The start of the 2024 Ohio high school football season is right around the corner.
Most teams open Week 1 on Friday, Aug. 23, with a handful playing their season opener on Thursday, Aug. 22.
This week, we are holding our own kind of two-a-days with previews on two teams released each day. Here is one in a series of previews for area football teams:
2024 football preview: Tuscarawas County football coaches talk more than X's and O's
Mark your calendar: Team-by-team schedules for the Tuscarawas County area
Newcomerstown Trojans
The Trojans have made the playoffs the past two seasons and have won 15 games, including playoff contests, during that time. With most of their skill-position players returning, Newcomerstown is looking at another big season. They defeated Grandview Heights 17-14 in a first-round Division VI playoff game last fall before being eliminated by Fort Frye in the second round.
The Trojans finished 4-2 in the Inter Valley Conference North Division last year, losing only to league champ Malvern and Buckeye Trail. Newcomerstown will play two new opponents this season. They will host the Toronto Red Knights in Week IV and play the Claymont Mustangs in an Inter Valley Conference cross-division battle in Week 5 in Uhrichsville.
The Trojans open the season Friday night, Aug. 23 at Berne Union against the Rockets, a team they defeated 42-7 last year.
Coach : Dirk Gadd (eighth season)
2023 record: 7-5, including playoffs
Classification: Division VI, Region 23
Playoff appearances under current coach: 2020, 2022, 2023
Key returners: Dom Singer, Jr./ RB/FS, Carter McConnell, Sr., FB/ILB, Tanner Smith, Jr., TE/WR/OLB, Austin Smith, Sr., TE/DB, Spencer Ebersbach, Sr., OL/DL, Clayton Fish, Sr., QB/DB
Key newcomers: J.J. Justice, freshman, OLB
Coach Gadd’s take: “ We have 11 seniors this year. We have 15 lettermen, and we have a lot of guys returning that are in key positions. We return most of our backfield and our leading rusher, Dom Singer, he’s a junior, and he’s back. We have 39 players on the roster, and that’s the most we’ve ever had since I’ve been the coach, so we’re really happy about that. We won the first playoff game last year in the history of our school, and it was just a really special night for us. Our players have set goals for this year, and they’re probably very similar to the goals a lot of teams set. We want to win the conference, have an undefeated season — those types of goals. As coaches we tell them our goal is to help you guys achieve your goals. We’re excited. We also have 14 freshmen coming in this year, and the nice thing about that is it’s going to enable us to play junior varsity games.”
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: 2024 preview: Newcomerstown poised for a big season with key players returning
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