New defensive scheme, big senior class has Black Hills optimistic about upcoming season

For years, Black Hills High School football coach Kirk Stevens and former Capital coach J.D. Johnson were opponents. They faced off a handful of times during their careers.

More than a year after Johnson resigned from Capital ahead of the 2017 season, he and Stevens will be on the same field again — this time as colleagues. Johnson will join the Wolves’ 2018 campaign as their defensive coordinator.

“It’s huge because he understands where things step in,” Stevens said. “He gets it, and that consistency gets everybody going in the same direction.”

The plan this season was originally to have Johnson be the co-defensive coordinator with Ross Rollman. But Rollman’s work responsibilities — he is the school’s primary police officer — changed in the spring, preventing him from coaching.

So in came Johnson and with him, a change in the defensive scheme. Black Hills, which finished 6-5 last season, losing to Selah in the first round of the Class 2A state playoffs, will run a 3-3 defense this season.

The scheme features more defensive backs than the Wolves have used previously, and places an emphasis on athletic ability.

“You can get more speed on the field, it’s adaptable to the spread offenses today that more teams run and you can get multiple looks out of it,” Johnson said. “So you can bring, at any given time, five different guys on a blitz or a pressure and you’re still able to cover down on the back end.”

Two key players on the defense, and the only returning starters, linebacker Jordan Claridge and defensive back Taylor Simmons, bought in to the switch.

“His (Johnson’s) influence is really good,” Claridge said. “We switched up our defense a little bit this year scheme-wise. He’s just brought a lot of new energy to the defense, which is really nice.”

Simmons — also one of the team’s five returning running backs — will see his role on defense change. He’ll play more of a free safety position and is tasked with diagnosing what the offense is running.

The defense isn’t the only aspect of Black Hills that has seen a transformation this offseason. In the past, the team hasn’t had a structured weightlifting program in place.

After a year of waiting to get approval, Black Hills hired Dave Claridge to lead a strength and conditioning program in the winter and spring. He is also the throws coach for the track and field team. Stevens believes this will benefit the team.

The experience of the team is another foundational piece to the optimism surrounding Black Hills. This year, Stevens will have an experienced team with 13 seniors. It’s one of his largest senior classes he’s had in his five years as the program’s head coach.

Ethan Loveless returns as the starting quarterback, and younger brother Zach Loveless returns at running back.

Zach Loveless, alongside Simmons, will be two of five players who rotate regularly at running back. The depth at the position is one of Black Hills’ strengths, Stevens said.

Such a large backfield will force teams to focus on the rushing attack — which Stevens thinks should open up the passing game.

“We’re healthy — which is always big — numbers are promising, and I really like the direction we’re going,” Stevens said.

This story was originally published August 16, 2018 at 5:12 PM.