By Stephen Glover
For the Call

Simply said, 2018 was a tough season for the Oakville High School football team. The Tigers’ record of 1-9 marked the worst performance under head coach Arlee Conners.

“We’re going to be so much better than last year,” Conners said. “We had a lot of young kids on the team last year and every game that we dressed, we lost.”

So what can cause a team to make a turnaround after such a disappointing season? Offseason workouts.

“Our participation in the offseason was a complete turnaround,” Conners said. “I feel way better about this year’s team.”

Senior Hunter Iffland returns to the quarterback position after missing most of the 2018 season due to a broken non-throwing arm. Iffland did complete 30 of 66 for 369 yards passing and two touchdowns.

“Hunter came into the season and did some really good things for us,” Conners said. “Unfortunately he broke his non-throwing arm, but he’s fully recovered and is just a gamer for us.”

Junior Jacobi Woods took over the quarterback duties for the Tigers and threw for 1,059 yards, six touchdowns and eight interceptions. Woods will see action this season at wide receiver and cornerback for Oakville.

“Jacobi did some good things for us last year,” Conners said. “He’s a playmaker, and I think we can do a lot of good things with him in our lineup.”

Another junior that will see action at wide receiver is Joey Rounds, who led the Tigers with 358 yards receiving and two touchdowns. On defense, Rounds racked up a total of five interceptions.

“Joey’s started since he was a freshman, and he’s 10 times better as a junior,” Conners said. “He’s much bigger and much stronger than last year.”

At running back for the Tigers will be senior Jake Cracchiolo, who amassed 438 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

He also racked up 283 yards receiving along with another touchdown while garnering team most valuable player honors.“

Jake is a kid that never left the field for us last year,” Conners said. “A big part of success will depend on how well he does.”

Manning the right tackle and defensive end positions for Oakville will be senior Matt Rouse. Senior Cameron Geraci will also see time on both ends of the ball as he takes on the right guard and nose guard positions. At wide receiver will be Chase Otto.