Staff photo / Greg Macafee Niles senior running back Antuan Gardner breaks to the outside during a scrimmage earlier this month against Cardinal Mooney at Bo Rein Stadium. Gardner ran for 1,535 yards and 18 touchdowns as a sophomore and is looking for a bounce-back season after an injury-riddled 2022.

NILES — Coaches often suggest that games played in the late summer and fall are actually won in the weight room during the winter and spring months.

The offseason conditioning and weight lifting sessions are not only physically beneficial, but they also provide an invaluable bonding opportunity among teammates.

The Niles High School football team may have benefitted in more ways than one this past offseason. Over the past few months, the Red Dragons’ weight room was completely revamped. Thanks to the efforts of the Frontliners, Niles’ football booster club, and the school system, everything from the floor up is new and state-of-the-art.

Bo Rein Stadium also underwent a handful of renovations, including a new scoreboard/video board, new bleachers to the visitors’ side of the stadium and upgrades to the press box.

The commitment made by the booster club and the rest of the community has not gone unnoticed by the players.

“The equipment and the upgrades are fabulous, it’s college-level,” said senior wide receiver/linebacker Landon Turner. “But more importantly, it’s a display of just how committed this community is to the Niles football program.

“There were a lot of people who put a lot of money and a lot of hard work into this project. We know we owe it to the community to deliver. There’s a different vibe going into this season. There’s a different level of determination. We don’t ever want this program to have a repeat of last season.”

Turner is referring to the 2-8 finish of a year ago. The Dragons won two of their first three games, then lost seven straight to end the season.

“We obviously have a very poor taste in our mouth that has been there for months,” Dragons coach Jim Parry said. “This group is eager to go out and get that squared away.

“I’ve seen an added focus and determination throughout the offseason. It’s one thing to say you’re angry about last year’s results, but this group has worked extremely hard and is very determined to turn things around.”

Some of Niles’ downfall in 2022 can be attributed to injuries. The Red Dragons lost numerous key starters for good chunks of the season, including the likes of all-stars Antuan Gardner and Matt Keeley.

“The reality of last year led to some positives for this year,” Parry said. “We have a lot of kids with some experience that they otherwise wouldn’t have had. They’re ready to step into their roles from week one and make things happen.

“This is a group that were winners when they were younger, they believe they’re going to win and they are talented.”

Niles returns 16 lettermen, including eight starters on both offense and defense. The Red Dragons boast a wealth of experience and talent at the skilled positions.

“We’re excited to show what we can do,” said senior wide receiver Kris Hrosar. “This group loves performing under pressure. We know there are high expectations, but no one is putting more pressure on us to succeed than ourselves.

“We feel as though we have a lot to prove. We did a lot of reflecting during the offseason, we did a deep dive on what we needed to do in order to move forward. I feel like we’re ready to take off.”

Staff photo / Greg Macafee
Niles quarterback Anthony Budak throws a pass during a scrimmage against Cardinal Mooney at Bo Rein Stadium earlier this month.

OFFENSE

All the pieces appear to be in place for the Red Dragons to light up their new scoreboard.

Niles brings back plenty of experienced firepower in its backfield and its receiving corps. Leading the way will be the senior tandem of quarterback Anthony Budak (6-foot-4, 200 pounds) and running back Antuan Gardner.

Budak is a three-year starter behind center, including his time at Olmsted Falls where he played prior to transferring to Niles last year. As a junior with the Red Dragons, Budak threw for over 1,100 yards. He previously ran the triple option.

“Anthony has a super-strong arm, and now having that year under his belt with our program is huge,” Parry said. “We had an I-AA coach down here who looked at four of his throws and was ready to offer him a deal. His arm strength speaks for itself. His awareness of the field and just his overall skill and knowledge of the game are all great assets.”

When Budak isn’t throwing or running the ball, there’s a good chance that he’ll be handing off to a running back who is among the most explosive and experienced in the Mahoning Valley. Senior Antuan Gardner will return at full strength after having his junior season cut short due to an injury.

Gardner broke onto the scene in 2020 as a freshman starter, then in 2021 as a sophomore, he rushed for 1,535 yards on 229 carries while scoring 18 touchdowns.

