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For the past two years, Whitman football has been synonymous with Anthony Young-Wiseman. But one of the county's best all-around athletes is now at Duke University.

But here is the silver lining: The Vikings should be even better this year.

"Last year and the previous year, guys got caught many times just looking around because Anthony would get it done," Whitman coach Jim Kuhn said. "I think this will bring us together as a team. We have a number of weapons. Guys fill different needs."

A big part of this year's campaign will be seniority. Three three-year varsity starters — receiver Larry Kline, tight end/defensive back Danny Lee and running back Kevin Cecala — will be key cogs in Whitman's machinery. Cecala rushed for 712 yards and four touchdowns last fall, and Kline caught 22 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns.

Joining the veterans is junior quarterback Henry Kuhn, who was brought up from junior varsity to start the last four games of 2008. He completed 30 of 63 pass attempts for 394 yards and five touchdowns and led the Vikings to an upset win over Springbrook that spoiled the Blue Devils' playoff hopes.

Coach Kuhn said his son has added about 20 pounds of muscle in offseason training. And the quarterback is surrounded by a bevy of classmates as well.

"At the end of last year, we moved up a bunch of guys, said Kuhn, "so they have some experience in games against some pretty darn tough good teams. … Winning a couple of big games late in the season gave them a taste of that thrill of victory we covet so much."

Whitman lacks size on the lines, a theme of Kuhn's three seasons; only 13 of 46 players on his roster are over 6 feet tall. But the Vikings are quick, and Kuhn has worked with his charges on ways of playing bigger, and he believes his charges can compensate.

It may not boast a lot of size, but Whitman has its share of athletes, and Kuhn hopes to take advantage of his players' versatility. The staff will throw different formations at opponents and look to create matchup problems.

The offense will also be diverse, with Cecala steering the ground game and Kuhn-to-Kline pacing the passing attack. Defensive coordinators will have to pick their poison.

Whitman has suffered a few nagging injuries in the preseason, which can be tough to work with, but nothing too dramatic. If the Vikings can stay healthy and keep their numbers up — they will expend a lot of energy trying to stay with some of the bigger teams — they could pull off some big wins this year.

"We are a little smaller up front than most teams, but we know we can hit with everyone," Kuhn said. "We really need to exploit our balance this year. In the past teams could focus on, ‘If you stop Anthony, you stop Whitman.' You cannot say that this year."

Whitman

Head coach: Jim Kuhn, 3rd year (10-11)

League: Montgomery 4A West

Last year's record: 4-6

Last playoff appearance: 2007 (4th)

Last state title: none

Players to watch: WR Larry Kline, RB Kevin Cecala, TE/DE Danny Lee, QB Henry Kuhn

2008 results

Sept. 5 — Northwest (L), 24-13

Sept. 12 — B-CC (W), 28-9

Sept. 19 — Wootton (L), 34-7

Sept. 26 — Blair (L), 13-7

Oct. 3 — Walter Johnson (W), 14-6

Oct. 10 — Quince Orchard (L), 47-6

Oct. 17 — Richard Montgomery (W), 25-20

Oct. 24 — Churchill (L), 18-6

Oct. 31 — Springbrook (W), 21-19

Nov. 7 — Sherwood (L), 45-7

2009 schedule

Sept. 4 — Northwest, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 11 — at Walter Johnson, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 17 — Quince Orchard, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 25 — at BCC, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 2 — Blair, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 9 — Wootton, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 16 — at Gaithersburg, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 23 — Springbrook, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 30 — at Seneca Valley, 6:30 p.m.

Nov. 6 — at Churchill, 6:30 p.m.