Beau Lehnerz, Ashland football head coach

Replacing 11 seniors may not seem like an overwhelming factor, but when that group supplied the crux of what you were trying to accomplish over the last few seasons on the football field, it can certainly be daunting.

For Ashland, that’s entirely the quandary head coach Beau Lehnerz, his staff and even his players found themselves in through spring and summer preparations.

Now that the fall season is upon the Grizzlies, it’s all about redefining who the team is and what it can become as new faces rise up to seize their opportunities.

“The guys that we lost played on both sides of the ball so it’s like losing twice as many guys,” said Lehnerz. “That’s been something we’ve talked about all offseason, and there were kids that were worried and what-not but our message since then has just been that we’re not the same team, clearly, but we’re different. It doesn’t mean we’re better or worse.”

This year marks Ashland’s third season playing down at the Class 4A level after low numbers and a winless 2021 season necessitated a move from the 5A ranks.

The Grizzlies managed two wins in that first 2022 season in the Big Sky Conference and pushed that to a 6-4 effort last year, but it’s almost like hitting the reset button with so many young players expected to play prominent roles this fall.

“We’ve got some pieces in the key spots, just not as many as we’ve had,” said Lehnerz. “We don’t have the same type of athletes, but we’ve got athletes.”

“The kids are stepping into opportunities,” added the coach, “and some are kids that were off the radar, which has been like, ‘Wow, that’s awesome.’”

Stabilizing matters will be senior holdovers Jojo Harrower, Jacob Ortega, Kekoa Kaho’okaulana, Dutch Linerud and Colin Lawrence, as well as junior Liam Puckett.

Ashland also received an unexpected boost in the offseason with the transfer of senior Caleb Morgan from South Medford, where he enjoyed good success at linebacker. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Morgan will also carry an important offensive role at tight end.

“Our senior class is only like seven kids and so Caleb coming in really boosts our other kids’ confidence,” said Lehnerz. “He’s an Ashland kid so they all grew up with him before he went to South as a freshman. All the kids know him and they’ve got that bond already so that helps big-time. We got really fortunate with Caleb Morgan. He’s just big, strong and athletic and will help us on both sides of the ball.”

Harrower has provided headline efforts at quarterback since taking over as a sophomore, but his typical safety net of skill position help is not the same. The 6-4, 185-pound senior has adjusted accordingly, holding his own throwing sessions with younger players and gearing up for a year where he may not be slinging the ball all over the field as before.

“Our scheme’s going to be a little bit different with what we’ve got,” said Lehnerz, “so we’re going to use Jojo’s athleticism a little bit more and hopefully when we throw it with our play-action and what-not, that those kids have built the rapport and feel trusted enough that they make those plays. We’re not going to rely as heavily on the passing game like we did last year. We’re going to throw the ball still, but it just won’t be the same as we did last year.”

Last year, Harrower completed 119 of 202 passes for 1,798 yards with 20 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also ran 25 times for 114 yards and two scores.

Bolstered by an offensive line that is anchored by Kaho’okaulana, Linerud and Puckett — as well as the power running style of Ortega — Ashland expects to lean on the ground game a little more to stabilize things until the young stable of receivers get their foothold.

“Ideally we’re having a little bit more of a power run game this year and then playing off of that,” said Lehnerz. “Jacob’s got to be a big component. He’s kind of our thunder who happens to be really fast, and then we’ve got some other guys that are a little bit smaller and quicker and more outside run type guys. Hopefully we can mix it up with our run game and keep people on their heels.”

Ortega ran 26 times for 263 yards and five TDs and showed good ability to catch the ball out of the backfield last season as the No. 2 option. Speedy senior Teddy Williams and powerful complement Jack Ordway will generate more traction for the ground game, while junior Oscar Hernandez could slip in from the slot receiver position to run some read-option schemes on offense.

Lawrence, Hernandez and Morgan will be flanked by up-and-coming receivers Asa Richardson, Viktor Maymudes, David Carter and Teagan Marple.

“We’ve got some healthy competition going on between the younger guys and they’re going to get opportunities to do something this year,” said Lehnerz. “We haven’t had a lot of freshmen play, even in our low years, but a few of these guys could be pushing for some time.”

Ashland’s linemen will predominantly remain on the field throughout the game, with sophomore Jack Maybin also playing a key role, and the strength of the defense rests at linebacker with Ortega and Morgan joined by junior Aven Staten and Ordway.

“We’re trying to get our best 11 on the field all the time,” said Lehnerz. “Sometimes it’s the same guys on offense and defense.”

Whoever it may be, the coach said the key this fall will be in how the group continues to progress and doesn’t deviate.

“We have athletes, we have experience, we’ve got relationships with team bonds,” said Lehnerz. “Our biggest thing is going to be how do we deal with adversity, because we’re going to have it.”