gameface tHE CItIzEns’ VOICE
KICKOFF EDITION 2019
UNITED
Merged Wilkes-Barre Area makes debut Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019 WB_VOICE - T150 - 1 - 08/21/19
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2 T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
KICKOFF 2019 Inside Team previews
Berwick...................................6-7 crestwood........................ 8-9 dallas............................10-11 Hanover area................12-13 Hazleton area...............14-15 Holy redeemer..............16-17 lake-leHman..................18-19 nanticoke area................20-21 nortHwest.....................22-23 Pittston area................ 28-29 tunkHannock................ 30-31 wilkes-Barre area........ 32-33 williamsPort......................35 wyominG area................36-37 wyominG valley west....38-39
New coaches in the WVC............4 Full season schedule........... 24-25 Northwest’s final season in WVC........................26 A look at the league’s top impact players...................40 Rule changes..........................41 Radio/TV schedule...................42 Citizens’ Voice Fantasy Football draft..........44-45 Lackawanna Football Conferece preview...................46
On the cover The Wilkes-Barre Area Wolfpack huddle before their preseason scrimmage against Wyoming Area. This marks the first season of the consolidated program for players from Coughlin, GAR and Meyers. (Photo by Sean McKeag, Staff Photographer)
Photos Special thanks to Photos by Andy, Lyons Studio, KDP, Golden Photo and Bob Gaetano for their contributions to the Kickoff edition of Gameface, as well as to staff photographers Dave Scherbenco, Sean McKeag and Mark Moran.
THE CITIZENS’ VOICE FILE
Connect with us Follow us at CV Gameface on Facebook, @sportscv on Instagram, @CVGameface on Twitter and visit citizensvoice.com/gameface for WVC football highlights, photos, news and more. And don’t forget to register for Scoresflash at citizensvoice.com to have final scores of every WVC game delivered to your mobile devices.
A publication of The Citizens’ Voice 75 N. Washington St. Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701 570-821-2060 sports@citizensvoice.com
Steve Bennett
Gameface writer
Coming Friday:
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Gameface Week 1, previewing the week’s football matchups, will be in Friday’s edition of The Citizens’ Voice. WB_VOICE/SPECIAL_SECTION/PAGES [E02] | 08/18/19
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KICKOFF 2019
MARK MORAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Wilkes-Barre Area head coach Ciro Cinti goes over instructions with the players during the first day of practice at Wilkes-Barre Memorial Stadium.
It’s been a long road leading up to the Wilkes-Barre Area Wolfpack’s debut BY STEVE BENNETT STAFF WRITER
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programs ahead of a brand new school being completed that will house students from Meyers, GAR and Coughlin. The sports teams merged due to low participation numbers and, in some cases, low win totals. “The merger, honestly, the kids have been excellent,” Cinti said. “The logistics of getting three schools on the same page has been the toughest part. The kids have bought into the weight room and what we have been trying to teach them.” When the school board decided to merge the three athletic programs, there were certainly some questions. How was it going to work? Who would be named to the coaching staffs? How is everyone going to come together?
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Basically, the homework by administrators had been done, scrutinized, analyzed and changed several times. This wasn’t an idea that was hatched overnight and put in place the next day. The public wanted immediate answers and the administration delivered. Sure, there were some issues to iron out, and in a way, the fall sports programs are going to be looked over and there will be more changes to come. But for now, the fall sports season has arrived. Teams have been practicing and will be soon participating in their first athletic contests as the Wolfpack. Please see WOLFPACK, Page 34
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It was the second day of double sessions and the Wilkes-Barre Area Wolfpack had just wrapped up their final practice of the day. Ciro Cinti, the team’s head coach, stood near the 50-yard line at Wilkes-Barre Memorial Stadium and watched a weary and exhausted group of football players walk past. He shared a laugh, a handshake or a simple pat on the back for every player that walked by. Think the merger of the three Wilkes-Barre public schools’ athletic programs was going to be adifficultone?Itcertainlydidn’tgiveoff thatvibe onthatparticularday.
Of course there will be good practices and bad practices, just as every other football team in the Wyoming Valley Conference will experience. There will be injuries to tend to; a few players are likely to get sick. But what is different about this team is that there is depth to fill in the holes. No longer will Cinti — formerly head coach at Coughlin — possibly have to send someone out on the field who is not ready to be there. He can look at the bench and see a roster filled with potential that is embarking on a season filled with curiosity, as well as optimism. By now the story is old. The three WilkesBarre public schools merged their athletic
T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
Making it happen
A high number of new coaches will roam the sidelines in 2019 By Steve Bennett STAFF WRITER
the head coach when Pat Keating resigned in June. Baranski is mainly known as a defensive-oriented coach, but he does have experience calling plays on the offensive side of the ball for two seasons. He was able to keep the staff intact, so that will help with the transition.
There is a relatively high turnover in regards to new coaches stepping in for the 2019 season. While there is a tendency to have one or two job changes over the course of the offseason, the Wyoming Valley Conference will see four brand new coaches Carmen DeFrancesco, make their debut on opening Berwick weekend and one more that A veteran head coach won’t start until Week 2, while another takes over a from the Coal Region, he understands the history and first-year program. tradition of one of the most Ryan Arcangeli, historic programs in the Crestwood state. Took over when Frank Takes over for Greg Myers, Sheptock resigned. Takes who stepped down after 13 over at a program that has seasons with the Comets. plenty of talent returning on Arcangeli was a long-time both sides of the ball. Expect assistant at Crestwood. He the Bulldogs to be in contenplayed his high school ball at tion for a District 2 Class 4A Lake-Lehman before moving title. on to play college football at Rickey Hummer, King’s, where he moved to Hanover Area the offensive line after being A former assistant with a quarterback in high school. the pro g ram, Hummer Jack Baranski, stepped away from coaching valley West following the 2014 season, Long-time assistant coach after the school board hired with the Spartans. Became Mike McCree.
will have to wait until the second week of the season to make his debut when the Royals take on Northwest. The season opener was lost when Holy Cross suspended its football program for this year because of a lack of players.
Ciro Cinti, Wilkes-Barre Area
THE CITIZENS’ VOICE FILE
After 13 seasons as Coughlin head coach, Ciro Cinti, center, was picked as the first head coach of the new Wilkes-Barre Area program. But after McCree resigned following last season, Hummer put his name in the ring for the opportunity to be the head coach. Hummer also played for Hanover Area, and he is attempting to bring back the former Hanover Area tradition of being able to run the football behind a strong and physical offensive line. The majority of his assistants have spent time
Kelley became the head within the program, and he also brought back former coach when Dwayne Downhead coach Dave Fisher to be ing had to scale back his responsibilities due to work on staff. commitments. That allowed tyson Kelley, Kelley, who played linebacker Holy Redeemer at Berwick and King’s ColThis is his second time lege, the chance to get his with the program. He previ- first head coaching job. Kelously spent two seasons as an ley is young and enthusiastic assistant before moving on to and is hoping to be able to Old Forge then Division II develop an winning atmoWestminster College. sphere at the school. Kelley
Not really a new head coach, but a head coach that has been around the block and is taking over a new program. Cinti, who was the head coach at Coughlin for the past 13 seasons, compiled an overall mark of 71-73 with the Crusaders. The mark of a consistent program, Cinti always had the Crusaders in the hunt for a postseason berth. The bonus of coaching a team that combined the three Wilkes-Barre public schools is that Cinti should have numbers in his favor. In the past few seasons, Coughlin was hovering around 30-32 players each year with the roster size dwindling as the season progressed. 639 WYOMING AVE. KINGSTON (570) 287-9631 1313 WYOMING AVE. EXETER (570) 655-8801 SHOP 24/7 at WWW.VOITEKTV.COM
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THE CITIZENS' VOICE
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2019 5
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6 T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
BERWICK BULLDOGS
CLASSIFICATION: 4A
2018 RESULTS: 9-3; losses came to eventual District 2 champion Valley View and twice to Dallas, including overtime D2 semifinal
Laubach expecting big things this year
COACH Carm DeFrancesco 23rd season
BY STEVE BENNETT STAFF WRITER
The last image Berwick football fans saw of the Bulldogs w a s m o s t o f t h e p l aye r s sprawled out on the field after a Dallas field goal knocked them out of the District 2 playoffs. It’s a picture that Mason Laubach would soon like to forget. But he understands that the only way to erase that memory will be to start the new season. “We’re looking for something great this year,” Laubach said. “I think we have the potential to be just as good, if not better than we were last year. We are still here, we are still competing. I think we have the potential to do anything.” Laubach will be a big piece of the puzzle on the defensive side of the ball. He can either play end or slide inside to tackle. Regardless, he is one of the toughest players in the conference to block, and will more than likely see his share of doubleteams, opening up some opportunities for others on the defensive side of the ball. “The defense has looked really good,” Laubach said. “Our offense has been tweaking a few things and has been looking good. I think we will definitely be able to compete.” With the chance to be an impact player on the defensive side, Laubach will also see time at fullback, depending on the type of package the Bulldogs are running. Either way, Laubach is looking forward to some big things this year, not just personally but from the entire team. He also noted that the transition with Carm DeFrancesco coming in as the head coach has been smooth. “I think he is great,” Laubach said of DeFrancesco. “He really knows what he is doing. He came in here and everybody accepted him.” Along with training on his own and with the team, Laubach attended camps at the University of Buffalo and Boston College. He said he performed well at both, and plans on fine-tuning the tips he picked up regarding his technique and footwork.
(first at Berwick)
152-98 record
SCHEDULE Aug. 24 Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25
at Abington Hts, 1 p.m. at Pittston Area Williamsport Valley West Selinsgrove at Valley View Hazleton Area at Crestwood at Dallas Wilkes-Barre Area
All games 7 p.m. unless noted
BREAKDOWN When you’re Berwick, the schedule is never easy. While they may no longer be the perennial powerhouse they once were, the Dawgs are still the marquee name in the conference and undoubtedly will continue to get everybody’s best shot. What will make DeFrancesco’s first two games of the season interesting is that they are both on the road and on grass surfaces. Fortunately, the grass practice field still is in place adjacent to Crispin Field, allowing the team to get used to playing on grass. DeFrancesco’s home debut will be Week 3 against Williamsport, the start of a three-game stretch.
SCOUTING One scout’s anonymous assessment of the Bulldogs:
MASON LAUBACH
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DAVE SCHERBENCO / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
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“Teagan Wilk and Mason Laubach are the dudes of the team. Laubach on the line and Wilk in the secondary. Wouldn’t surprise me to see Wilk get involved with the offense a little bit more this year. Veteran offensive line is definitely going to help, led by Noah Craig. Biggest question will be once the games start, seeing how the transition to the new head coach will be. Obviously, Berwick is still Berwick and you know they are going to come ready to play. I will be interested to see how Aiden Mason progresses to his sophomore season. He showed a lot of promise last year as a freshman. But once again, this Berwick team will be strong on the defensive side of the ball.”
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ROSTER
DAVE SCHERBENCO / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Berwick captains, from left, Cole Martelli, Antonio Baratta, Teagan Wilk, Ryan Laubach and Preston Robbins.
# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 25 26 27 29 33 36 42 52 55 56 60 61 64 65 66 70 74 75 77 78 79 80 82 84 99
Name Mason Laubach Devon Smith Stas Hughes Shawn Sheptock Blake Maurer Drayton Wilk Teagan Wilk Logan Smith Blane Cleaver Ryan Laubach Preston Robbins Gage Bortz Shane Levan Tahsjee Tayler Aiden Mason Benjamin Knorr Brendan Hinkle Peyton Williams Brayden Boone Alejandro Lopez Nick Pajovich Ryan Steele Hunter Madl Brandon Spezialetti Evan Meighan Cole Martelli Andrew Blockus Dallas Schechterly Eric Montes Aaron Cashman Mike Zalutko Nathan Traugh Sullivan Slabinski Ethan Hughes Kyle Smith Jake Lanning Nicholas Heimbach Zander Unger GavynCunninghman Shawn Powell Jordan Young Gabriel DiPippa Noah Craig Kaleb Evans Armani Mackey Antonio Baratta Anthony Sisco
Ht/Wt 6-1/220 5-8/130 6-1/205 6-2/202 5-8/162 5-11/165 5-11/186 5-7/152 6-3/219 Q 6-0/184 5-10/157 5-7/122 5-11/142 6-3/181 5-10/212 5-8/165 5-7/147 6-1/185 5-8/130 5-8/186 5-7/119 5-7/140 5-8/153 5-8/160 5-9/150 5-8/190 5-10/198 5-11/205 6-1/235 5-10/248 6-1/235 5-10/189 6-1/215 6-3/271 5-10/215 6-2/225 5-11/215 6-3/240 6-0/221 6-5/285 6-1/237 5-9/242 5-11/257 5-8/257 6-1/151 5-9/182 6-1/210
Pos FB/DL WR/DB TE/DL WR/DB WR/DB WR/S WR/S RB/DB B/S/LB QB/S WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB TE/LB RB/LB QB/S K/WR/DB QB/DB WR/DB RB/DL WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB RB/S WR/S WR/DB TE/LB TE/LB RB/DL OL/DL OL/LB OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL TE/LB TE/LB WR/S OL/LB
Yr Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Fr. Sr. So. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. So. So. So. So. Jr. So. Sr. So. So. So. Jr. So. Sr. So. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. Sr. So. So. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. So. Sr. Sr.
