The Manchester Enterprise
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Former MHS standout Nick Ross impresses in first season at Adrian
By Ed Patino, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: December 4, 2008
It didn't take long for Nick Ross to make a positive impression on Adrian College football coach Jim Lyall.
Advertisement
While he had caught glimpses of what the then-Manchester High School senior brought to the football field, it was on Ross' first campus visit last spring when Lyall got to see firsthand what he had in his latest prospect.
"When Nick took off his coat, you could tell he was a lifter, and a very strong one at that," Lyall said. "Watching on film, you could see that Nick is very athletic and powerful."
Ross put his strength and ability to use as a freshman offensive lineman on the Adrian College football team this fall. The 2008 Manchester graduate earned significant playing time on the varsity roster and helped pave the way for a potent offense.
Adrian posted an 8-2 overall record this season and went 5-1 in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association play. The Bulldogs finished one game short of a conference championship and berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs, but Ross looks back at his first season of college football in a positive light.
"It was a very successful season going 8-2 and getting close to the playoffs, and I heard it was an improvement from last year," Ross said. "We're bringing a lot of guys back next year, including our entire defensive line. Our goal is to win a championship and get into the playoffs, so we have some unfinished business."
Ross had several successful seasons in high school. While at Manchester, Ross was a three-time All-Cascades First Team performer on the offensive line. During his senior year, Ross was named All-Cascades First Team for both the offensive and defensive line and was named to the All-Heritage Newspapers Western Region First Team as an offensive lineman.
With Ross as a senior captain in 2007, the Flying Dutchmen averaged 288.4 yards of total offense, including 177.2 on the ground.
Following his successful prep career, Ross caught the attention of several colleges.
"Kalamazoo, Hope, Trine and Hillsdale made offers," Ross said. "Adrian never made me an offer, but I was interested. It's close to home and it has a Pre-Dental program, which is what I want to get into."
A family connection helped Ross get Adrian's attention. Ross' aunt knows Lyall and told him about her nephew. After contacting Ross and Manchester football coach Wes Gall, a visit was scheduled over Spring Break.
"One of the first things I noticed about Nick was how athletic he was and that he had good feet for someone his size," Lyall said. "He's aggressive and has the ability to lock onto a defender. Nick has all the things we look for in an offensive lineman with his technique and aggressiveness."
That aggressiveness would play a big factor in Ross' success during training camp. With 192 total players in camp, including 100 freshmen, Ross knew he would need to be assertive to make a strong impression.
"It was really intimidating with 100 veterans and about 100 freshmen in camp," Ross said. "It was totally different from high school because everyone there was the best player in high school. I knew it would be a challenge, and that it would be worth it."
According to Ross, Lyall told him that he had a good chance of making the varsity roster as a freshman. By the time camp was split between the varsity and junior varsity teams, Ross had performed well enough to remain with the veteran team.
"We saw from the first day that Nick's athletic ability was at a higher level," Lyall said. "We gave him an opportunity against our top kids, and he did very well."
Another challenge for Ross was learning a new offensive system. Adrian ran a spread offense this season that stressed off-tackle and sweep runs, quarterback sneaks and big-play passing.
"It's different for sure because in Manchester we ran more of a traditional offense, though we did run some spread," Ross said. "The spread is the bread and butter down here, so I had to adjust somewhat. It helped to practice against the country's fifth ranked defense."
Ross didn't see playing time until the Bulldogs' third game of the season Sept. 20 against Bluffton. He admits that there were some butterflies when he went out for his first play in the fourth quarter of Adrian's 34-7 victory.
"It was my fifth week of football, but my first time going against another team and I almost froze," Ross said. "The play was a run my way, and my legs felt like cinderblocks. But after that, it was like going back to practice."
Ross saw action in five more games after that, and more often than not helped the Bulldogs put up big offensive numbers. In Adrian's homecoming game Oct. 4, Ross helped the Bulldogs roll up 606 total yards of offense in a 42-17 victory over Kalamazoo. Three weeks later, he played the entire second half as the Bulldogs put up 447 yards in a 39-3 spanking of Hope, Adrian's first victory over the Dutchmen since 2002. The following week, Ross played about three-quarters of the game at Alma as the Bulldogs again ran up over 404 total offensive yards in a 45-24 victory.
"Nick is a confident kid that works hard in practice," Lyall said. "He's adjusted extremely well, and he's well-built for the offensive line. If Nick continues to progress, I think he can be an All-MIAA player."
Ross credits his teammates, especially the veteran players, for helping him make a smooth transition into college.
"John Ahern was a captain and in charge of the offensive line, and all the seniors were great role models," Ross said. "I'm always learning from the older guys."
He also credits his former coaches at Manchester for their role in his development. Being only 20 minutes from town, Ross has stayed in touch with Gall and several of his former teammates.
"My brother (senior Logan Ross) is on the team, and I still come up to Manchester for games and talk with Mr. Gall and a lot of this year's seniors," Ross said. "They've always been my coaches, and I keep in contact with them throughout the offseason.
Staff Writer Ed Patino can be reached at 428-8173 or epatino@heritage.com.
Not all stories are guaranteed to appear
online. The Web edition contains a reasonable
sampling of the print edition stories.
For the most complete news coverage, we invite you to
subscribe
to the print edition of the paper.
Expanded
Web
Coverage
TOP JOBS
