies out of the middle of the conference pack.</p>
<p><strong>Men’s tennis</strong></p>
<p>Blake Amonett and Franklin’s Jacob Zachary are the top returning players for the Grizzlies, who are looking to build on a strong finish last spring.</p>
<p><strong>Women’s tennis</strong></p>
<p>Karen Dringenburg and Holyn Eldridge are back in the top two spots after a 14-3 campaign. Greenwood grad Maddie Bright joins the roster.</p>
<p><strong>Men’s golf</strong></p>
<p>R.J. Turner, Jackson Williams, Jacob Hash and Aubrey Seaman return to lead a team that won two tournaments and finished fourth in the HCAC last spring.</p>
<p><strong>Women’s golf</strong></p>
<p>Senior Keely Townsend is the top returnee for a young team that adds five freshmen, including Franklin grad Avery Auton.</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]
