Beach’s numbers are good, but questions remain

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Buccaneers’ upside: Beach has 33 players out for football and returns a good deal of experience on the line.

Buccaneers’ downside: They have to replace 3 college-bound players, including lineman Landon Lechler, QB Jake Hardy and linebacker Lloyd Weinreis.

In 9-man football, the final product on the field can be a numbers game.

The Beach football team has the numbers with 33 players listed on its roster. However, the experience isn’t quite there — yet.

“The positive thing is that our numbers are up and we’re at 33, which is good for us,” Beach head coach Mike Zier said. “We have over 30 kids in practice every day. Everyone is coming and working hard. We’ve got a lot of open spots and a lot of guys are going to get looks.

“It’s one of those years where hard work, hard work, hard work and we’ll see where the chips fall at the end of the year.”

The most experience the Buccaneers have is at offensive and defensive line. Beach has three senior offensive linemen, including 5-foot-7, 210-pound Tyler Benes.

The biggest loss from last year on the offensive and defensive line was Landon Lechler, a 6-7, 240-pound lineman now redshirting at North Dakota State.

“We’re kind of lucky there. I have three seniors starting up front,” Zier said. “One of my main backups is another senior. We have a lot of experience up there. That’s always good when you have seniors stepping into those spots.”

The quarterback position is down to two potential candidates — sophomore Kirby Maus and junior Marshall Nunberg.

“The positive I’ve seen out of both of them is the effort, the willingness to learn and try to get better,” Zier said. “Sure there’s some mistakes happening, but that’s with everybody. They’re working hard and I can’t ask for anything more.”

The Buccaneers had quarterback Jake Hardy, the Region 4 Senior Athlete of the Year, lead the offense last year despite his season being cut short by a knee injury. Hardy and teammate Lloyd Weinreis are both playing football at Dickinson State.

James Kary, who backed up Hardy last season and played mostly on passing downs, will move to tight end offensively.

The running back position is going to be by committee with four players — Danny Skoglund, Anthony Weinreis, Tyler Steffan and Nolan Dolyniuk — sharing carries.

“I know I can trust the other three guys with the ball, so Danny Skoglund doesn’t have to get beat up at tailback,” Zier said. “We can maybe play him eight to 10 plays at tailback, because the other guys can play.”

Zier and the rest of the Buccaneers are excited to get the season started. With all their unknowns, they want to see where the team stands in Region 4.

“We’re pretty green on defense and pretty green on offense,” Zier said. “I’m just excited to see where we are at. We play three games in August and maybe we can settle into some rolls.”

Beach Buccaneers

Head coach: Mike Zier (seventh season)

Last season: 5-4, missed playoffs

Returners: Danny Skoglund, Sr., WR/DB, 5-6, 120; James Kary, Sr., TE/DT/DE, 5-10, 175; Tyler Benes, Sr., LB/OL, 5-7, 210; Kirby Maus, So., QB/DB, 5-10, 140; Marshall Nunberg, Jr., QB/LB, 6-1, 175; Tyler Steffen, Jr., TE/LB, 5-10, 185; Anthony Weinreis, Jr., TE/LB, 5-9, 175.

Newcomers: Ty Farstveet, Fr., RB/DB, 5-7, 135; Scott Lund, Fr., QB/DB, 5-7, 130; Alex Novotny, Fr., WR/DB, 5-4, 120; Sam Stoveland, Fr., OL/DL, 6-1, 220.

Losses: Jake Hardy, QB/LB; Tyler Strobbe, FB/LB; Owen Makelky, WR/DB; Lucas Buchholz, RB/LB; Stephen R. Szudera, DL/OL; Austin Fulton, TE/LB; Aaron Rolczynski, TE/LB; Landon Lechler, OL/DL; Lloyd Weinreis, TE/LB.

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