As Bruce football enters year three of the Clint Faust era, they are looking to take another step forward after earning a playoff berth a season ago.
Faust inherited the Trojan program in 2017 after Ken Chandler spent one year as the head coach in Bruce. The Trojans have not had a winning season since 2013, and one of Faust’s goals this season is to reverse that trend.
“I told [the team] we won twice as many games last year [than in 2017],” Faust said. “I’d like to see us get to that six or eight-win mark and make a deeper run in the playoffs. I think this team can do that.”
In order to reach that threshold, the Trojans will have to replace athletes J.D. Jennings and Ty Miles who contributed largely for Bruce last season. Faust will likely rely on senior running back Deavion “Dee” Cullins this season and run an offense that is suited to get him the football often.
“Dee is 190 or 200 pounds and is solid rock,” Faust said.
Along with Cullins, wideout Tre Wofford and quarterback Logan Stewart are expected to lead Bruce’s offensive charge. While the Trojans may not be a pass-heavy team this fall, expect to see some connections between Stewart and his receivers this fall to mix things up.
2018 Record: 4-8, 1-3
(lost in 1st round to Scott Central)
Head Coach: Clint Faust (3rd season)
2019 Division: Region 2-2A
Faust is expecting to run the ball and run it often this season and rely heavily on his linemen and running back Dee Cullins.
“We lost two offensive linemen last year, so we have three of those guys returning with a lot of experience,” Faust said. “Our D-line for the most part is coming back as a whole. We’ve got an older tailback that’s experienced. I think up front our running game is going to be pretty good.”
In Class 2A, great amounts of depth on rosters is a little-known commodity, and Bruce is no exception, according to Faust. The Trojans are also planning to rely on some young players to step up early this season.
“We’ve got about 34 or 35 kids out, so we’re going to have some guys that have to play both sides of the ball,” Faust said, “but we’re also going to have some young guys that have to step up and give us some reps. We’re going to find out early in the year if we can count on those guys.”
Dee Cullins will lead the way on offense and defense for the Trojans. Faust has pegged junior Logan Stewart as his starting quarterback and is relying on him to lead alongside Cullins this season.
“I really stressed to Logan Stewart that we’re looking for him to step up and be a leader for us.”
In Bruce’s offense, the fullback position is key, and that role will likely be filled by Zack Marter.
Look for the Trojans to use Marter in a variety of ways, both on the ground and through the air as well as in blocking schemes.
“We’re going to be in the [I-formation] a lot,” Faust said. “Our fullback role, right now it’s Zack Marter, he’s going to have to be the dude on the field. We’re going to have to get some quality reps out of him.”
Bruce will be a run-heavy team, but in order to be successful, they will need a passing attack as well.
The performance of Logan Stewart and his wide receivers will determine a lot about the fate of the 2019 Trojan schedule.
