Sports Editor
New head coach Russ Martin and his former Nebraska-Kearney offense blew out the Mavs 52-10 last season. This year, he plans to fix the Mavs’ mistakes and reverse their fortunes.
“In several games last year, it was turnovers that hurt the Mavs,” Martin said. “We want to be a great defense and create turnovers, but offensively we need to take care of the football.”
The Mavs proved Martin’s point in Saturday’s Cardinal/White scrimmage at Stocker Stadium. White defeated Cardinal 24-7. The White defense capitalized off Cardinal mistakes, separating them in a close game. There were two interceptions and four fumbles in the game.
“It was nice to see the defense do some things,” Martin said. “They created turnovers and even scored.”
With spring football coming to an end, players from the Joe Ramunno era realized that Martin has raised expectations for the program.
“It’s way more intense,” quarterback Deke Cisco said. “It’s more strict and they demand more out of us than Ramunno’s staff. On offense, I don’t think [Ramunno’s staff] was ready to coach at the college level. I’ve learned 10 times more in the past four weeks than I did all last year.”
The five-man quarterback carousel continued Saturday, each potential starter taking an equal number of reps behind center. Deke Cisco, Steve Romero and Jason Haferman each led a scoring drive, highlighted by a 30-plus yard touchdown pass from Romero to Austin Rodriguez. Romero made several plays with his legs, but struggled with accuracy late, overthrowing his receivers on three consecutive plays. Chris Henderson was fairly successful in limited snaps, with two runs of 10-plus yards. Mike Mankoff struggled early, throwing an interception on his first play from scrimmage and mishandling a snap two plays later.
“We’re not going to name a starter until the fall,” Martin said. “They can all throw and run well. We need consistency and leadership to where they can make us the best team on the field.”
Despite mixed quarterback results, the Maverick offensive squads were effective on the ground. Senior Thomas Sua broke a 50-yard run for White, and ran powerfully between the tackles. Jake Cimolino had a run of 20-plus yards for Cardinal, ended by a leap over the head of an opposing tackler. Sophomore Jai Johnson complimented Cimolino for White with three runs over 10 yards.
“We have a good running back core,” Johnson said. “We work out and lift together. We all work hard. Each back is capable of busting the long run.”
Wide receivers also excelled. Veterans Austin Rodriguez and Robert Felberg made dazzling sideline catches, reaching for inaccurate passes and racking up yards after the catch throughout the day.
“I think the receivers have stepped up this year,” Cisco said. “Last year, we were running sort of a high school system. The receivers realize they need to be playmakers this year.”
Even after a rough final season under Ramunno, Martin has high expectations for the Mavs in their first year in his new system.
“Coach Martin is predicting an RMAC championship,” Johnson said. “He’s been there before and coached in the D2 playoffs. He’s definitely capable of getting us to that level. It’s up to the players to keep working out, staying in shape and picking up where we left off in the fall.”
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