BERWICK BULLDOGS: INSIDE THE HUDDLE Getting to know you
When breaking down
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QUARTERBACKS Ryan Laubach, Blaine Cleaver and Peyton Williams are the quarterbacks. It has been an open competition throughout camp with each one getting equal reps. As far as game experience is concerned, Laubach threw for 218 yards and two touchdowns last year. Williams attempted one pass.
tailbacks. Eric Montes and Mason Laubach will be the fullbacks when Berwick goes to some of its bigger packages. Also expect to see Teagan Wilk linedupinthebackfielddependingonthepersonnelpackage. WIDE RECEIVERS
Shawn Sheptock, Wilk, Antonio Baratta and Preston Robbins will be the receivers. Wilk led the team with 23 catches last year. Sheptock had two catches for 46 yards. RUNNING BACKS But this group has speed and As a freshman, Aiden Mason can stretch the field. rushed for 348 yards and two OFFENSIVE LINE touchdowns while averaging 7.6 The center will be Nick yards per carry. Blake Maurer averaged6.2yardspercarryand Heimbach. The guards are AlejandroLopezrantheballfive Aaron Cashman and Noah times. Those three will be the Craig. Jake Lanning and Sul-
livan Slabinski will be the bethestrongsafety.Zalutkowill tackles. Mike Zalutko will be also be a presence on defense. a factor up front as well. The SECONDARY tight ends are Anthony Sisco The corners will be Shepand Dallas Schechterly. tock and Robbins. Wilk, who DEFENSIVE LINE has given a verbal commitMontes and Mason Lau- ment to East Carolina Unibach will be the ends, though versity, will be the free safety. Laubach can move to tackle. SPECIAL TEAMS The tackles are Brian Knorr, The kicker will be BrenCashman and Lopez. dan Hinkle. Montes or HinLINEBACKERS kle will handle kicking off. Ryan Laubach will play a Sheptock will be the punter. — Steve Bennett weak safety spot. Cleaver will
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Position breakdown
T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
Carm DeFrancesco has been coaching football for 39 years as either an assistant or head coach. He was hired in June to replace Frank Sheptock after Sheptock tendered his resignation. DeFrancesco went to work. While he is a veteran of the coaching ranks, he has never had the opportunity until this year to coach in the Wyoming Valley Conference. He has coached against a few teams from the WVC in the postseason, but for the most part, this is brand new territory for him. The first thing DeFrancesco did after he was hired was report to work the next day and begin breaking down film to see the other teams in the conference, as well as what he has to work with at Berwick. “I think the first hurdle is getting to know the teams up here and the schedule,” DeFrancesco said. “I started to break down the film right away to see the style of play.” WhatDeFrancescodidnotice right off the bat is that the WVC is a running conference with physical players. After coaching in the Heartland Conference, it will be a big change as the Heartland Conference is more of a passing league.
film, DeFrancesco saw that some of the plays he ran were just like the ones Berwick runs. So in order to help the transition be a little smoother, he elected to keep a lot of the terminology the same. That is not to say that DeFrancesco is keeping everything the same. There will be a nice mix of some of the plays that Berwick ran last year, as well as some new wrinkles DeFrancesco plays to the personnel on this year’s Berwick team. One of the biggest keys this year is the Dawgs have plenty of veteran experience returning on both sides of the ball. Led by defensive back Teagan Wilk, Berwick’s defense once again will be one of the best in the conference. That is the side of the ball where a few wrinkles will be added to best utilize the strengths of this year’s team.
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8 T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
CRESTWOOD COMETS
CLASSIFICATION: 5A
2018 RESULTS: 2-8; wins came against Coughlin and Tunkhannock; did not qualify for District 2 playoffs
COACH
Petrosky ready for move to QB
Ryan Arcangeli First season
SCHEDULE Aug. 23 Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25
BY STEVE BENNETT STAFF WrITer
With a new coach comes a new position for Ryan Petrosky. He will be making the move from wide receiver to quarterback this season as first-year coach Ryan Arcangeli looks to take advantage of Petrosky’s skill set. “My freshman year I was the quarterback on the junior varsity team,” Petrosky said. “I have done a lot of work and put in a lot of time during the offseason. I am ready to go.” While Crestwood has run the singlewing offense under former coach Greg Myers, Petrosky said he believes he will be throwing the ball a bit more than the offense has in previous seasons. Last year the Comets ran the ball 357 times and threw it 199 times. Petrosky said as soon as Arcangeli was hired as the head coach, he made it perfectly clear that Petrosky was going to be the quarterback. “I’m looking forward to be able to do what I like to do,” Petrosky said. “I’m going to run around and make throws. I’m pretty excited about the opportunity. I always wanted to be the quarterback.” Petrosky did attempt one pass last year, and ran for 152 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. He was also second on the team in receptions with 23 for 411 yards and five touchdowns. With all that to consider, it’s easy to see why Arcangeli wants to take advantage of Petrosky’s athleticism. Petrosk y is looking forward to throwing to tight end Brandon Niemenski. At 6-foot-6, Niemenski, who has already given a verbal commitment to UConn, will be a nice target to have, especially in the red zone where he will create all kind of matchup issues for the defense. “He is just so big, you know he is going to come down with the ball,” Petrosky said of Niemenski. “I think this year the offense is going to try and be balanced. I didn’t mind the singlewing, but as a receiver it was kind of rough. But when it was working it was tough to stop. As a receiver I liked getting the ball. I am going to do whatever it takes to win.”
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Wilkes-Barre Area at Dallas Valley West at Pottsville at Williamsport at Nanticoke Area Tunkhannock Berwick at Pittston Area Hazleton Area
All games 7 p.m. unless noted
BREAKDOWN Arcangeli will make his debut at home against WilkesBarre Area. The program will be looking to create an identity, so right out of the gate Arcangeli will face a challenge. Week 2 has a trip to Dallas before returning home to take on Valley West. From there it’s three consecutive road games that will play a huge factor in determining how this season will go. Arcangeli knows the schedule is a difficult one, but one that will only make the team better as it plays solid competition on a weekly basis.
SCOUTING One scout’s anonymous assessment of the Comets:
RYAN PETROSKY ANDY MOLITOrIS
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“Obviously, everyone is going to look at Brandon Niemenski. He is the type of kid that could be a hybrid, get his hand in the dirt and line up as a receiver. Obviously, if they utilize him the right way, he will be a huge threat in the red zone. It helps that first-year coach (Arcangeli) has been in the system and the kids know him and he knows them. It’s been awhile since this program has made some noise. I am expecting them to be able to dominate on both sides of the ball. They have a lot of athletes up there, and I think (Arcangeli) will figure out a way to use them.”
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ROSTER
ANDY MOLITORIS
Crestwood seniors, from left, Dylan Horn, Zach Baranousky, Evan Burleson, Mike Phillips, Tyler Cesario, Brandon Niemenski, Matthew Shiplett, Evan Burleson, Ryan Miller, T.J. Kulak and Derek Petrochko. Coach Ryan Arcangeli is in front.
# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 11 12 14 17 18 20 21 22 24 33 36 42 48 50 51 52 61 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 75 77 79 80 81 88 99
Name Brandon Niemenski Garrett Swank Ryan Petrosky T.J. Kulak Ryan Miller Zach Baranousky Ethan Shudak Kyle Novack Jesse Zaykoski Brenden DeMarzo Evan Burleson Evan Fey Nick Kreuzer Kyle Novak Andrew Hischak Rob Spaide Ethan Stoltz Chase Pugh Alex Romanoski Ryan Harding Jimmy Hawley Mike Geroski Dylan Horn Derek Petrochko Cole Kakalachik John Schuler Cody Konschnik Josh Snyder Tyler Cesario Mike Phillips Matt Dean John Jones Zach Snyder Bret Phillips Jeremy Buzak Cody Schade Logan Walker Brandon Therriault Matthew Shiplett Jacob Gower
Yr Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. So. Jr. Sr. Jr. Sr. So. Jr. So. So. Jr. So. So. Jr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Fr. Jr. So. So. Sr. Sr. Jr. Fr. So. So. Jr. Sr. So. So. Sr. Jr.
CRESTWOOD COMETS: INSIDE THE HUDDLE Setting the pace
Shudak and Garrett Swank Shiplet and Zach Snyder are the ends. At tackle will be will be the backups. Gower, Petrochko, Cesario RUNNING BACKS Ryan Miller, Jimmy Haw- and Jeremy Buzak.
attempted to have people get a chance to know the football team other than on Friday night. “We are getting better with that,” Arcangeli said. “We want to put the kids in position where they have the chance to be better men. The parents want to see that.”
ley and Rob Spaide will be the tailbacks. Logan Arnold and Ryan Harding are the fullbacks. Arnold rushed for 125 yards last season, while Miller ran for 123 and one touchdown. He averaged 8.8 yards per carry.
Blame game
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SECONDARY TJ Kulak, Evan Burleson and Miller are the corners. DeMarzo, Swank and Kyle Novack are the safeties. DeMarzo w a s t i e d fo r t h e t e a m lead in interceptions with three.
WIDE RECEIVERS Jesse Zaykoski, Brenden DeMarzo, Garrett Swank and Evan Fe y are th e receivers. With Petrosky moving to quarterback this will be a rather inexperiSPECIAL TEAMS enced group. Swank had 15 Alex Romanoski, Swank catches and one touchdown and Ethan Shudak are the last season. kickers. Swank, who will also be the punter, kicked 11 OFFENSIVE LINE The center will be Derek extra points last year. THE CITIZENS’ VOICE FILE
Crestwood’s Brandon Niemenski eludes a defender during a game last season. Niemenski, a 6-foot-6 tight end, verbally committed to play college football at the University of Connecticut. ers a different perspective on how to view the game. “The transition for me to being the head coach has been easy,” Arcangeli said. “The kids have to get used to a lot of new faces on the staff, but they have been
great. I really think I have the best staff going.”
Position breakdown QUARTERBACKS Ryan Petrosky will be the starter after shifting over from wide receiver. Ethan
Petrochko. The guards are Mike Phillips and Dylan Hor n. At tackle will be Tyler Cesario and Matt Dean. The tight ends are UConn commit Brandon Niemenski and Jacob Gower. Niemenski caught 31 passes last year for 482 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 15.5 yards per catch. DEFENSIVE LINE Dean, Harding, Matt
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— Steve Bennett
Smith Hourigan Group
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When one of the practices was not going well, Arcangeli felt it was the best practice the team had. It was an opportunity for him to learn a little more about the team and the team to learn a little bit more about itself. “We didn’t have the best practice with the Xs and Os,” Arcangeli said. “But when it came to not pointing a finger and staying positive in the huddle, they did a phenomenal job. It was a great practice when it came to leadership on the field.” So far the transition from assistant coach to head coach has been a smooth one for Arcangeli. He was an assistant with the Comets for 10 seasons. He brought on several new staff members that hold both high school and college coaching credentials, and that helps gives the play-
LINEBACKERS Niemenski, Arnold, Hawley, Cole Kakalachik, Horn and Spaide are the linebackers.
T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
When Ryan Arcangeli was hired as the head coach in December, he installed what he called his three C’s: commitment to the weight room, the classroom and the community. And so far the results from what he has seen have been positive. “What we needed to change in the weight room was not forgetting about the young guys,” Arcangeli said. “That is where you start to develop leadership. It is all about the older guys teaching the younger guys. That is where change comes from, the bottom, and we want to carry that all the way up.” Arcangeli also hit the halls within the school district looking to recruit and grow interest. He said there are kids on the team that did not play last year. He also made it a point to get the football team out in the community. T he fo o tb al l p l aye r s parked cars at the St. Jude’s Bazaar, they held an Easter egg hunt that was attended by approximately 350 children and the team was part of a walk for ALS. They are just a few of the things the team was involved in as he
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10 T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
CLASSIFICATION: 4A
DALLAS MOUNTAINEERS
2018 RESULTS: 11-2; only losses came to Valley View, including 49-14 defeat in District 2 Class 4A championship game
Bolesta a senior leader
COACH Rich Mannello Fifth season 26-29 record
sCHeDUle
BY STEVE BENNETT STAff WRITeR
A true veteran of the offensive line, Taylor Bolesta knows exactly what to say and how to say it and to keep his eye on what is important. He was a member of the freshman class that was thrown into the fire as coach Rich Mannello tried to build the program from the ground up the way he saw fit. Now with an opportunity to pass along what he has learned over his first three seasons with the Mountaineers, the senior is looking to make sure the younger players up front are all on the same page. “Everything started back then,” Bolesta said of his freshman season. “It was a g reat experience and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t have that year. It just really helped.” One of the stronger players up front in the conference, Bolesta has bought into Mannello’s belief in the weight room and the hard work that it takes. He also knows there is no time to get caught looking ahead, just focusing on the task at hand and working every day. “We just focus on getting better at practice and every lift,” Bolesta said. “We just want to get better every day. That is our goal. Everything is leading up to the first game of the season. Staying healthy is a big thing for us. We treat every workout seriously, just treat it like it could be our last.” As he emerged as one of the leaders on the team, Bolesta is quick to remember the help he received back when he was a freshman and trying to figure out what playing varsity football is all about. It certainly wasn’t easy, but the veterans back then welcomed him and made sure he wasn’t lost out on the field when the team broke the huddle. “I just want to give to these kids what the seniors gave to me when I was a freshman,” Bolesta said. “They picked me up and helped me get up to speed so I can play. The younger kids coming up have been working hard and taking reps with us. They are starting to get it. They are starting to mature every day and have been doing a great job.”
