PEMBERVILLE, Ohio — Eastwood overview:
2023 Record: 9-3 (Advanced to 2nd Round of Playoffs)
Head Coach: Sam Cotterman (2nd year)
Top Returning Players:
Kadyn Donnell, Senior QB (Honorable Mention All-Ohio)
Paul Lautzenheiser, Senior DL (Honorable Mention All-Ohio)
Andre Lewis, Senior WR (1st Team All-NBC)
Colton Woodward, Senior DB (1st Team All-NBC)
Connor Norton, Senior OL (2nd Team All-NBC)
Ethan Recker, Senior OL (2nd Team All-NBC)
Dayquan Oliver, Senior DB (2nd Team All-NBC)
2024 Schedule:
WEEK 1 8/23 @ Kenton
WEEK 2 8/30 vs. Elmwood
WEEK 3 9/6 @ Wauseon
WEEK 4 9/13 @ Lake*
WEEK 5 9/20 vs. Maumee*
WEEK 6 9/27 @ Rossford*
WEEK 7 10/4 vs. Fostoria*
WEEK 8 10/11 vs. Otsego*
WEEK 9 10/18 @ Oak Harbor*
WEEK 10 10/25 vs. Genoa*
*Denotes Northern Buckeye Conference game
A new era of coaching is underway for a few teams in the Northern Buckeye Conference, including Eastwood.
Despite the change, the Eagles have remained amongst the top of the conference.
"They know what's expected and that's not really a season from last year, that's just the culture at Eastwood," said second-year head coach Sam Cotterman. "They've always been a tough program and been at the top of the league."
The Eagles went 9-3 overall last season and Cotterman said not much will change this year in terms of preparation. Except, to have more of it.
"These kids have watched all the guys in front of them and what they had to go through and the sacrifice and the work that it takes to be at the top," Cotterman said. "So it's not new to them. It's just now more is going to be expected of them on Fridays."
Senior quarterback Kadyn Donnell said although the team has upheld the standard within the program, there is still room to improve and that coincides with the task of thorough preparation.
"I feel like we prepared a lot last year and I feel like we can do a better job of that this year," he said. "I feel like we've been preparing a lot and I feel like that really helped us win a lot of games and I feel like if we do it more then we'll definitely win a couple more games."
The theme of "raising the standard" has come into play amongst the team this season. Coaches even have shirts with the three-worded message on it. This applies both on and off the field in order to fill in the spots they missed last year.
"Last year we lost to Oak Harbor and when you have 16 seniors in a class, what can we do differently or what can we do to raise that normal standard that we have," Cotterman said. "And that's kind of what we've been pushing on these guys. Not only in the practice and the day to day but when they're at home. "
Additionally, raising the standard and preparation is for the team to stay on track, even in the face of adversity, which tends to be inevitable.
"We know that that comes with every football season and every team deals with it at some point," Cotterman said. "We just want to be able to deal with it in the right way and not make excuses, but know that it's going to happen and now what can we do to overcome that adversity. Who's going to step up or multiple guys are going to have to step up to overcome that and see if we can do that."