Trio of linebackers set to lead Coe football

Tate Harrison is your best bet in a card game. Calvin Thomas is the pro at Mariokart. Ross Yeast is the one you want calling plays in an NCAA Football video game.

And if you're looking for a great linebacking corps then you can't do better than all three.

The senior trio have become the leaders of the Coe football team, starting the 2009 season with the goal of improving last year's 4-6 mark.

Better individual linebackers might take the field, but as a whole, Coe Coach Steve Staker said he doesn't think there is a better unit in the Iowa Conference.

“I feel like I've never had three linebackers with those kind of physiques, that kind of talent and that kind of knowledge of the game,” Staker said. “They're all good leaders. They're respected.”

Staker described them as total packages. Harrison is 6-foot and 231 pounds. Thomas (5-11, 238) and Yeast (5-11, 220) give the Kohawks a talented threesome with a nose for the football.

“We're all big,” Harrison said. “We're all fast and major contributors to be good on defense.”

Staker said they are the total package.

“They're smart. They're quick. They're strong,” said Staker, who praised their leadership skills and work ethic. “They understand offensive schemes so they can get themselves aligned in position to play the best possible defense.”

The Kohawks ranked third in pass defense and fourth against the run last year.

All three complement each other off the field as they do on the gridiron.

Harrison is described as the most lighthearted, Thomas has a wry sense of humor and Yeast exhibits a more serious demeanor.

Yeast said their personalities mesh well off the field. The friendship developed as freshmen, attending film sessions and position meetings.

It's grown beyond football. They can be found playing cards or video games and watching movies, living in the dorms moments away from one another at all times.

Their relationship helps them flourish when they put on the pads.

“Getting to know each other and having that strong bond carries over to the field,” Thomas said. “Us being so close helps us on the field.”

All three are strictly business when they take to the gridiron. They return as the top three tacklers and they benefit from knowing each other well.

“We all three trust each other,” Harrison said. “It's good to have people on either side of you that you can trust.”

Harrison, the middle linebacker of Coe's 4-3 style defense, has garnered the most awards, receiving second-team All-West Region honors last year and 2009 Preseason All-America honors from D3football.com.

He tallied 67 solo tackles as a junior, setting a Kohawk single-season record and earning a first-team all-IIAC selection.

“Tate Harrison might be the best,” Staker said of IIAC linebackers. “He's a really, really good linebacker with great knowledge of the game.

Thomas, the weakside backer, was an honorable mention all-IIAC as a junior, matching Harrison with a team-high 120 total tackles. They share second on Coe's all-time list for season stops.

Yeast, who plays the strong side, was third with 77 tackles.

“We bring our own separate style into the game,” said Yeast, noting his mental toughness and physicality. “Calvin brings the boom ... Tate is strong and physical."

The defense looks to be the strength of this year's squad. Like most football teams Coes goals of a winning season and conference championship depends on stopping its opponents.

“The defense is really important,” Thomas said. “It sets the tempo. My opinion is it wins games. It starts with the defense.”

The offense will hope to rely on the legs of running back Sam Hammes, who rushed for 870 yards last year. Leading receiver Nick Ratchford returns, providing a strong target for either Brad Boyle or Pat Wallace, who both saw action last year and are engaged in a battle for the starting job.

Last year's big and physical offensive line graduated, and Staker hopes the guys in trenches can improve, allowing Coe to have balanced play calling.

“I'm really excited about skill people,” Staker said. “Our receivers look good ... we have Sam Hammes our all-conference running back so I'm excited about that as well.”

Coe hosts Augustana (Ill.) in the opener on Sept. 5.

Kohawk football 2009

Coach: Steve Staker (2nd year)Last year: 4-6 overall (4-4 in Iowa Conference)Top returning starters: Sam Hammes (Sr., RB); Tate Harrison (Sr., LB); Kyle Polich (Sr., DB); Calvin Thomas (Sr., LB); Pat Wallace (Jr., QB); Robert Welborn (Sr., WR); Ross Yeast (Sr., LB); Ryan Jones, Jr., TE); Elias Randel (Jr., DL); Nick Ratchford (Jr., WR); Elliot Rausa (Jr., PK); Michael Rozum (Jr., RB); Brad Boyle (So., QB)Schedule: Sept. 5 - Augustana (Ill.), 1 p.m.; 12 - at Gustavus Adolphus, 1 p.m.; 19 - Luther, 1 p.m.; 26 - at Central, 1 p.m. Oct. 3 - Dubuque, 1 p.m.*; 10 - Open; 17 - At Wartburg, 1:30 p.m.; 24 - Simpson, 1 p.m.; 31 - at Loras, 1 p.m.; Nov. 7 - at Buena Vista, Noon; 14 - Cornell, Noon

Kohawk football 2009

Coach: Steve Staker (2nd year)

Last year: 4-6 overall (4-4 in Iowa Conference)

Top returning starters: Sam Hammes (Sr., RB); Tate Harrison (Sr., LB); Kyle Polich (Sr., DB); Calvin Thomas (Sr., LB); Pat Wallace (Jr., QB); Robert Welborn (Sr., WR); Ross Yeast (Sr., LB); Ryan Jones, Jr., TE); Elias Randel (Jr., DL); Nick Ratchford (Jr., WR); Elliot Rausa (Jr., PK); Michael Rozum (Jr., RB); Brad Boyle (So., QB)

Schedule: Sept. 5 - Augustana (Ill.), 1 p.m.; 12 - at Gustavus Adolphus, 1 p.m.; 19 - Luther, 1 p.m.; 26 - at Central, 1 p.m. Oct. 3 - Dubuque, 1 p.m.*; 10 - Open; 17 - At Wartburg, 1:30 p.m.; 24 - Simpson, 1 p.m.; 31 - at Loras, 1 p.m.; Nov. 7 - at Buena Vista, Noon; 14 - Cornell, Noon