Aug. 23 Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25
All games 7 p.m. unless noted
BreAKDOWN Two games to keep an eye on late in the season are Berwick and Valley View, two teams Dallas ran into during last year’s district playoffs. The Mountaineers will get Berwick at home in the regular season, but have to travel to Valley View, the team that knocked the Mountaineers out of the postseason in the district finals. Dallas defeated Berwick twice last year, once at Berwick during the regular season and again at home in the district playoffs.
sCOUTING One scout’s anonymous assessment of the Mountaineers:
TAylOr BOlesTA
ANDY MOLITORIS
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at Tunkhannock Crestwood at Hazleton Area Pittston Area at Valley West at Wilkes-Barre Area Nanticoke Area at Valley View Berwick Lake-Lehman
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“This team is loaded. I remember back when this senior class were freshmen, and nine of them were starting or seeing significant time. Coach Mannello preaches the weight room, and it appears as if this group has really bought in. It appears as if the road to the district title runs through Dallas, at least in my opinion. When you look at this team, all the pieces are in place. They have experienced kids at the skill positions and the offensive line should be one of the best in the conference. I really like this group, and as long as they don’t listen to any of the outside noise, they have the potential to be one of the best teams in the conference. How that will fare when the playoffs roll around will be up to them.”
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DALLAS MOUNTAINEERS: INSIDE THE HUDDLE All grown up This year’s senior class is a unique group. If you think all the way back to when they were freshmen, nine of them were starting at one time or another, and there were others that were seeing significant playing time. As the group matured, so did the dynamic of the program. Each year, the team not only got better on the field, but also the commitment to the weight room began to pay dividends. The Mountaineers’ strength, speed and agility increased. And with that process, it allowed all three phases of the game to improve, as well. The special teams unit improved, particularly on the kick coverage units. The speed has allowed them to cover more ground and help change field position. The group has taken its lumps throughout the entire developmental process. Now it is time for this group to start punching back. But while that is all well and good, coach Rich Mannello cautions that though the expectations are high this year, the team is going to have to manage those expectations and not let the expectations manage the team.
The key to the success
ROSTER
Position breakdowns QUARTERBACKS Michael Starbuck will return as the starter. He missed the last two games of the 2018 season because of injury. He took over as the starter halfway through his freshman year and has held on to the job since. R.J. Wren and Mike Lukasavage retur n as the backups. Lukasavage guided the team in a pair of postseason games last year, winning ANDY MOLITORIS one. Jackson Wydra and Rocco Ormando are also on Dallas seniors, first row, from left, Dylan Schuster, Jacob Esposito, Michael Lukasavage, Michael Starbuck, Lenny Kelley, Matt Maransky and Jacob Fenske. the depth chart. RUNNING BACKS Depth will not be an issue here. Lenny Kelley, Dan Meuser, Nikolus Gashi, Tyler Dezinski, Mitch Burgess and Logan Young will make up the running backs and fullbacks. Kelley rushed for 1,653 yards and 16 touchdowns last year. Gashi averaged 9.5 yards per carry. Meuser averaged 4.5.
Second row, Andrew Molitoris, Taylor Bolesta, Colin Zeiss, Joshua Balara, Luke DelGaudio, Xander Shaner, Dan Meuser, Jack Farrell and Nate Spare.
Spare, Gabe Allen, Evan Plank and James Lehane will make up the offensive line. The group is crosstrained to play multiple positions up front across the board. The tight ends will be Jack Farrell, Parker Bolesta and Jason Puza. Farrell averaged 15.3 yards per catch last year.
WIDE RECEIVERS Matt Maransky and Luke DEFENSIVE LINE DelGaudio headline a veterBolesta, Shanver, Balara, an group on the perimeter. Farrell, Zeiss, Spare, MoliAlso in the mix are Ben Fife, D y l a n S c h u s t e r, M a t t toris, Allen and Plan will Lukasavage and Jake Esposi- make up the defensive line. to. DelGaudio led the team with 31 catches for 653 yards last year. Maransky had 11 COVERT & SONS catches and averaged 28.2 CONCRETE yards per catch. Both hauled Concrete, Masonry, all types in seven touchdown passes a of brick and block work. year ago. Schuster is new to Specializing in chimney the group, but is capable of & foundation repair. making plays when his numDISCOUNTS FOR ALL ber is called.
B u l l o c k ’ s Tirre and Auto Parts Good Luck in 2019!
Pos OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL WR/DB RB/DL FB/DL RB/DL WR/DB RB/LB WR/DB RB/LB WR/DB WR/DB OL/DL RB/LB QB/DB WR/DB TE/DL TE/DL RB/LB WR/DB K/P RB/LB WR/DB OL/DL OL/DL WR/DB RB/LB RB/DB OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL QB/DB WR/DB WR/DB RB/LB OL/DL RB/DB WR/DB OL/DL OL/DL WR/LB RB/LB WR/DB RB/DB OL/DL TE/DL OL/LB OL/DL QB/DB WR/DB QB/DB QB/DB RB/LB OL/DL
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Yr So. So. Sr. So. Fr. Sr. So. Fr. So. Jr. Fr. So. Sr. Fr. Jr. Sr. So. Sr. Fr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. Fr. So. Fr. Sr. Fr. Fr. So. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. So. Fr. Jr. Fr. Jr. So. Fr. Sr. Sr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr. So. Jr. Sr.
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Ht/Wt 5-10/210 6-0/190 6-2/290 5-5/120 5-11/170 6-0/225 6-0/185 5-4/130 5-5/130 5-7/140 5-3/150 5-6/135 6-2/175 5-6/190 5-8/165 5-11/160 5-5/105 6-3/180 5-10/140 5-8/170 5-8/150 6-1/225 5-7/170 5-5/130 5-10/195 5-10/200 5-10/135 5-6/125 5-10/175 5-9/185 5-9/190 6-3/250 5-9/165 5-8/145 5-10/150 6-0/200 5-9/255 5-6/145 5-4/120 6-0/250 6-0/240 5-9/160 5-6/150 5-6/145 6-0/175 6-2/220 5-3/130 5-8/160 5-9/240 5-10/185 5-8/140 5-9/155 5-9/135 5-8/150 6-3/200
T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
After the Mountaineers lost to Valley View in the district final, Mannello had the problem identified before the team left the locker room and got on the bus to return home. The biggest issue Mannello saw was on the offensive line. VETERANS & He is happy with the starters SENIOR CITIZENS OFFENSIVE LINE and the way that group develCALL: Colin Zeiss, Josh Balara, oped. But it is the next five on Xander Shaner, Andy Molito570-696-2589 the depth chart that are going 570-239-2780 to be key. Mannello wants to ris, Taylor Bolesta, Nate see the reserves step in and not lose anything on the offensive side of the ball. While it takes time for an offensive line to develop and www.Photo-by-Andy.com become a cohesive unit, Mannello has seen a tremendous 570.696.4646 amount of progress. He is not 5 Dug Rd. just looking for a group that dedicates itself to the weight Trucksville, PA 18708 room. What the team needs is a group that can step in and handle the technique and skill it takes to keep the ball moving. Mannello believes the Mountaineers are close, but aren’t quite where he wants them to be in terms of overall development of the second unit.
Much like their spots on and returned it for a touchthe of fensive line, the down. group can move inside and SECONDARY outside up front on the Maransky, DelGaudio, line. Esposito, Wren and Fife will LINEBACKERS make up the secondary. Wren Meuser, Kelley, Mike tied for the team-lead in interLukasavage, Jake Fenske, ceptions last year with three. Dezinski, Young, Schuster, SPECIAL TEAMS Gashi and Matt Lukasavage Ryan Fisher will be the will be the linebackers. kicker. Last year he convertExpect there to be some ed 43 extra points and was switching back between good on five field goals with a inside and outside lineback- long of 27 yards. Mitchell er with this group. Schuster Burgess will be the punter. picked off one pass last year — Steve Bennett
# Name 51 Gabe Allen 60 Frank Atherholt 76 Joshua Balara 12 David Biscontini 13 Parker Bolesta 75 Taylor Bolesta 6 Mitchell Burgess 83 Ben Carpenter 43 Sawyer Christman 40 Duane Craig 33 Ryan Cuba 44 Jake DelGaudio 23 Luke DelGaudio 61 Nate Deyo 32 Tyler Dezinski 17 Jacob Esposito 11 Matt Esposito 81 Jack Farrell 82 Aiden Fennell 25 Jacob Fenske 22 Ben Fife 41 Ryan Fisher 5 Nikolus Gashi 35 Cole Hart 57 Chase Hector 78 JD Jennings 16 Matt Jesse 28 Mark Karcutskie 42 Lenny Kelley 59 Colby Klinetob 68 Jordan Kovaleski 74 James Lehane 8 Michael Lukasavage 14 Matt Lukasavage 29 Matt Maransky 4 Danny Meuser 55 Andrew Molitoris 19 Rocco Ormando 24 Joe Peters 71 Evan Plank 66 Joe Price 38 Jacob Psolka 86 Jason Puza 49 John Scherer 21 Dylan Schuster 52 Xander Shaner 87 Christian Shedlock 56 Lucas Shultz 70 Nate Spare 7 Michael Starbuck 39 Gavin Sypniewski 2 RJ Wren 3 Jackson Wydra 26 Logan Young 72 Colin Zeiss
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12 T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
HANOVER AREA HAWKEYES
CLASSIFICATION: 3A
2018 RESULTS: 3-8; wins came against GAR, Holy Redeemer and Northwest; lost in District 2 playoffs to Wyoming Area
COACH Rickey Hummer First season
SCHEDULE Aug. 23 Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25
Athens at Old Forge Lake-Lehman at Riverside Western Wayne Holy Redeemer at Northwest at Lackawanna Trail at Wyoming Area Nanticoke Area
All games 7 p.m. unless noted
BREAKDOWN The Hawks don’t have an easy schedule in Hummer’s first season as the head coach. To replace Meyers and GAR on the slate, Hanover Area picked up perennial Class A power Old Forge, as well as Western Wayne, a team that has made strides over the last couple of seasons. Throw in Lackawanna Trail, which finished as the Class A state runner-up a year ago, and Wyoming Area and Lake-Lehman, and the Hawks will not have an easy go.
SCOUTING
CONNOR HUMMER
One scout’s anonymous assessment of the Hawkeyes:
KDP PHOTOGRAPHY
Hummer ready for changing program BY STEVE BENNETT STAFF WRITeR
As he enters his junior season as one of the top returning tacklers on the team, Connor Hummer is not so much concerned with changing the culture of the Hanover Area football program as he is the mindset. There were games last year Hummer admits that the team
went in believing they had no chance at winning. And that is something he wants to see come to an end — and quickly. But in order to change the atmosphere around the program, that generally comes from the top. And the top just so happens to be his father, Rickey, who takes over as the head coach.
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“We just want to be better overall, in all three phases of the game,” Connor Hummer said. “Last year we were getting there. We just have to have a better mindset. I think (Rickey Hummer) will bring it.” Connor Hummer was one of the leading tacklers on defense last year, and has been playing since his freshman year. Look-
ing to set an example, during the offseason, despite playing for the school’s baseball team, he still found a way to get in the weight room after games or practices. “I really need to work on my speed and agility,” Hummer said. “We have a lot of experience retur ning and I really think that is going to help a lot.”
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“They hired a Hanover Area grad (Rickey Hummer) so it makes me believe that they will go back to what was successful when he was playing. I can see them going back to using the running game a lot more, as opposed to spreading teams out. If that is the way they are going, it is going to be up to the offensive line to get them there. Defensively, they will probably stay in the 4-4 with the gap control defense. So both lines are going to have to play well for them to be a factor. Obviously, they have a shot at making the 3A playoffs, and that will be a step in the right direction for this program in Hummer’s first season. Offensively, if they are bringing in Hanover Area guys on the coaching staff, look for a lot of I-formation sets.”
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ROSTER
KDP PHOTOGRAPHY
Hanover Area seniors, first row, from left, Sean Cavanaugh, Zachary Halenda, David Paolucci and Tanner Bednarski. Second row, Justin Stefanowicz, Matthew Salwoski, Michael Mieldazis, Auggie George and Lamar Nelson.
