Seniors key to Arbor View’s game plan

By Sean Ammerman

Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008 | 2 a.m.

When Gabe Toney first took the practice field for Arbor View, he didn’t know what to expect.

Last year, he was a top defensive back for Shadow Ridge, but when his family moved into Arbor View’s zone, he had to change schools.

Switching to a Northwest Division rival was sure to be a struggle.

“I was a little worried,” Toney said. “I was a rival of their’s last year and I wasn’t sure I would be accepted with all of the seniors. But since the first day of practice the transition has been really smooth.”

Toney, who led Shadow Ridge with 99 tackles last year, is a welcome addition to Arbor View, which will be fielding its most senior-laden team in four years of existence.

Coach Dan Barnson said Arbor View has its most talented team yet, a result of having its first four-year senior class.

“These kids have been playing together for four years and that’s big,” Barnson said.

The Aggies went 0-7 in a division stacked with playoff caliber teams last season. Barnson put the program’s sophomores on the junior varsity team, which went 8-1. If all goes to plan, those players will continue winning as juniors.

“They are coming in knowing what it takes to win,” he said. “Hopefully that will rub off on the varsity team.”

Arbor View will see the return of four defensive and five offensive starters led by senior running back Ryan Hill.

Hill, a four-year starter for the Aggies, led his team with 107 carries last season. He will run behind a line led by 6-foot-6 senior tackle Charles Cullison.

If Barnson has any concerns, it’s how his players will respond to a meaningful game at the end of the season.

“We have just never been in a game where there was a lot on the line,” he said. “We will just have to see if they can do what it takes to win a close game.”

Sean Ammerman is a reporter for the Home News. He can be reached at 990-2661 or [email protected].