Vikings aim to take step forward: 'It's been one of the more enjoyable summers'

Aug. 13—DANVILLE — Marcus Forrest knows that Danville football hasn't posted particularly impressive records in either of the last two seasons. But that hasn't stopped the Vikings from having an impressive summer in his estimation. "It's been a different feeling for us," Forrest said. "Especially coming off of last year and having a 2-7 year. A lot of times you come off of (a 2-7 record), and sometimes, people may look at it and be a little more negative. But it's been one of the more enjoyable summers that we've had. We've had a lot of commitment over the summer as far as the weight room." Forrest has been a part of more Danville football games than most people in Vermilion County. The Danville native spent two seasons as a player for the Vikings in the early 1990s, then went on to play at Vanderbilt before returning to his hometown as an assistant coach in 2008. He has reason to believe his 10th season as the program's coach will yield his fifth playoff appearance in the last decade. "Just the feel, not only through the coaches seeing the kids, but the kids actually enjoying being around each other," Forrest said. "That commitment that they've had to working together, it's been a little different than it's been in the last couple years. We're excited about that." Forrest and the Vikings' coaching staff used the litany of changes to the IHSA football calendar to teach their roster — which has grown in size significantly during the summer — a lesson about adaptability. "We tell the kids: You've got to be ready to adapt to a lot of different things," Forrest said. "Changes are going to happen, and you have to go with it. The number of wins that you need to actually make the playoffs is going to be a little different now, but at the same time, we're not really focused on that because we're focused on just getting better." Few players in the Big 12 Conference will offer as much speed as D'Mario Jackson, a Danville senior who capped his junior year by winning Class 2A track and field state titles in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash on May 30 in Charleston. The Vikings will utilize him in several offensive positions this fall, including running back and wide receiver. "It gave me a lot to look forward to coming in with big accomplishments," Jackson said. "Just making sure you stay in focus, not just getting your head all hyped up, but it keeps you level. It definitely was good to get those championships, but I'm ready to move on and get bigger things out of the way." Speed on the track doesn't necessarily translate into speed on the football field, however. "With track speed, you've got a little straightaway," Jackson said. "You've got to give it your all. Football, you've got to be a little more conservative, be more elusive with it. You've got to be loose. You can't be stiff with it. It helps me personally because I get to have quick moves, so I'm moving in and out through linemen." Ashton Anderson and Jerall Morris will help anchor the Vikings' offensive line as they open up running lanes for Jackson and open up chances for the Vikings to improve offensively after Danville only averaged 11.1 points last season. As an added bonus, each of Danville's starting offensive linemen have returned from last season. "For our offensive line, we're getting there, but we're not completely there," Anderson said. "Just like we've got higher standards for ourselves, for our defensive line. We've just got to be more confident." Forrest also views the Vikings' defensive line as a strong point, with two-way talent Malachi Lusader set to lead the way at defensive tackle. Danville has more offensive and defensive linemen available than any other position. "One of one of the strengths that we're going to have is our defensive line (and) our offensive line," Forrest said. "They were really young last year, and they went through a lot. They went through the fire, and they took a lot of bumps and bruises." Amillian Beasley drew favorable comparisons to former Danville standout Justin March, who played at Akron before spending six seasons in the NFL. "He's one of the most aggressive linemen that we have," Forrest said. "He's someone that when we look at him, he kind of reminds us of Justin March as far as his aggressiveness and his running side-to-side. Of course, that was someone that had one of the highest motors I've ever seen in anybody, obviously, because it took him to playing for the Dallas Cowboys." Danville will open its season on Aug. 21 against Champaign Central at Tommy Stewart Field in Champaign. The Vikings will host Centennial the following week on Aug. 28 at Whitesell Field in Danville before facing each of the Big 12's Peoria schools — Peoria on Sept. 4, Peoria Richwoods on Sept. 11, Peoria Manual on Sept. 18 and Peoria Notre Dame on Sept. 25 — in subsequent weeks. "Going into it this year, we're a lot more experienced," Forrest said. "The kids, a lot of them don't even notice some of the changes that they had because for them it didn't really matter. It was more just the older coaches and understanding the differences and the changes that come."