# Name Ht/Wt 2 Auggie George 5-11/175 4 Bobby Sabecky 5-7/140 5 Lamar Nelson 5-7/175 6 Aiden Frields 5-7/140 7 Nick Gagliardi 6-2/210 9 David Paolucci 5-9/145 11 Tanner Bednarski 6-0/150 12 Matthew Salwoski 6-0/170 14 Hunter Karpowich 5-10/190 17 Josh Dennis 5-6/115 20 Joseph Curcio 6-0/200 22 Peter Hibbard 5-5/150 24 Sean Cavanaugh 5-9/180 25 Matthew Herbert 5-5/165 27 Jeremy Vega 5-9/150 30 Justin Stefanowicz 5-9/220 32 Zach Kopeck 5-9/170 T 33 Connor Hummer 6-2/215 34 Sean Dooner 5-6/120 44 Christian Torres 5-6/160 47 Jace Andrews 5-11/190 52 Landon Rubenstein 5-10/180 55 Dakota Rubenstein 5-10/180 56 Anthony Palermo 5-6/240 58 Tavon Hines 5-11/210 60 Michael Kocher 5-9/220 64 Seth Strouse 5-10/210 65 Paul Derwin 5-8/300 66 Derek Knorr 5-11/315 70 Chase Whitman 6-0/180 72 Zachary Halenda 5-8/270 74 Michael Mieldazis 6-2/290 76 Bryce Rockey 5-10/185 77 Jacob Mercadante 6-2/225 80 Dylan Martinez 5-11/180 81 Jared Dinoski 5-7/130 82 Joseph Wilder 5-8/115 85 Xavier Ankner 6-2/195 88 Camron Ceppa 5-11/180
Pos Yr K/P Sr. WR/DB Jr. WR/DB Sr. WR/OLB Fr. TE/DE Jr. WR/DB Sr. WR/DB Sr. QB/DB Sr. FB/LB Jr. WR/DB So. Ath/S Jr. RB/OLB Jr. FB/ILB Sr. RB/ILB So. WR/DB So. FB/ILB Sr. E/DE Fr. TE/ILB Jr. WR/C Fr. QB/ILB Fr. TE/OLB Sr. G/DE So. G/DE So. OL/DL Jr. G/OLB Jr. OL/DL Jr. OL/DL Jr. OL/DL So. OL/DL Jr. T/DE Fr. OL/DL Sr. OL/DL Sr. OL/DL So. OL/DE Jr. TE/DE Jr. WR/DB Fr. WR/DB So. WR/DB So. WR/OLBSo.
HANOVER AREA HAWKEYES: INSIDE THE HUDDLE Learning curve
Experience counts
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Hibbard. Inside will be Hum- kicker. Last year he kicked 15 mer, Stefanowicz and Sean extra points and one field goal from 36 yards. He has Cavanaugh. been working over the sumSECONDARY mer and has been consistentCurcio and Salwoski will ly kicking the ball into the be the safeties. At corner will end zone, which will help be Bednarski, Sabecky, Wild- lengthen the field for the er and Vega. Sabecky and defense, and he has been Bednarski each had one good from as far as 52 yards interception last year. out on field goals. He will also be in the mix along with SPECIAL TEAMS Curcio to be the punter. — Steve Bennett Auggie George will be the
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W E DNE SDA Y , A UG UST 21, 2019 13
As he glanced over the roster, Hummer saw the team only lost four players from the offensive side of the ball. The biggest change will be at quarterback, where there will be a new starter under center taking over for the graduated Aaron Hummer. The offensive line will be one of the strengths, with several players returning who have game experience. The Hawks typically go as far as the offensive line will take them, and this year will be no different. The guards are quick and the line as a unit is adjusting well to the new blocking schemes they will be operating under with the change in offensive scheme. The Hawks will have experience on the defensive side of the ball with the two lead-
ing tacklers from last year’s could be limited due to other team returning at inside line- responsibilities on offense. backer. In fact, Hummer WIDE RECEIVERS believes the biggest strength Tanner Bednarski, Bobby of the team will be the frontSabecky, Joe Wilder, Jeremy eight on the defense. Vega and Curcio will be the Position breakdown receivers. Sabecky led the team with 21 receptions last QUARTERBACKS year. Bednarski had 11 and Joe Curcio and Matt Sal- Curcio three. woski are in contention for OFFENSIVE LINE the starting position. Curcio The Hawks averaged 3.1 has battled injuries over the course of the past few sea- yards per carry last year. The sons and, if he doesn’t win centers are Zach Halenda and the job, will be used in a vari- Seth Strouse. The guards will ety of positions on the offen- be Tavon Hines, Strouse and sive side. They each attempt- Anthony Palermo. The tackles ed two passes last season, are Mike Mieldazis and Jacob with one of Curcio’s going Mercandante. The tight ends are Hummer, Jace Andrew for a touchdown. and Nick Gagliardi. Hummer RUNNING BACKS caught 12 passes for 137 yards The halfbacks will be Pete and two touchdowns last year. Hibbard, Hunter Karpowich DEFENSIVE LINE and Curcio. Curcio led the Gagliardi and Mercandanteam in rushing last season and ran for six touchdowns. te will be the ends. At tackle Hibbard ran for 51 yards, will be Mieldazis, Halenda, while Karpowich had one Palermo and Strouse. carry. Karpowich, Justin SteLINEBACKERS fanowicz and Connor HumThe outside linebackers mer will be the fullbacks, though Hummer’s time there are Hines, Karpowich and
T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
As Rickey Hummer takes over as the new head coach at Hanover Area, there is a certain level of familiarity. Hummer played for the Hawks and was even an assistant coach with the program in previous years. But when the job opened up after Mike McCree stepped down following the 2018 season, Hummer decided to throw his name in the ring. Eventually he was hired, and now he is looking to bring back old-style Hanover Area football. That means don’t expect any type of no-huddle, spread-you-out type of offense. By going back to the old days, the Hawks will be more of a pro-style offense operating out of multiple sets. But as Hummer indicated, with any new coaching staff there is a process. The staff is looking to learn about the kids, just like the kids are looking to learn about the staff. Hummer is hoping the transition will continue to be
a smooth one once the games begin. He said summer workouts went well and the players adjusted to the new offensive scheme, as well as what the Hawks will be doing on defense, moving back to the traditional, true 4-4 front.
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14 T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
HAZLETON AREA COUGARS
CLASSIFICATION: 6A
2018 RESULTS: 6-6; beat Williamsport to advance to District 2 final, where they lost to Delaware Valley
Fisher gets his turn
COACH Mike Brennan 21st season
(sixth at Hazleton)
134-96 record
(21-34 at Hazleton)
at QB
SCHEDULE Aug. 23 Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25
BY STEVE BENNETT STAff WrITer
After having the opportunity to back up Sparky Wolk, one of the best quarterbacks to come out of Hazleton Area, Matt Fisher finally gets to be the starter in his senior season. But just because he was the backup quarterback, that does not mean he didn’t have the chance to make an impact on the offensive side of the ball. Fisher caught 20 passes for 237 yards and one touchdown, averaging 11.9 yards per reception. Playing on defense in the secondary, he had one interception. “The last three years behind Sparky was a great experience,” Fisher said. “He was very successful and watching him in practice and the games made me so much better.” Fisher played exclusively on the defensive side of the ball as a freshman and sophomore before becoming more involved in the offense last year. Having had the chance to play receiver will help him make the transition to the starting quarterback easier. And it will help him connect with the receivers on the team this year that are relatively inexperienced as far as varsity playing time is concerned. “Just running the routes and knowing the yardage where they need to make their cuts and breaks will help me with the timing aspect,” Fisher said. “We have some young guys this year. Being able to share my experience with them will help make it go a lot smoother.”
at Pottsville at Valley West Dallas at Williamsport Wilkes-Barre Area Delaware Valley at Berwick Scranton Wallenpaupack at Crestwood
All games 7 p.m. unless noted
BREAKDOWN
Hazleton Area will not have the chance to play at home until the third week of the season when it hosts Dallas. Prior to the home opener, the Cougars open the season with trips to Pottsville and Valley West, certainly no easy task for a team that does not have a tremendous amount of experience. As one of the five Class 6A schools in the district, only four advance to the playoffs. But Hazleton Area will have a chance to settle it on the field with games against Williamsport, Wilkes-Barre Area, Delaware Valley and Scranton.
SCOUTING One scout’s anonymous assessment of the Cougars:
MATT FISHER
BOB GAeTANO / CONTrIBUTING PHOTOGrAPHer
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“They lost a lot on the offensive side of the ball. It is going to be tough to replace the quarterback (Sparky Wolk) and running back (Damon Horton). I think this is going to be a team that will have to rely on its defense earlier in the season until the offense can catch up. But you know with Hazleton Area, they will have athletes on both sides of the ball. I really like their linebackers and they have some guys up front on the defensive line that really understand the system that coach Brennan has in play. You know they are making the playoffs, it will be just a matter of their first-round matchup that will determine how far they go.”
17:30 | CONNORSSTE
ROSTER
BOB GAETANO / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Hazleton Area seniors, from left, Lance Johnson, Jonny DeBellis, Richie Santos, Matt Minzola, Bryce Reed, Matt Fisher, Julio Garica, Daffry Merecedes, Bryan Kelly, Emis Maddox and Raj Patel.
# Name 1 Matthew Buchman 2 Mitchell Masten 3 Matt Fisher 4 Nicky Damiano 5 Evan Matyas 6 Connor Shamany 9 Matt Lonczynski 10 Ryan Matyas 11 Christian Price 12 Kellen Warner 13 Matthew Cusatis 14 Tyler Wolfe 15 Luke Russo 22 Chris Gonzalez 25 Dante Materella 26 Jose Rodriguez 27 Adrian Nunez 28 Eddie Torres 30 Jonny DeBellis 33 Lance Johnson 34 Bryant Barbush 40 Raj Patel 41 Ben Zahorchak 42 Kevin Meluskey 45 Stanley Jimson 47 Patrick Petrosky 50 Richie Santos 51 Bryce Reed 52 Max Barrett 53 James Bugda 54 Raimon Abreu 56 Christopher Sachs 57 Max Barrett 58 Seth Hunsinger 59 Bryan Kelly 61 Gavin Guza 62 Leo Kelly 63 Daffry Mercedes 67 Stewart Sanchez 70 Sam Porro 71 Matt Minzola 72 Jason Biever 75 Nikos Rapach 76 Emis Maddox 82 Bryce Torstrup 84 Starling Reyes 86 Brian Billig 87 Dante Alucci 90 Johan Robles 91 Julio Gonzalez
Ht/Wt 5-11/175 5-10/170 5-10/175 5-10/165 5-10/160 5-11/150 5-11/180 5-11/185 5-10/165 5-9/170 5-11/155 5-9/140 5-9/145 5-6/135 5-9/160 5-8/145 5-10/155 5-10/150 5-10/175 5-9/175 5-8/155 5-7/150 5-5/130 6-0/215 5-7/135 5-7/140 5-10/215 5-9/190 5-9/180 5-9/180 5-10/180 5-7/185 5-9/180 5-10/200 5-11/255 6-3/200 5-11/220 6-0/230 5-9/180 6-0/220 6-1/260 6-3/275 6-3/290 5-9/220 6-1/185 5-8/150 6-0/170 5-10/210 5-10/190 6-0/200
Pos RB/FS WR/DB QB/DB RB/DB WR/DB WR/DB QB/DB RB/LB WR/DB QB/DB RB/DB QB/DB K/P RB/DB RB/LB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB RB/LB RB/LB RB/LB TE/LB WR/DB RB/LB WR/DB FB/LB OL/LB OL/LB OL/DL C/LB OL/LB OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB TE/LB DL DL
Yr Fr. So. Sr. Jr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. Jr. Fr. Fr. So. Jr. Jr. So. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. So. Sr. Sr. Jr. So. So. Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr. So. So. Jr. Jr. Sr. Jr. So. Sr. Jr. Fr. Sr. Jr. So. Sr. Jr. Jr. So. Jr. Jr. Sr
HAZLETON AREA COUGARS : INSIDE THE HUDDLE Different kind of feeling ence last season. They aver- games until the offense has Masten, Nicky Damiano, Position breakdown QUARTERBACKS Fisher will be the starting quarterback. He has been waiting in the wings for nearly three years now, but playing behind Sparky Wolk limited his opportunities to get on the field. Kellen Warner, a junior, will be the backup.
Connor Shamany and Ryan Matyas will round out the depth chart. This is a young group with plenty of potential. Ryan Matyas can be used in a variety of ways and Brennan will look to get him the ball. Evan Matyas caught nine passes for 72 yards.
OFFENSIVE LINE Leo Kelly will be the center. Richie Santos, Seth Hunsinger and James Bugda will be the guards. At tackle will be Jason Biever and firstyear starter Matt Minzola. The tight ends are Bryce Torstrup and Dante Alucci. Meluskey may also see time at tight end in certain packages.
RUNNING BACKS Lance Johnson will be the featured back. He showed promise last year and is a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield. Matthew Buchman and Kevin Meluskey will also see time in the backfield. Meluskey projects to be more of a fullback type. DEFENSIVE LINE Johnson ran for 267 yards Bryce Reed and Hunsinger and three touchdowns last will be the ends. Santos and season. Meluskey averaged 8 Biever will be the tackles. yards per carry. LINEBACKERS WIDE RECEIVERS Meluskey, Bugda, Dante Evan Matyas will highMaterella and Ryan Matyas light the group. He made will be the linebackers. some big catches last year, especially on third down. Christian Price, Mitchell
THE CITIZENS’ VOICE FILE
Lance Johnson is primed to be Hazleton Area’s feature back this season.