“It’s rare to have a four-year starter in the backfield, so we’re going to lean heavily on Gardner’s presence and his talents,” Parry said. “Joe Smith stepped into the fire last year when Antuan went down and he really proved himself, so we feel like we have two quality starters at the running back spot.”

Senior Nathan Coots, who led the team in receiving yards in each of the past two years, highlights a deep receiving corps that also includes Hrosar — who was right behind Coots in both receptions and receiving yards. Josh McCoy, J’Mari White, Turner and Smith will provide Budak with plenty of weapons.

Up front, Parry says of the Red Dragons “we’re inexperienced but we have depth.” Because of injuries, numerous players saw action on the offensive line last year, so many of the returnees have played at least a handful of games.

Senior center Nick Carter brings the most experience. Junior Nico Whetstone returns from an ACL injury and should give the line some depth.

“Our line truly needs to step up this year and make a statement,” Parry said.

Staff photo / Greg Macafee
Niles sophomore running back Steve Thomas squeezes between the tackles during a scrimmage agianst Cardinal Mooney at Bo Rein Stadium earlier this month.

DEFENSE

Up front, junior Chris Macioce missed the first part of ’22 with a broken foot, but “came on really strong at the end of the year,” according to Parry.

Carter Waldron also had a solid season, while Dom Noland returns after having his season cut short due to an injury. Coots and Smith return at the outside linebacker spots while Turner and D’Onte Williams bring experience at ILB.

McCoy, White, Hrosar and Gardner will man the defensive backfield.

“We have been stressing all summer long the fact that we need to be aggressive, we need to get to the football,” Parry said. “We return our entire secondary and our core of linebackers. We have to utilize our experience to our advantage.”

SPECIAL TEAMS

Coots returns as an all-league punter. Anthony Georgalas is the front-runner as the Dragons’ kicker. Parry says the return game will be “by committee.”

“We even have a freshman or two who might be able to step in that returner role, but we’ll see, we have to put them in the fire a little more before we make a call like that,” Parry said.

2023 Schedule

Aug. 17 vs. Howland 7 p.m.

Aug. 25 at Alliance 7 p.m.

Sept. 1 at LaBrae 7 p.m.

Sept. 8 vs. Hubbard* 7 p.m.

Sept. 15 at Lakeview* 7 p.m.

Sept. 22 at Beaver Local* 7 p.m.

Sept. 29 vs. Poland* 7 p.m.

Oct. 6 vs. South Range* 7 p.m.

Oct. 13 at Struthers* 7 p.m.

Oct. 20 vs. Girard* 7 p.m.

*Conference game

2022 Results (3-7)

at Howland W 21-7

vs. Alliance L 55-28

at Independence W 35-22

vs. Lakeview L 21-13

vs. Jefferson L 31-14

at Poland L 31-7

at South Range L 55-0

vs. Struthers L 27-13

at Hubbard L 37-20

at Girard L 35-33

Coaching staff

Head coach: Jim Parry, 6th season at Niles, 22-26

Staff: Larry Kempe, Ryan Barrett, Paul Kempe, Brian Ulrich, Carl Whitt, Dom Cutrone, Jake Mikesell, Jake Connell, Kyke Leonard, Bo Greene

Team facts

Division IV, Region 13

Northeast-8 Conference

Players on roster: 62

Returning letterwinners (16): Ja’Mari White, Josh McCoy, Antuan Gardner, Anthony Budak, Joe Smith, Nate Coots, Landon Turner, Steven Thomas, Kristopher Hrosar, D’onte Williams, Donte Miller, Gregory Rowley, Carter Waldron, Dom Noland, Nick Clark, Chris Macioce

2022 season: Niles opened its season with a 21-7 road win over archrival Howland. Following a loss to Alliance, the Red Dragons were scheduled to play LaBrae. However, a possible teachers strike put that game at risk and LaBrae ended up scheduling another opponent. Niles eventually picked up Independence and earned a 35-22 win. However, that would prove to be the final victory of the season, as the Red Dragons dropped seven straight league games to finish 2-8.