Du-Pec Rivermen looking ship shape again going into the 2024 season
PECATONICA, Ill. (WTVO/WQRF) — Winning seasons have become the norm for the Du-Pec Rivermen in football in recent years. The last four years they’ve finished in the top three in the NUIC with one conference championship. Their expectations are high again this year.
The Rivermen finished second in the NUIC last year. They made their deepest postseason run ever reaching the third round in Class 3A before Byron bumped them out.
“I think this year we’ll pick up right where we left off last year,” said senior receiver/defensive back Jordan Gassman. “Obviously, our goal is to reach farther than the quarterfinals this year.”
“The excitement is there. The level is there that we need it to be,” said head coach Tyler Hoffman. “Just making it to the quarterfinals was kind of like getting a monkey off our back a little bit, and that certainly helps to get us into this season.”
The Rivermen, as usual, will have a leg up on their opponents at the quarterback position. Cooper Hoffman is back for his season year. He led the NUIC in passing yards last season with 2,016. He also ranked fourth in the conference in rushing yards with 811.
Hoffman has three returning receivers who have experience, Jaxon Diedrich was first-team all-conference last year. Brody Black also earned all-conference honors. Jordan Gassman, a tall, athletic basketball player provides a big target. Black says they all bring something different to the position.
“Jaxon’s more of a physical, like jump ball kind of guy. I’m that kind of slot, short passes, and Jordan’s a little bit of everything.”
The Rivermen graduated their top two running backs. This year juniors Lukas Rossow and Dermot Dolan take over.
“Lukas is a little bit more of a shifty back where Dermot’s a little bit more of a north and south looing to run you over type of back,” said coach Hoffman.
The Rivermen also graduated three all-conference linemen,
“We’ve got some guys ready to roll, but it’s always a little bit of a gray area,” said Hoffman. “We’ve always had skill players, but trying to put a formidable line together, it’s always a gray area until we get the first couple weeks under our belt.”
Some of those guys stepping in on the line will be seniors Peyton Mulder and Nolan Stadler and juniors Colton Mauer and Dylan White.
The focal point of the defense will be junior Justin Anderson. He was second-team all-conference at linebacker last year. Diedrich will also be a cornerstone at linebacker. Gassman and Black will be key players in the secondary.
Grant Hagemeier and Ethan Rager have size and upside at defensive end.
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