SPECIAL TEAMS Damiano and Matthew CusaLuke Russo will be the tis will be the corners. Buchman and Price will be the pri- kicker. Russo and Fisher will mary safeties with Fisher split punting duties. SECONDARY Fisher, Evan Matyas, able to slide in as well. — Steve Bennett
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an opportunity to catch up.
T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
aged 335 yards and 31 points per game. Those numbers alone are enough to consistently win high school football games. The offense was not the issue, though, as Brennan could point the finger at the defense. The Cougars were in the middle of the pack, allowing 287.4 yards per game. They finished the year giving up 26.6 points per game, which ranked seventh overall in the WVC. That is an area that Brennan wants to see change, and he believes it will. After making a few staff changes on the defensive side of the ball, Brennan believes this year’s team will be the exact opposite of last year’s. The offense was clearly ahead of the defense last season. This year it will be the defense that will be ahead of the offense in terms of experience. The Cougars have physical players up front and Numbers game have talent and depth in the The Cougars had one of secondary. That alone should the top offenses in the confer- be enough to keep Cougars in
As the Cougars got set to begin the new year, it was a different feeling in camp this summer. While the Cougars certainly earned the right to be the team to beat last year, this year does not appear to be the same case. Just looking at the overall numbers, Hazleton Area returns one starter and approximately 600 yards of offense. Of those yards, 237 came from Matt Fisher as a wide receiver last season. This year, Fisher will be the quarterback. The offensive line may not be as big as Hazleton Area teams have had in the past, but coach Mike Brennan thinks this group will be quicker and more active. Don’t be surprised if the Cougars try to catch teams off guard using a bit more misdirection as the new group of receivers get settled in.
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16 T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
HOLY REDEEMER ROYALS CLASSIFICATION: 3A
2018 RESULTS: 0-10; lost by 2 points in season-opener vs. Holy Cross
COACH Tyson Kelley First season
SCHEDULE Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 19 Oct. 25
Northwest, 1 p.m. Mahanoy Area, 1 p.m. at Old Forge at Nanticoke Area at Hanover Area Lake-Lehman at Wyoming Area Lackawanna Trail,1 p.m. Susquehanna
All games 7 p.m. unless noted
BREAKDOWN The Royals were scheduled to open up the season on the road against Holy Cross. However, Holy Cross suspended its program for the year due to a lack of players. While athletic director J.P. Aquilina said he was going to try to schedule a game in place of Holy Cross, the timing was not ideal. In the grand scheme of things, not having a game Week 1 may be beneficial to the Royals as it will give Kelley an extra week to evaluate and get to know the players ahead of a Week 2 matchup against Northwest.
SCOUTING
COLE MAYHUE
One scout’s anonymous assessment of the Royals: SeAN MCKeAg / STAFF PHOTOgRAPHeR
For Mayhue, one win could change the program BY STEVE BENNETT STAFF WRITeR
One win. For Cole Mayhue, that is all he thinks it will take to change the mentality of the Holy Redeemer football team. After suffering through an 0-10 season last year, Mayhue is looking for the start of the new season with a new head coach and group that has been working hard all summer to try to turn the fortune of the program around. “I’m looking forward to seeing how we developed as a team,” Mayhue said. “A lot of us have been
playing together since seventh grade. I’m excited to see how coach Tyson can develop us.” That is one of the biggest changes Mayhue and the rest of the Royals saw during the offseason five days before the start of heat acclimatization week. Dwayne Downing scaled back his responsibilities and turned the head coaching duties over to Tyson Kelley. “I’m excited for it, it seems coach Tyson is excited,” Mayhue said. “I was in seventh grade when he was an assistant on the varsity.
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He really helped us out a lot in the weight room.” Mayhue will be the starting center and play linebacker for the Royals this year. As a sophomore he played mainly on special teams before taking over as the center last year. “I’m just going to put everything out there that I have,” Mayhue said. “I think center is the best position on the field. You are really the only guy on the offensive line that gets to touch the ball. I think the experience I got last year is really going to help this year.”
As for this season, Mayhue is striving to earn the respect of his teammates to the point where they will look to him as a leader and name him a captain. He is also interested to see how the returning players along with the new ones come together as they strive to improve on last year’s record. “My goal is to lead by example for the rest of the players on the offense and defense,” Mayhue said. “I’m excited to the guys who are coming out for the team for the first time this year to see how they will help us.”
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“This is a team that always struggles with numbers and depth. They always play to the best of their ability. This is a team that has always struggled to stop the run and run the ball, and that is because they really don’t have much size up front on both lines. If (Colin) Conway comes back healthy at quarterback, I really think that will help the offense. He understands the system. They ran the spread offense last year and they need to get their athletes on the edges and use them as much as they can. I really like the Leon kid at tailback, he ran hard and showed some explosiveness when he got to the second level. But again, depth is a question especially when you get late in the games because they really only have two-way players.”
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ROSTER # Name
Ht/Wt Pos
51 Gabe Allen
5-10/210 OL/DL So.
Yr
4 Matt Schuler
6-0/170 WR/LB Jr.
7 Colin Conway
6-0/180 QB/DB Sr.
8 Jack Daoud
5-6/132 WR/S Sr.
9 Ryan Williams
5-9/165 QB/DB Sr.
10 Nate Roppelt
5-10/170 K/P
13 Peter Shay
5-10/165 WR/DBSr.
20 Logan Atcavage
5-6/148 WR/OLBJr.
22 Christian Leon
5-6/142 TB/DB So.
24 Ethan Stoltz
5-9/155 WR/DBSo.
Sr.
28 TannerFenstermacher 5-9/170 WR/DBJr. 34 Joe Colavitti
5-9/190 RB/LB Sr.
44 Daryl Boich
6-1/210 TE/DE So.
50 Cole Mayhue
6-2/170 FB/LB Sr.
52 Dan Schuler
6-1/197 G/LB
58 John Callaghan
5-9/218 OL/DL Sr.
61 Ben Schell
5-9/190 OL/DE Sr.
65 Angel Mandoza
5-6/190 OL/DL Sr.
73 Owen Martin
6-2/280 OL/DL Jr.
75 Michael Dotzel
6-0/230 OL/DL Jr.
80 Chris Pinkowski
5-11/170 WR/DBSr.
Jr.
87 Anthony Mandoza 6-2/138 WR/DBJr.
LYONS PHOTOGRAPHY
Holy Redeemer seniors, first row, from left, John Callaghan, Joe Colavitti, Cole Mayhue, Jack Daoud, Chris Pinkowski and Angel Mandoza. Second row, Nate Roppelt, Ben Schell, Ryan Williams and Peter Shay.
88 Alex Hajkowski
6-3/195 TE/DE Jr.
82 Catal Ormando
6-1/190 TE/DL So.
86 Michael Cicon
5-9/165 WR/DBFr.
15 Zachary Perta
5-7/150 WR/DBFr.
76 Jeff Kozerski
6-1/195 OL/DL Fr.
55 Stan Wateski
5-10/185 OL/DL Fr.
56 Michael Fino
5-6/155 OL/DL Fr.
HOLY REDEEMER ROYALS: INSIDE THE HUDDLE Stepping up
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THE CITIZENS’ VOICE FILE
Holy Redeemer’s Colin Conway moves the ball past Holy Cross’ Vince Cesari. kicker and the punter. He is he kicked four extra points. — Steve Bennett coming off a season where
P The ph hotographer of choice for Senior Portraits and Sports photos See what we can do for you at lyonsphoto.com
or call 570-824-0906 for details.
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am going to show them they and averaged 3.5 yards per Schell, Dan Schuler, Owen carry. Tom Williams will be Martin and Michael Dotcan be successful.” the backup. zel. Daryl Boich will be the Numbers game tight end. RUNNING BACKS As is the case every year DEFENSIVE LINE with the Royals, roster depth Christian Leon, Williams Mando za, Callaghan, is a concern. Kelley said he and Peter Shay will be the expected to have between running backs. Joe Colavitti Wateski, Schell, Mayhue, 30-35 players suited up dur- will be the fullback. Leon Martin and Dotzel will be ing camp. Whether they showed promise last year as on the defensive line. Just make it through camp is a freshman, showing he can like the offensive line, Kelanother question. There is be a physical runner and cre- ley will find who fits better also a nice group of fresh- ate space when he gets to the at end or tackle and insert men listed on the roster, and second level of the defense. them there. as long as they stick with it, He was second on the team in LINEBACKERS that will bode well for the rushing last year. Mayhue may also see program going forward. WIDE RECEIVERS time at linebacker. Boich, But what Kelley is truly E t h a n S t o l t z , J a c k Williams, Colavitti, Matt looking to do is try and limit the number of snap counts Daoud and Chris Pinkows- S c h u l e r, D a n S h u l e r, for the starters. He realizes ki will be the receivers. Nathaniel Berryman and that being a small team, play- S t o l tz l ed t h e t e am i n Logan Atcavage are also in ers are going to have to play receptions last year with the mix. Boich is a player both sides of the ball. But if 13 and averaged 11.7 yards to kee p an eye on. He he can give a few of them a per catch. Daoud had four showed a lot of promise last year as a freshman, break and keep them off the catches. and Kelley is expecting big special teams unit, that will OFFENSIVE LINE things out of him this year. be a huge help. Cole Mayhue will be the SECONDARY Position breakdown center. As for the rest of Stoltz, Daoud and Conthe offensive line, Kelley is QUARTERBACKS going to approach as plug way will be in the secondColin Conway is expected and play, meaning he will ary. Conway is projected as to be the starting quarter- find who fits best at a spe- t h e f r e e s a f e t y. L e o n , back. He appeared in just two cific position and get them Pinkowski and Shay will games last year before suffer- in there. Others on the also see time back there. ing an injury, but is back and o f f e n s ive l i n e i n cl u d e SPECIAL TEAMS ready to go. He rushed for Angel Mandoza, John CalNate Roppelt will be the two touchdowns last year laghan, Stan Wateski, Ben
T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
Ten years ago, Tyson Kelley was a senior at Berwick playing linebacker for the Bulldogs. Now he finds himself as the head coach at Holy Redeemer, a program he previously worked at as an assistant for two seasons. So as he enters his first year as a head coach, Kelley has a pretty good grasp at what his approach is going to be. He is not necessarily going to be caught up in the wins and losses, but more the development of the program. “I think consistent growth is something I want to see in these kids,” Kelley said. “As far as success is concerned, I don’t think it is a matter of measuring wins and losses, but more how we improve every day. That will be the best way to judge that.” The Royals do return several players who saw time last year, a season where they failed to pick up a win. But this year is more about turning the page and moving forward. “I was raised in Berwick and was always taught not to back down from challenges,” Kelley said. “The best thing for me to do is be confident in everybody in the program. I
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18 T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
LAKE-LEHMAN BLACK KNIGHTS CLASSIFICATION: 3A
2018 RESULTS: 6-5; advanced to District 2 playoffs, where they lost to Lakeland in overtime
COACH
Kaminski crucial to team’s offense
Jerry Gilsky 10th season 63-39 record
SCHEDULE Aug. 23 Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25
BY STEVE BENNETT STAff WRITER
If anyone is looking forward to the start of the season, it is Casey Kaminski. With a change in the offensive philosophy and an experienced g roup back on defense, there is plenty of reason for optimism as the Black Knights get set to kick off the new season. Kaminski was second on the team in receptions last year with 19, but he did have a team-best seven receiving touchdowns. He also averaged 20.2 yards per catch. And if the Black Knights are t r u ly g o i n g t o o p e n t h e offense up this season, Kaminski is ready to take advantage of the opportunity. “It’s exciting, everyone thinks it will be the typical run, run, run. Now we are changing things up,” Kaminski said. “Even though on the r unning plays I was always trying to make the corners think it was a pass play. Now it has a chance to be a pass play.” Coming into last season, one of the question marks was the secondary, mainly due to inexperience. Now the bulk of the group returns, so experience is going to be a strong point. Kaminski led the team with six interceptions in 2018. “We might have lost a little height in the secondary, but we have experience,” Kaminski said. “We have good situational awareness. We know where the ball is and where our man is. It is a pretty smar t g roup back there.”
All games 7 p.m. unless noted
BREAKDOWN Meyers, GAR and Lackawanna Trail are off the schedule this year. Lakeland, Mid Valley and Nanticoke Area are added. The first two weeks are going to be pivotal for the Black Knights. They open on the road at Western Wayne, a team that has had a tremendous amount of success against the WVC in recent years. Next up is a home game with Lakeland, which features quarterback C.J. Dippre, a Division I recruit. The Black Knights have three consecutive home games before finishing the year with three of four games on the road, including a matchup with rival Dallas for the Old Shoe.
