WHITEHOUSE, Ohio — 2023 Record: 10-3 (Advanced to 3rd Round of Playoffs)
Head Coach: Andy Brungard (9th year)
Top Returning Players:
Grant Kinnee, Senior QB (1st Team All-Ohio)
Owen Graf, Senior P (2nd Team All-Ohio)
Braden Gardner, Senior RB (Honorable Mention All-Ohio)
Owen Palmer, Senior OL (1st Team All-NLL)
Cassius Krueger, Senior LB (2nd Team All-NLL)
2024 Schedule:
WEEK 1 8/23 vs. Hilliard Darby
WEEK 2 8/30 @ St. John's
WEEK 3 9/6 @ Bowling Green
WEEK 4 9/13 vs. Napoleon
WEEK 5 9/20 vs. Start
WEEK 6 9/27 vs. Whitmer*
WEEK 7 10/4 vs. Findlay*
WEEK 8 10/11 @ Springfield*
WEEK 9 10/18 @ Northview*
WEEK 10 10/25 vs. Perrysburg*
*Denotes Northern Lakes League Buckeye Division game
The Anthony Wayne Generals continue to prove they're one of the best football programs in the area. In 2023, the Generals went 10-3, won a share of the first-ever NLL Buckeye Division title and made it back to the regional semifinals.
"The way we keep things rolling is we talk to the kids about legacy," head coach Andy Brungard said. "We continue as a program because of the guys that were before us."
Perhaps the most important player to keep an eye on is quarterback Grant Kinnee. The senior is one of the best quarterbacks in the state, earning Division II First-Team All-Ohio quarterback honors last year.
Kinnee was responsible for more than 2,800 yards of offense last year, combining 1,600 yards and 23 touchdowns passing as well as 1,200 and nine scores on the ground.
In June, the senior signal-caller committed to continue his academic and football career at Colgate.
"It's kind of sad, honestly. It's gone by quick, a lot faster than you think it would. But I'm really excited for this season," Kinnee said. "We get to come out and prove what we've done this whole offseason."
Also returning is running back Braden Gardner. The fellow senior earned third-team All-Ohio honors last season, rushing for nearly 1,000 yards and scoring 10 times on 118 carries. Gardner said team wins are more important than the statistics.
"It'd be nice to rush for a lot of yards," Gardner said. "Do this, do that, but a win would be more important than anything. As long as we do good, I'm fine with that."
Nothing will come easy in the NLL's Buckeye Division, one of the most competitive leagues in the region. Fellow teams such as Whitmer, Findlay and Perrysburg all had winning records in 2023, and all of them have a real chance to win the division outright. Last year's divisional race ended in a three-way share between Anthony Wayne, the Panthers and the Trojans.
But Kinnee and the team said the key to winning is taking the season one opponent at a time.
"Same thing as last year, just go out, game by game, win each game at a time," Kinnee said. "You can't overlook one opponent because one day they could give you their best game. You could have your worst. You could lose that game. You have to give each team your best game no matter what. Prepare for each team the same no matter what."
The Generals open their season on Aug. 23 at Schaller Memorial Stadium hosting Hilliard Darby.