Lewisburg Green Dragons

BY KURT RITZMAN

There are going to be a lot of changes for the Lewisburg football team in 2021.

The Green Dragons are coming off a 2-6 regular season, have a new coach, and will be without all-state running back Max Moyers, who graduated.

“Obviously last year wasn’t our best year,” Lewisburg junior Cam Michaels said. “This year, our goal is really to play as a team.

“We have really good chemistry, so I think, for sure, it’s going to be a really good year. We need to stick together even if we lose, and pick each other up. We have to work together win or lose.”

That’s one of the things that first-year coach Eric Wicks has been focused on ahead of his inaugural season, and he said he’s liked the team chemistry and competitiveness early.

“We had more than 65% of the team show up for summer workouts,” Wicks said. “We’re making jumps. We want to be good. We’ll see how it all comes together, and we need to continue to band together as a team.

“We’ve been doing well at competing to get better.”

One of the first things Wicks did when he became coach was study his new team, which laid the initial groundwork for his first season.

“As soon as I got the job, I watched all the games,” Wicks said. “Then I went back and watched 2019. I got right on those. I took what I saw and used that to build my playbook. I also wanted to figure out who my players are and who does what well.”

Without Moyers — who rushed for 805 yards and six touchdowns on 147 carries last year — and with a new philosophy, Wicks said he wants to spread the ball around offensively.

“They did two things last year — triple option and spread,” Wicks said. “We are going to be a spread team.

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Aug. 27 at Shamokin Sept. 3 at Montoursville* Sept. 10 Danville* Sept. 17 Jersey Shore Sept. 24 at Midd-West* Oct. 1 Central Columbia* Oct. 8 Loyalsock Oct. 15 Shikellamy Oct. 22 at Milton Oct. 29 Mifflinburg*

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PASSING C-A Int TD Yds Ethan Dominick 32-81 5 5 397 RUSHING Att Yards TDs Max Moyers 147 805 6 Cam Michaels 69 409 4 Ethan Dominick 88 301 3 RECEIVING Rec Yards TDs Cam Michaels 15 232 3 Simeon Beiler 6 83 0 Jack Landis 8 77 2

RETURNEES IN BOLD

We’re looking to pass the ball.

“I look at it as a team game. We’ll have a group of six or so to get the ball to, and

then the two running backs.”

Michaels is the leading returning rusher (409 yards) and receiver (232 yards), and he scored a team-high seven touchdowns last season.

“Cam Michaels is one of the best athletes that we have,” Wicks said. “He’ll be all over the field, and he can make any type of play.

“Ethan Dominick is another guy who is going to be key.”

Dominick played quarterback for the Green Dragons last season, and rushed for 301 yards and four touchdowns. This year, he’ll be playing a different skill position in an attempt to take advantage of his athleticism in space.

While there are plenty of positions available, Wicks said there were a couple other players who impressed him in the offseason.

“Trent Wenrich has really come on over the summer and has shown good things,” Wicks said. “Ryan Opperman has been showing us really good athleticism; he can do some things. Another young guy, Jeremiah Davis, is an athletic stud.”

Part of Wicks’ plan is to create friendly competition at positions, so that one person succeeding will benefit the whole group.

“One thing I like to do is create positional depth,” Wicks said. “I never let them know who is starting, so everybody is working their butt off to be the starter.

“We’re also moving kids around. I like them to be able to play multiple positions, and I want the kids to like the position they play.”

That’s creating a lot of weapons for the Green Dragons offensively.

“We have a lot of good players, a lot of playmakers,” Michaels said. “We can really distribute the ball to any player on offense and they’ll make a play.”

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going to distribute the ball for Lewisburg. Perhaps the early leader is Wade Young, who was Milton’s leading passer last year, and has since transferred.

“Wade Young is an important kid in the quarterback mix,” Wicks said. “He looks pretty good slinging it.”

Senior Zander Walter and sophomore Derek Asche are also battling for reps at quarterback.

Along the offensive line, an incoming freshman has caught Wicks’ eye.

“Hayes Schumacher is a freshman lineman who really came to work,” Wicks said.

The new coach also said if things come together the way he hopes they will, the Green Dragons will be fun to watch when they have the ball this season.

“If we can get it the way we would like it, it’s going to be entertaining,” Wicks said. “It’s going to be fun for the kids. They’re going to enjoy it, and they’re seeing that.”

There’s also going to be changes defensively for Lewisburg. Todd West returns to run the Green Dragons’ defense. West was Lewisburg’s defensive coordinator before working with Wicks on the staff at Bucknell.

“We’re going to play a 3-3-5 — so it’s going to be different — with some multiple stuff that we do,” Wicks said. “Todd West is running the defense. I trust him, so I said, ‘Do what you want to do.’ It’s going to be exciting. There’s some pretty tricky stuff.”

Defensively — even with a new formation — things start with lineman Owen Ordonez.

“Owen is a returning allstate kid, and he’s a major key for us,” Wicks said.

Jake Hernandez is also going to play on the defensive front with Ordonez.

“Hernandez has looked really good,” Wicks said. “He’s going to be dominant in the front for us.”

Jack Blough is expected to play a key role as a linebacker, and Michaels and Devin Bodden are important in the defensive secondary.

“Devin Bodden is going to be a lockdown cornerback,” Wicks said. “He’s really going to be big for us.

“We expect Cam Michaels to make some big plays. We’re going to use his athleticism.”

Wicks wants his team to be aggressive in all phases of the game.

“We want to attack the opponent on offense, defense and special teams,” Wicks said. “I think we’re going to be a pretty good team. We’ll be contenders, and we’re going to keep ourselves in games.”