SCOUTING One scout’s anonymous assessment of the Black Knights:
CASEY KAMINSKI ANDY MOLITORIS
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at Western Wayne Lakeland at Hanover Area Carbondale Northwest Wyoming Area at Holy Redeemer at Mid Valley Nanticoke Area at Dallas
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“They have a good nucleus. They were a pretty young team last year and were able to get to the district playoffs with that group. Expecting bigger and better things out of this group with all the experience they have coming back. I know they were a little weak in the secondary last year, and teams were able to exploit that. I don’t see that being an issue this year. You know they are going to be able to run the ball, but I really like the quarterback. He’s a left-hander and that creates some problems for the defense trying to prepare for that type of kid with just one week. If they try and throw the ball more this year, defense’s won’t be able to load the box.”
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ROSTER
ANDY MOLITORIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Lake-Lehman seniors, first row, from left, Bryce Taylor, Chris Traver, Jake Ferguson, Wyatt Lopasky, Giovani Ferrari, Zack Kojadinovich, Matt Galasso and Devyn Roote. Second row, Scott Robbins, Logan Hoyt, Justin James, Casey Kaminski, Grayson Bruno, Jason Button, Myka Kapitula, Sean Sabaluski and Josiah Thomas.
# Name Ht/Wt 83 Grayson Bruno 5-10/180 80 Jason Button 5-11/130 7 Jake Ferguson 5-9/140 6 Giovani Ferrari 5-9/155 21 Matt Galasso 5-9/160 77 Logan Hoyt 6-0/260 75 Justin James 6-3/315 4 Casey Kaminski 6-0/185 70 Myka Kapitula 5-11/250 25 Zack Kojadinovich 5-11/200 58 Wyatt Lopasky 5-10/220 34 Scott Robbins 5-11/230 18 Devyn Roote 5-10/160 84 Sean Sabaluski 6-2/210 8 Nate Salus 6-0/170 35 Bryce Taylor 5-7/140 19 Josiah Thomas 6-0/185 61 Chris Traver 5-6/195 11 Ethan Adams 5-10/180 67 Chase Cole 5-10/240 55 Damian Concklin 6-3/250 28 Ryan Eiden 5-10/180 50 Sean Hanley 6-4/220 10 Colby Kennedy 5-8/150 43 Danny Kutz 5-11/185 88 William Labar 5-9/140 22 Jacob Monko 6-1/155 64 Blaise Napierkowski 5-5/235 29 Luke Spencer 5-10/165 20 Tyler Ward 5-9/150 24 Marshall Woodrosky 5-10/150 33 Nick Zaboski 6-0/175 69 Aaron Groboski 6-0/310 15 Dustin Heinrich 6-0/130 23 Jeremy Scouton 5-9/175 65 Jake Simoson 6-3/255 89 Connor Spencer 5-8/170 45 Joe Vegas 5-10/175
Pos Yr OL/LB Sr. WR/DB Sr. QB/DB Sr. WR/DB Sr. WR/LB Sr. OL/DL Sr. OL/DL Sr. WR/DB Sr. OL/DL Sr. RB/DB Sr. OL/DL Sr. FB/LB Sr. WR/DB Sr. TE/DE Sr. K Sr. WR/DB Sr. RB/LB Sr. OL/DL Sr. QB/DB Jr. OL/DL Jr. OL/DE Jr. RB/LB Jr. OL/DL Jr. WR/DB Jr. RB/LB Jr. WR/DB Jr. WR/DB Jr. OL/DL Jr. WR/DB/KJr. WR/DB Jr. WR/DB Jr. RB/LB Jr. OL/DL So. WR/DB So. RB/LB So. OL/DL So. WR/DB So. FB/LB So.
LAKE-LEHMAN BLACK KNIGHTS: INSIDE THE HUDDLE Air Gilsky?
safe to say is that defenses will no longer be able to use a seven or eight man box to defend the Black Knights. One big part of the offense Gilsky is a fan of is controlling the clock. So while the Black Knights may go with more no-huddle than they have traditionally done in the past, there is no need to snap the ball quickly. They will still look to keep the clock in their favor.
Learning curve
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Position breakdown QUARTERBACKS Ethan Adams, who has been getting some preseason accolades across the state, will be the starter. He can operate in and out of the pocket and is a threat when he gets on the move. He threw for 796 yards last year, but will need to cut down on his interceptions. Jake Fer-
guson will be the backup.
Cole will be the guards. Justin James and Logan Hoyt RUNNING BACKS are the tackles. Sabaluski Leading rusher Zack Koja- will also see time at tight end. dinovich, who averaged 6.6 DEFENSIVE LINE yards per carry, returns. Concklin and Sabaluski Ryan Eiden, who averaged 8.8 yards per carry is also will be the ends. At tackle back. They combined for will be James, Hoyt, Cole and eight touchdowns a year ago. Lopasky. Lopasky is expected Scott Robbins will be the full- to rotate between tackle and back. All three will see their end. roles vary depending on the LINEBACKERS packages the Black Knights Josiah T homas Matt are in. Robbins can also be used as an extra tight end of Galasso, Eiden and Nick Zaboski will play on the outthe package calls for it.
side. Dan Kutz and Robbins will play inside. Expect to see Thomas play outside and inside this year. SECONDARY The corners are Spencer and Kaminski. The safeties are Kennedy, Giovani Ferrari and Galasso. SPECIAL TEAMS Luke Spencer and Nate Salus will handle the kicking duties. Spencer kicked two extra points last year. — Steve Bennett
WIDE RECEIVERS Casey Kaminski, Luke Spencer, Eiden, Colby Kennedy and Sean Sabaluski will be the receivers. Eiden led the team in receptions last year, averaging 11.2 yards per catch. It is an experienced group that will see their roles expand this year.
Photography By Andy www.Photo-by-Andy.com 570.696.4646 5 Dug Rd. Trucksville, PA 18708
OFFENSIVE LINE The Black Knights will average about 250 pounds across the front. But don’t let the size fool you. This is an athletic group that can move. Blaise Napierkowski will be the center. Wyatt Lopasky, Damian Concklin and Chase
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With just the one scrimmage to prepare for the regular season, mistakes are going to happen in the early part of the year. That is one thing a coach can live with. But when those same mistakes are consistently happening over the course of 10 weeks, it becomes troublesome. That was one of the main issues with the Black Knights last year. Whether it was penalties or turnovers on offense, or giving up a big play or committing a penalty on defense to extend a drive that keeps the defense on the field, Gilsky wants to see that change.
Two years ago, the Black Knights made it to a district final. With the bulk of that team returning last year, the Black Knights were eliminated in the opening round of the district playoffs. There were just too many mistakes the Black Knights could not recover from. “Last year, we were making the same mistakes at the end of the year that we were making in the beginning,” Gilsky said. “We have more competition in camp this year. You will see us use a lot more guys on the field this year. We just didn’t have a lot of consistency last year.” The Black Knights ended last season losing three consecutive games, including four of the final six.
T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
We’ve all heard this before, but maybe this year it’s true. The Black Knights are going to open up the offense, and the passing game will have more of an impact than before or during coach Jerry Gilsky’s tenure with the Black Knights. Gilsky is a long time believer of the Woody Hayes philosophy that when you throw the ball, three things can happen and two of them are bad. But, it seems this year he is ready to take that chance. “We’re going to spread the ball accordingly,” the veteran Lehman coach said. “You are going to see a bit of a different team this year. I like the core guys we have back, we have a ton of skill kids back. We have a lot of options. It is going to come down to the guys up front for protection.” The Black Knights won’t come out and throw the ball all over the field this year on every down. Gilsky still will keep a run oriented offensive attack, but it will come out of different formations and looks. What is
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20 T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
NANTICOKE AREA TROJANS CLASSIFICATION: 4A
2018 RESULTS: 6-5; beat Hamburg to win the Eastern Conference championship game
Bobeck back on the field
COACH Ron Bruza 10th season 39-54 record
SCHEDULE Aug. 23 Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25
BY STEVE BENNETT STAFF WRITER
Missing the final five games of his junior season did not sit well with Kyle Bobeck. Standing on the sidelines as a spectator after suffering a severe ankle injury, all Bobeck could do is watch and help out as much as he possibly could. Not only did he feel he let the entire team down, he felt even worse for the seniors on the team who were hoping to end their careers on a winning note. The Trojans did just that, winning the Eastern Conference championship. “Before I got hurt I thought we were playing really well,” said Bobeck. “Our line was really coming together. For me personally, I think my physicality was where I wanted it to be. Those five games I didn’t play, I will never be able to get them back.” Bobeck will shift his position on the defensive line for the Trojans this year. A two-year captain who has added approximately 20 pounds of muscle during the offseason, he will move from tackle to end. With an offseason to recover, Bobeck returns looking to make up for some lost time, especially with this being his senior year. And even more so with the way the Trojans rely on the offensive line in their run oriented offense. “The line is always key for us,” Bobeck said. “We like to have that mentality that we can run the ball down people’s throats. This year we have the weapons to stretch the field. We are going to have to pass the ball.” Now that he is fully healed and ready to go for the upcoming season, Bobeck was looking forward to the start of training camp once the injured left ankle was back to 100%. With the Trojans coming off a championship season, Bobeck is hoping the team can make a return trip to the postseason. During his freshman season the team qualified for the district playoffs. While that is the tournament he would prefer to play in, another trip to the Eastern Conference would be just as satisfying. All that really matters is the opportunity to play a meaningful football game in Week 11. “I would like to get six or seven wins this year and get back to the playoffs, that would be great,” Bobeck said. “Our seniors haven’t seen districts since we were freshmen.”
All games 7 p.m. unless noted
BREAKDOWN Nanticoke Area will be facing a schedule where it feels it can be competitive. Aside from the traditional Class 4A schools the Trojans played last year, they will get a crack at Wilkes-Barre Area in Week 3. In that case, Lake-Lehman returns to the schedule to take the place of GAR. Nanticoke Area lost Western Wayne, but picked up Holy Redeemer to fill that void. Three of Nanticoke Area’s last four games will be on the road this year, and they may determine just where the team stands. The Trojans play at Dallas, host Lakeland, and close the season out at LakeLehman and Hanover Area.
SCOUTING One scout’s anonymous assessment of the Trojans:
KYLE BOBECK DAVE SCHERBENCO / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
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at Pittston Area Tunkhannock at Wilkes-Barre Area Wyoming Area Holy Redeemer Crestwood at Dallas Lakeland at Lake-Lehman at Hanover Area
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“Defensively, they are always aggressive to the ball. You know they are going to try and line up and run the ball down your throat. Would like to see them throw the ball a little bit more, especially with (Keanu) Ammons and (Darren) Boseman on the outside. But coach Bruza is going to do what he does best. You know he is going to try and establish the run and try and catch teams off guard with a pass here and there. If the defense comes around and the younger kids establish themselves early, this will be a team that will be fun to watch. But remember, this group of returning players went to the Eastern Conference and won the championship, so they understand what it’s like to play in a big game.”
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ROSTER
DAVE SCHERBENCO / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Nanticoke Area seniors, first row, from left, Josh O’Borski, Chris Shon, Colin Kashatus, Keanu Ammons, Pierson Park, Kyle Bobeck and John Novak. Second row, Colby Butczynski, Oscar Kryznewski, Darren Boseman and Charles Hoover. Third row, Seth Pelton, Ricky Klepadlo and Zack Pelton.
# Name Ht/Wt 1 Ricky Klepadlo 6-2/175 2 Darren Boseman 6-2/175 3 Keanu Ammons 6-1/175 4 Ayden Everett 5-11/175 6 Joe Fox 6-3/175 7 Sincere Shiloh 6-2/175 8 Devland Heffron 6-1/185 9 Sebastian Krzynewski 5-10/175 10 Dylan Tuthill 6-1/175 11 Colby Butczynski 6-3/190 13 Mike Marcella 5-11/165 17 Aidan Jaskulski 6-0/165 20 Nate Penko 5-8/150 22 Devin Lohman 5-9/165 23 Seth Pelton 6-0/230 24 Wesley Gordan 5-11/160 25 Nazir Coates 6-1/180 26 Colin Kashatus 5-8/175 27 Jahiem Griffin 5-11/170 34 Jospeh Krieger 5-9/165 35 Nico Czeck 5-7/165 38 Abecka Jones 5-7/155 39 Brandon Rosario Clark 5-3/115 42 Pierson Park 5-10/170 43 Armani Ventura 5-11/160 44 Oscar Kryznewski 5-10/175 56 Elijan Collison 6-4/260 58 Zack Pelton 5-10/170 59 John Novak 5-10/230 60 Austin Blank 6-0/230 62 Daniel Shipierski 5-10/219 65 Kyle Bobeck 6-1/240 66 Davin Mumma 5-11/175 67 Henry Sedorchuk 5-6/250 68 Justin Vetiaque 5-8/165 70 Braden Zaremba 6-3/305 71 Chris Shon 5-11/245 72 Ed Rodriguez 5-10/205 80 Ryan Fisher 6-1/180 82 Colin Mackiewicz 6-0/205 84 Evan Evatinus 6-0/185 86 Jonathan Kochanski 5-11/175 87 Josh O’Borski 5-10/150
Pos K Ath. WR/DB RB/LB WR/DB Ath. QB/DB QB/LB WR/DB QB QB/DB RB/LB RB/DB RB/LB TE/LB WR/DB WR/DB RB/LB WR/DB RB/LB RB/LB RB/LB WR/DB RB/DB WR/DB RB/LB OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL TE/DE TE/DE TE/DE TE/DE WR/DB
Yr Sr. Sr. Sr. So. Jr. Jr. Sr. So. Jr. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. So. So. So. So. Jr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. So. Jr. Sr. Jr. Jr. So. So. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. So. So. Sr.
