Line Mountain Eagles

Aug. 27 at Juniata* Sept. 3 Susquenita* Sept. 10 at Middletown Sept. 17 at Boiling Springs Sept. 24 Camp Hill Oct. 1 Upper Daupin* Oct. 8 at Halifax* Oct. 15 at N. Penn-Mansfield Oct. 22 at Newport* Oct. 29 James Buchanan*

BY HAROLD RAKER

*-MID-PENN LIBERTY GAME

Losing not one but two 1,000-yard rushers to graduation leaves behind a lot of question marks for coach Brandon Carson and his Line Mountain Eagles.

Making it more challenging: One of them was the quarterback, Jacob Feese. Now at King’s College, Feese posted his second 1,000-yard rushing campaign in a row last year (1,125 yards, 17 touchdowns). His backfield running mate, Garrett Laudenslager, who moved on to Misericordia University, ran for 1,128 and 14.

It also doesn’t help that, as preseason camp approached, there was still no heir apparent to succeed that dynamic duo.

A week before the team was to start its heat acclimatization program, Carson said, “I still literally have no idea who we are going to have to run the football.”

“We’ll see how camp goes and maybe even the scrimmage,” he said.

But he does have senior Beau Keim returning. Despite injuries limiting his time on the field, Keim has experience running the ball the last two seasons. He had the only two rushing scores that didn’t go to Feese or Laudenslager last year.

“Beyond that, we’re going to have a competition at that position and at the receiver position, and some guys might be doing a little bit of both,” Carson said.

Battling to replace Feese in the preseason were sophomore Nick Snyder and freshman Blake Readinger.

Former quarterback Jace Hackenberg, who played wide receiver last season, may move into the backfield to take advantage of his skill set.

“He runs the ball well. He’s a tough kid and we’ve got to find ways to get him the ball,” the coach said.

Carson said Hackenberg and fellow senior Aiden Herb both have running back experience and good speed, and freshman Ian Bates is another candidate to run the ball.

“He’s going to play a little bit of running back and a little bit of receiver. He’s a nice athlete,” Carson said of Bates.

“Even our sophomores and juniors coming back have a lot of game experience,” Carson said, including sophomores Nolan Baumert and Chandon Maurer. Also returning, after playing soccer a year ago, is Tharon Wagner.

The Eagles been successful running option and power football, with Feese getting much of his production out of the option last year, but Carson said this year, although they will have all the same plays available, they might not have as many choices.

“It’s all going to depend on who wins the battles and what people are good at,” he said.

The Eagles enter their second season as members of the Mid-Penn Conference’s new Liberty Division, which comprises the six remaining members of the disbanded Tri-Valley League, along with James Buchanan.

Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic turned everyone’s schedule into something more resembling a summer rec league, with teams picking up games on the fly, sometimes with little more than a few days’ notice.

No league champion was declared after the Eagles and the Juniata Indians, whose scheduled Week-One game was canceled. Each finished 3-0 in the division and 5-3 overall.

BEAU KEIM

L at Camp Hill 35-28 W at Upper Dauphin 46-22 W Halifax 48-21 W at Northwest 47-20 W Newport 44-21 L Penns Valley 35-12 W Mifflinburg 42-34 D4 2A Semifinals L Southern Columbia 49-7

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

*-PLAYOFFS; &-DISTRICT CHAMPION #-PIAA CHAMPION

PASSING C-A Int TD Yds Jacob Feese 53-68 4 3 478 RUSHING Att Yards TDs G. Laudenslager 122 1,128 14 Jacob Feese 152 1,125 17 Beau Keim 63 268 2 RECEIVING Rec Yards TDs G. Laudenslager 12 136 1 Jace Hackenberg 4 80 0 Aiden Herb 4 73 1

RETURNEES IN BOLD

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Central Mountain Jersey Shore Milton Selinsgrove Shamokin Shikellamy DIVISION II

Danville Central Columbia Lewisburg Midd-West Miff linburg Montoursville DIVISION III

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Despite losing the guts of the offense, Carson hopes to assemble enough pieces of the puzzle to field a team that can compete in the league for a full season.

Carson and his staff just need to figure out the best positions for this year’s players, and he said many of the skill players will get time, at least in preseason, at both receiver and running back.

“We have to determine who the playmakers are going to be and find a way to get them the ball,” Carson said.

The Eagles are in better shape up front with threeyear starting tackle/guard senior Wyatt Shaffer, senior center Chase Miller, and sophomore guard Colby Rebuck all returning as starters. In addition, sophomore defensive tackle Yuri Johnson may also play up front on offense this season.

Shaffer believes he can be one of this season’s leaders.

“I think my role this year is to help the younger kids coming up and teaching them,” Shaffer said.

Shaffer said it will be important for the new and returning players to work together and continue the high standards that last year’s team set.

He said he wants to have a great season because it is his last, and he hasn’t decided if he will try to play in college.

Shaffer is excited to get the games started.

“I’m ready. I’ve been ready for a couple of months now,” he said.

Despite key graduation losses (Dominick Bridy, Cam Smeltz, Feese, Laudenslager and Seth Wolfe), both Carson and Shaffer are confident that the Eagles should be tough on defense.

All will be missed, but Carson said Smeltz was the team’s defensive player of the year.

“He was filling in everywhere. He was all over the field,” Carson said, but added that Feese and Laudenslager at linebacker and Bridi at end, will leave “tough shoes to fill.”

Nevertheless, Shaffer said, “We have a lot of starters back on defense.”

Shaffer also said he believes the team has a lot of momentum from the performance in the final stretch games of last season.

Besides the returning starters, Shaffer said, “There are some new kids coming up that are pretty talented, too.”

Shaffer, Johnson and junior Brayden Boyer return up front with Keim, joined by Hackenberg at linebacker. Aiden Herb, Aidan Kritzer and junior Connor Finlan are back in the secondary along with Baumert, who started several games last year. Potential starters on the defensive line include juniors Dylan Herb and Josh Scott and freshman Kohen Shingara.

Bates and Wagner are in the mix to start at cornerback and linebacker, respectively.

“Some kids might be moving up out of the secondary to linebacker,” Carson said. “We have 15 kids for eight spots (on defense), and we might be a little smaller in some areas, but I think we have some speed and toughness that we can use.”

Boyer returns as the kicker (he was 3 of 4 on field goals and 24 of 28 on PATs) with Aiden Herb and Baumert as kick returners. The punter is usually the quarterback, but that position remains undetermined.

Former head coach Rodney Knock will join the staff along with former Shikellamy and Lewisburg assistant Jim Ermert (the latter as defensive coordinator).

Carson said longtime rival and 2019 TVL and District 3 Class 2A champion Upper Dauphin should be improved this season. Juniata, with outstanding quarterback Jacob Condo returning, and Halifax, with a good returning nucleus, should be tough opponents this season.

The Eagles will play crossover games with Middletown, Camp Hill and Boiling Springs and a nonleague contest with North PennMansfield.

LINE MOUNTAIN LINEMAN WYATT SHAFFER (55)

LINE MOUNTAIN COACH BRANDON CARSON