NANTICOKE AREA TROJANS: INSIDE THE HUDDLE Growing up fast
Last year the Trojans opened up some eyes across the district when they elected to withdraw from consid-
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OFFENSIVE LINE W VC , N a n t i c o ke A re a The center will be John appears to be in pretty good Novak. At guard will be Kyle shape. Bobeck and Chris Shon. The Position breakdown tackles will be Braden Zaremba and Elijah Collison. QUARTERBACKS Colby Butczynski returns The tight end is Seth Pelton. as the starter. Last year he DEFENSIVE LINE threw for 800 yards and seven Bobeck and Collison will touchdowns. He also rushed be the ends. Shon and Henry for 135 yards and four touch- Sedorchuk will be the tackdowns. Devland Heffron will les. be the backup. Heffron ran LINEBACKERS for 25 yards and completed Kashatus and Pelton will two of his four pass attempts THE CITIZENS’ VOICE FILE in limited action last season. play inside. On the outside will be Lohman and Park. Nanticoke Area’s Devin Lohman runs during last year’s RUNNING BACKS game against GAR. SECONDARY Colin Kashatus, Devin Ammons and Tuthill are Lohman and Pierson Park will be the running backs. Of the corners. Boseman will be the group, Kashatus and the safety. Last season Park are the most seasoned. Ammons and Boseman each Kashatus had 23 carries last had two interce ptions. www.Photo-by-Andy.com year, while Park finished Ammons returned one for a 570.696.4646 with 20. Lohman accounted touchdown. for 10. SPECIAL TEAMS 5 Dug Rd. Ricky Klepadlo will be the WIDE RECEIVERS Trucksville, PA 18708 Keanu Ammons, Dylan kicker and the punter. Last season he kicked 23 extra Tuthill, Joe Fox, Sincere Shiloh and Darren Boseman will points.
Photography By Andy
be the receivers. This has the potential to be a pretty exciting group. Ammons led the team with 14 catches last year. He averaged 20.9 yards per reception. Boseman had nine receptions, and averaged 20.8 yards per catch.
— Steve Bennett
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W E DNE SDA Y , A UG UST 21, 2019 21
Positive steps
eration for the district playoffs and enter the Eastern Conference tournament in the postseason. At the time, Nanticoke Area had already secured a spot in the district playoffs. However, the Trojans were not guaranteed a spot in the Eastern Conference unless they won their last two regular season games. But to examine the decision a little deeper, there was a Monday practice where only 19 players showed up. Once word spread the Trojans were heading to the EC, the following day close to 40 attended practice. With that in mind, it shows that the players really do understand when the odds are stacked against them. Moreso, the Trojans are expected to dress approximately 40 again this season. That leaves Bruza pleased with the depth. But with depth comes a specific number of questions. Mainly, just how much of that depth is quality? At smaller schools, the difference between a starter and backup can be significant. At bigger schools, maybe not so much. But in terms of roster size by today’s standard in the
T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
The Trojans enter the season inexperienced at some key positions. Among the most pressing: running back. What has been the case in recent years for the program can now be considered a trend. It always seems that when the Trojans have experience at running back, the offensive line is the inexperienced part of the team. When the line returns some experience, Bruza has found himself breaking in a new set of backs. But as is typically the case, the Trojans will find a running back or two that will emerge and handle the majority of the rushing duties. Last year Nanticoke Area ran the ball 375 times, but lost its leading rusher to graduation. Other spots where the Trojans are looking for somebody to step in and make an impact are at defensive end and outside linebacker.
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22 T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
NORTHWEST RANGERS
CLASSIFICATION: A
2018 RESULTS: 4-6; wins came against Holy Cross, GAR, Wyalusing and Holy Redeemer
Wessler quickly familiarized himself with football
COACH Lon Hazlet
BY STEVE BENNETT STAFF WRITER
There is a logical explanation as to why Jack Wessler knew absolutely nothing about football when he was in the eighth grade. Having grown up in Hong Kong for 11 years, Wessler, who was born in Korea, had never even seen a game. “I came here knowing nothing about football,” Wessler said. “I never watched it, never even saw a football game.” When he was in the eighth grade the football team needed a kicker, and Wessler, after he was asked if he was interested, figured he would give it a shot in his freshman year. “You’re a kid growing up in the United States, you have to play football,” Wessler reasoned at the time. “I came out for the team. I played soccer in Hong Kong. I knew how to kick, and I turned out to be pretty decent at it.” But that is not where it ended. The more he was around the game the more he wanted to expand his role. And he got the opportunity when he was a sophomore. “I wanted to be a tight end at first, and technically I was,” Wessler said. “All I did was kick my freshman year. As a sophomore I started to get more into the offense and defense. By Week 8, I was a tight end and moved to fullback then moved to guard. Within a week I was thrown into a game after the first drive. It was scary at first. I was a tiny sophomore with big guys everywhere. I made the best of it.” Now his role has increased to that of a three-way player. He is a center, defensive lineman and the kicker. He said he has been kicking the ball well during the offseason and has been consistently connecting on field goals from as far out as 45 yards. He kicked 27 extra points last season and made one field goal from 30 yards. “Going into my sophomore year I went to a couple of camps to get my fundamentals down,” Wessler said. “After that, I could see myself improving. Usually I will just go out on my own and kick. I’ll kick the ball and then go chase it. I bought my own net so that way I don’t have to chase as many balls as I used to when I want to practice.”
21st season
(fifth at Northwest)
111-97 record
(26-17 at Northwest)
SCHEDULE Aug. 23 Aug. 31 Sept. 6 Sept. 20 Sept. 28 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25
Lackawanna Trail at Holy Redeemer,1 p.m. Wyoming Area at Lake-Lehman at Susquehanna, 1 p.m. Hanover Area Wyalusing at Old Forge Riverside
All games 7 p.m. unless noted
BREAKDOWN The Rangers lost a game when Holy Cross elected to suspend the football program for the season a few days before heat week began. That leaves Northwest with a nine-game schedule, and its power rating system will be based on nine games. It will not be rewarded a forfeit victory over Holy Cross. Northwest opens with Lackawanna Trail and plays Holy Redeemer in Week 2. After that, it gets a little dicey, with a home game against Class 3A contender Wyoming Area. Week 4 will be an off week before the Rangers head to Lake-Lehman. There isn’t a week where they can sit back and catch their breath. So Hazlet is going to have to do his best to keep the team healthy.
SCOUTING One scout’s anonymous assessment of the Rangers:
JACK WESSLER
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ANDY MOLITORIS
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“You know this group is going to always be well prepared. The biggest thing with this team is going to be whether or not they can beat Lackawanna Trail and Old Forge. They still play schools that are bigger than they are and that is always a concern. They are going to spread you out on offense and run multiple formations. They will give you a five-wide look and run a lot of zone read. The odd front on the defensive side of the ball can create some problems for teams up front. You know they are going to be a well disciplined team that will not beat itself.”
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ROSTER # Name
Ht/Wt
1 Chase Biller
6-2/190 TE/LB So.
Pos
Yr
2 Scott Oliver
6-2/225 QB/DE Jr.
3 JT Brubaker
6-0/175 RB/DB Sr.
4 Tommy Bierly
5-8/150 RB/LB Fr.
5 Landon Hufford
6-0/185 RB/LB Fr.
8 Chase Burke
5-6/135 WR/DB Fr.
9 Mike Crawford
5-9/170 WR/DB Sr.
11 Ryan Wassel
5-9/170 QB/DB Jr.
12 Carter Hontz
5-10/175 QB/DB Fr.
15 George May
5-9/230 RB/DL Jr.
23 Damian Saunders 5-8/150 RB/DL Sr. 25 Matt Sorber
ANDY MOLITORIS
Northwest seniors, first row, from left, JT Brubaker, Aaron Rittle, Jack Wessler, Blake Miller and Mike Crawford. Second row, Brendan Dixon, Nick Wilson and Seth Milich.
5-9/160 TE/LB Fr.
34 Hunter Gmiter
5-7/140 RB/DB Fr.
40 Tyler Reakes
6-0/170 TE/LB So.
45 Jake Bobersky
5-8/180 RB/LB Fr.
51 Jack Wessler
5-10/190 OL/DL Sr.
54 Hunter Hardy
6-1/160 OL/DL Jr.
56 Blake Miller
5-10/200 OL/DL Sr.
58 Liam Reinard
5-10/240 OL/DL So.
62 Nick Wilson
6-1/245 OL/DL Sr.
64 Aaron Rittle
5-9/185 OL/DL Sr.
65 Seth Milich
5-11/210 OL/DL Sr.
66 Carson Savage
6-1/210 OL/DL Jr.
68 Tristian Lepore
6-2/240 OL/DL Fr.
69 Brendan Dixon
6-0/255 OL/DL Sr.
71 Harley Jones
6-1/305 OL/DL So.
72 JT Verbinski
6-2/225 OL/DL Jr.
73 James Sorber
6-0/220 OL/DL So.
85 John Savakinus
6-0/195 TE/LB So.
88 Jordan Lindbuchler 5-8/150 WR/DB So. 90 Derek Dietz
5-9/165 OL/DL Fr.
NORTHWEST RANGERS: INSIDE THE HUDDLE Plans change
ing things slow to make sure this group is able to walk before it needs to burst into an all out sprint. “This is a group we are really excited about,” Hazlet said. “We know we are going to have to endure some growing pains. This group has had success, there is some good size with speed and athleticism. They are fun to be around. We really had to scale things backs in regards to schematics.”
Mistakes are going to happen
Position breakdowns
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QUARTERBACKS Ryan Wassel and Carter Hontz are the quarterbacks. Wassel makes the move from wide receiver, while Hontz is a freshman. They received equal reps throughout the summer. The one who wins the starting job will be replacing a three-year starter, so there will be inexperience at the position. Wassel completed one pass for an 80-yard touchdown last season.
WIDE RECEIVERS Brubaker will play in the slot. Chase Burke, another freshman, and Mike Crawford round out the depth chart. Brubaker is the top returning receiver, but only caught two passes last season.
OFFENSIVE LINE Jack Wessler, a returning starter, will be the center. Blake Miller, Seth Milich and Nick Wilson are the guards. Brendan Dixon, Liam Reinard and Milich are the tackles. Sophomores John Savakinus and Chase Biller are the tight ends. There are formations when both will be on RUNNING BACKS George May, Landon Huf- the field at the same time.
DEFENSIVE LINE Miller and Wessler are the ends. May, Dixon, Wilson and Tristian Lepore are the tackles.
and Hunter Gmiter are the safeties. Lindbuchler had one interception last season.
SPECIAL TEAMS LINEBACKERS Wessler will handle extra Bobersky, Savakinus, Huf- points and field goals. He ford and Biller are the line- will also kickoff and punt. backers. Wessler kicked 27 extra points and made one field SECONDARY Hontz, Crawford and Jor- goal from 30 yards last seadan Lindbuchler are the son. corners. Brubaker, Wassel — STeve BenneTT
Photography By Andy www.Photo-by-Andy.com 570.696.4646 5 Dug Rd. Trucksville, PA 18708
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W E DNE SDA Y , A UG UST 21, 2019 23
Hazlet has been careful when installing the offense and defense. The Rangers do have a few veterans on the offensive line returning, and May was playing some of his best football on the defensive line late in the season. Those are things Hazlet can build off of. But with all the young players on the roster expected to play, Hazlet does not want to throw too much at them. As they navigate their way through a varsity season, the coaching staff is tak-
ford, Jake Bobersky and JT Brubaker will be the running backs. Hufford and Bobersky are freshmen. May is the most experienced of the group, while Bobersky can play fullback. Brubaker can be moved around on the offensive side of the ball. May led the team with 590 yards and seven touchdowns last season.
T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
Over the summer, coach Lon Hazlet was steadfast on not wanting to start freshmen and sophomores this season. But being a Class A school, sometimes things don’t always work out the way you hope. When you look at the Northwest roster you will see nine freshmen listed. The depth chart is littered with first-year varsity players as well as players who will be seeing the field quite possibly before they are ready to. “We have a group of young kids,” Hazlet said. “We have a promising junior high program and we really like the bunch that is still down there. In the spring I was determined not to start freshmen and sophomores. But they showed up all summer and made a believer out of me. They are young kids and they make the kind of mistakes that young kids usually make.” That is why this year figures to be a season of ups and downs for the Rangers.
They will have a new quarterback for the first time in three years. There is some experience up front and running back George May will see his role expand more than it did last season. But what will make this season fun for Hazlet is watching how the younger players develop. There will be a learning curve, and this team is going to have to try to figure it out under game conditions.
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24 T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
2019 WVC FOOTB Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Wee
Berwick
at Abington Heights (S)
at Pittston Area
Williamsport
Valley West
Selins
Crestwood
Wilkes-Barre Area
at Dallas
Valley West
at Pottsville
at Willia
Dallas
at Tunkhannock
Crestwood
at Hazleton Area
Pittston Area
at Valle
Hanover Area
Athens
at Old Forge
Lake-Lehman
at Riverside
Western
Hazleton Area
at Pottsville
at Valley West
Dallas
at Williamsport
Wilkes-Ba
Holy Redeemer
Bye
Northwest (S)
Mahanoy Area (S)
at Old Forge
at Nantic
Lake-Lehman
at Western Wayne
Lakeland
at Hanover Area
Carbondale
North
Nanticoke Area
at Pittston Area
Tunkhannock
at Wilkes-Barre Area
Wyoming Area
Holy Re
Northwest
Lackawanna Trail
at Holy Redeemer (S)
Wyoming Area
Bye
at Lake-
Pittston Area
Nanticoke Area
Berwick
at Tunkhannock
at Dallas
Wallenp
Tunkhannock
Dallas
at Nanticoke Area
Pittston Area
at Honesdale
at Wyom
Wilkes-Barre Area
at Crestwood
Scranton
Nanticoke Area
Delaware Valley
at Hazlet
Williamsport
at Central Mountain
Altoona
at Berwick
Hazleton Area
Crest
Wyoming Area
Mid Valley
at Scranton Prep (S)
at Northwest
at Nanticoke Area
Tunkha
Valley West
at Scranton
Hazleton Area
at Crestwood
at Berwick
(S) - Saturday game
Coccia Ford Lincoln now an 18-time President’s Award Winner WB_VOICE - T150 - 24 - 08/21/19
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Dal
BALL SCHEDULE Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
sgrove
at Valley View
Hazleton Area
at Crestwood
at Dallas
Wilkes-Barre Area
amsport
at Nanticoke Area
Tunkhannock
Berwick
at Pittston Area
Hazleton Area
ey West
at Wilkes-Barre Area
Nanticoke Area
at Valley View
Berwick
Lake-Lehman
n Wayne
Holy Redeemer
at Northwest
at Lackawanna Trail
at Wyoming Area
Nanticoke Area
arre Area
Delaware Valley
at Berwick
Scranton
Wallenpaupack
Crestwood
coke Area
at Hanover Area
Lake-Lehman
at Wyoming Area
Lackawanna Trail (S)
Susquehanna
Wyoming Area
at Holy Redeemer
at Mid Valley
Nanticoke Area
at Dallas
Crestwood
at Dallas
Lakeland
at Lake-Lehman
at Hanover Area
Lehman
at Susquehanna (S)
Hanover Area
Wyalusing
at Old Forge
Riverside
paupack
West Scranton
at Williamsport
at Scranton Prep (S)
Crestwood
at Wyoming Area
ming Area
Towanda
at Crestwood
North Pocono
Mid Valley
at Midd-West
Dallas
at Valley West
at Wallenpaupack
Williamsport
at Berwick
twood
at Scranton
Pittston Area
Delaware Valley
at Wilkes-Barre Area
Valley West
annock
at Lake-Lehman
at Dunmore
Holy Redeemer
Hanover Area
Pittston Area
at Wallenpaupack
Wilkes-Barre Area
Abington Heights
Delaware Valley
at Williamsport
hwest
edeemer
ton Area
llas
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Week 6
T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
ek 5
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26 T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
KICKOFF 2019
Northwest playing its final season in WVC BY STEVE BENNETT STAFF WRITER
Following several conversations with school administrators, Northwest has elected to leave the Wyoming Valley Conference in football and basketball following the end of the upcoming seasons. The decision to leave will have an impact on the conference as the Rangers believe it is a step in the right direction for the football team that will be in somewhat of a rebuilding phase this year. “I just think it is a shame that high school football is in the state that it is in,” said Northwest football coach Lon Hazlet. “I have been doing this for 30 years. Every coach I talk to says the numbers are down. Now a team is canceling its schedule a week before the season starts.” Hazlet is referring to Holy Cross, which suspended its football program for the year due to low numbers. That decision leaves District 2 with just three Class A teams in Lackawanna Trail, Old Forge and Northwest. The Rangers will compete in the Northern Tier League beginning with the 2020 season and play a schedule that features seven Class A schools, two Class 2A
schools and an open week that it will be looking to fill to get to a 10-game regular season. Northwest got caught up in a numbers game as far as teams to play when GAR and Meyers, teams Northwest regularly played, merged its athletic programs to create Wilkes-Barre Area and became a Class 6A school. Northwest typically had to play up in classification to reach a 10-game schedule. Last year, the first in the current two-year cycle, the Rangers were able to play all the Class A schools in the district, but with that came the addition of Wyoming Area to the schedule, a perennial district playoff contender in Class 3A. “Two years ago we played Nanticoke Area, Meyers and GAR, which are traditional games for Northwest,” Hazlet said. “They were competitive games for both sides. Now, GAR and Meyers are gone and Nanticoke Area moved up (to Class 4A). District 2 is down to three Class A teams. You have to wonder whether or not Holy Cross will be bringing football back. We are looking forward to a year from now being able to play a schedule more loaded with teams our size.”
Even though the Rangers will not be competing in the WVC after this season, they will still have the opportunity to qualify for the state tournament through District 2. While some may wonder about the travel it will add to the schedule, Hazlet took a practical approach. Considering the distance it is to Old Forge and Lackawanna Trail, even if the Rangers were to add more Lackawanna County teams to the schedule, the travel will be just about the same as it would be playing teams in the Northern Tier League. “I’m sad that we are leaving but I think it is needed,” Hazlet said. “Losing Meyers, GAR and Nanticoke Area, those were three games where there was a nice fan turnout and the kids knew one another. We have to look to do what is best for Northwest. There was a lot of thought put into this, there were a lot of meetings. This is the best opportunity for us with the direction we are heading. We could head an hour or so one way and play schools that are bigger than us, or we could head an hour or so the other way and play schools o u r s i z e. T h a t i s h o w w e approached it.”
THE CITIZENS’ VOICE FILE
Players for Meyers and Northwest battle for the ball during last year’s game. With Meyers and GAR merging into Wilkes-Barre Area, it left a void in the Rangers’ schedule when it comes to teams their size to play. It was one of the reasons Northwest decided to leave the Wyoming Valley Conference.
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FOOTBALL SCHEDULE 2019 Fri., Aug. 23
7:00 pm Athens vs. Hanover
Fri., Sept. 20
7:00 pm Dallas vs. WVW
Fri., Aug. 30
7:00 pm Scranton vs. Wilkes-Barre
Fri., Sept. 27
7:00 pm Holy Reedemer vs Hanover
Sat., Aug. 31
1:00 pm Northwest vs. Holy Redeemer
Fri., Oct. 4
7:00 pm Wilkes-Barre vs. WVW
Fri., Sept. 6
7:00 pm WVW vs. Crestwood
Fri., Oct. 11
7:00 pm Abington vs. WVW
Sat., Sept. 7
1:00 pm Mahanoy Area vs. Holy Redeemer
Fri., Oct. 19
7:00 pm Willamsport vs. Wilkes-Barre
Fri., Sept. 13
7:00 pm Del. Valley vs. Wilkes-Barre
THE CITIZENS' VOICE
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2019 27
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28 T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
PITTSTON AREA PATRIOTS CLASSIFICATION: 4A
2018 RESULTS: 4-7; eliminated by Berwick in the District 2 Class 4A playoffs
Krawczyk wants to keep progress going
COACH Nick Barbieri Third season
BY STEVE BENNETT STAff WrITer
As he gets set to enter his final season in the program, wide receiver and defensive back Andrew Krawczyk hopes to see the pro g ress Pittston Area has made in his first two seasons on varsity. And he will be a big part of that prog ress. Coming of f a junior year where he led the team in receiving yards and touchdown catches, it is safe to say that Krawczyk will be a big focal point of the offense, and one defenses are going to try to take away. But in order for that to happen, the cor ners and safeties are going to be a little cautious. Because at any time during any p l ay, K r awc z y k c a n ch a n g e things up, and all it will take is a look. He has been playing alongside starting quarterback Mike Nocito since the two were 5 years old. They know what each other is capable of, and in some cases, all it will take is a little look or gesture from Krawczyk, and Nocito will know what’s going on. “I’ve been with (Nocito) my whole life,” Krawczyk said. “We go all the way back to the Duryea Wildcats. Every day we have been practicing trying to get better. I feel that since we have been working together for so long, it’s just automatic. We just look at each other. We have that type of connection.” Actually, the Patriots are pretty deep at the skill positions. So the more Krawczyk and Nocito are on the same page, that will help open things up for the other players on the perimeter, as well as the running g ame. But coming of f back-to-back playoff appearances, Krawczyk is hoping to keep the streak of postseason appearances rolling. “We’ve been progressing with our strength and agility,” Krawczyk said. “I think in all aspects of the game, the program is getting better. It’s all about putting in the hard work and just trying to get better.”
10-12 record
SCHEDULE Aug. 23 Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 12 Oct. 18 Oct. 25
Nanticoke Area Berwick at Tunkhannock at Dallas Wallenpaupack West Scranton at Williamsport at Scranton Prep, 1:30 Crestwood at Wyoming Area
All games 7 p.m. unless noted
BREAKDOWN In a perfect world, the Patriots would play a schedule with mostly other Class 4A teams, but that’s not the case. With Wilkes-Barre Area merging this year, the Patriots added Wallenpaupack for a home game. The away schedule is quite different, as the Patriots hit the road for games at Tunkhannock, Dallas, Williamsport, Scranton Prep and rival Wyoming Area. The first four weeks are going to be crucial.
SCOUTING One scout’s anonymous assessment of the Patriots:
ANDREW KRAWCZYK
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SeAN MCKeAG / STAff PHOTOGrAPHer
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“They are going to show you multiple sets and use their athletes the best they can. The thing I worry the most about this group is the offensive line. The teams they can control the line up front, they will have success against. It will be when the defensive and offensive lines they are going against punch them in the face that they will need to respond against. They have experience at the skill positions, and I really like the quarterback. If they give him time in the pocket, I can see them being successful. He has a strong arm and really understands the system he is working in.”
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ROSTER
SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Pittston Area seniors, first row, from left, John Galonis, Adrian Colon, Hugh Bentham, Bryan Herron, Dylan Lukachko, Zac Sulima and Devin Shandra. Second row, Brandon Savokinas, Brennan Higgins, Franny George, Joe Slusark, Tyler Granahan, Andrew Krawczyk, Mike Nocito and Alex Anastasi.
# Name 1 Alex Hoban 2 Anthony Thomas 3 Alex Anastasi 4 Brennan Higgins 5 P.J. Pisano 6 Andrew Krawczyk 7 Mike Nocito 8 Jimmy Spindler 9 Zac Sulima 10 Brandon Savokinas 12 David Behm 13 Devin Shandra 14 Gino Triboski 16 David Girman 18 Bruce Rydzy 20 Kahleb Murray 21 Joe Cornwall 22 Dylan Lukachko 23 Tyler Granahan 24 Franny George 25 Brad Montgomery 26 John Symons 28 Zach Shock 33 D.J. Darbenzio 34 Ed Murdock 36 Josh Cotter 40 Bryheem Patterson 41 Ethan Menichini 42 Adam Lazar 43 Bryan Herron 45 Devin Atkins 48 John Morris 52 Noah Lyons 55 Chris Reiss 56 Dan Viquez 60 Adrian Colon 61 Matt Soy 63 John Galonis 64 Teagan Reboli 65 Joe Galonis 66 Branden Farrell 70 Hugh Bentham 74 Jack Albert 75 Jake Jones 77 Nick Thayer 79 Stephen Yanchis 80 Yvon Idoh 81 Ryan Turrant 82 Joe Slusark 84 John Stone
Ht/Wt 6-1/193 5-11/140 6-0/190 6-0/175 5-10/165 6-2/185 5-11/165 5-8/155 5-10/170 5-9/145 6-4/190 5-10/145 5-8/145 5-9/140 5-10/155 5-10/150 5-9/160 5-8/150 5-10/155 5-10/190 5-10/140 6-0/208 5-9/167 6-0/200 6-0/160 6-1/206 5-10/165 5-7/165 5-7/155 5-8/175 5-5/155 5-10/185 5-9/210 5-9/180 5-9/200 5-9/230 5-9/230 6-2/225 5-11/210 6-3/220 5-8/260 5-9/230 5-11/230 6-0/235 5-10/290 6-3/286 6-4/150 5-10/145 6-2/165 6-1/185
Pos RB/LB K/P TE/DB WR/DB QB/DB WR/DB QB/DB QB/DB WR/DB WR WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB RB/DB WR/DB RB/LB WR/DB RB/LB WR/DB FB/LB RB/LB FB/LB WR/DB RB/LB FB/LB RB/LB RB/DB FB/LB OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL K OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL WR TE/DL WR WR/DB
Yr So. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Fr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. So. So. Jr. So. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. So. Sr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Jr. So. Sr. So. So. So. So. So. So. Sr. Jr.
PITTSTON AREA PATRIOTS: INSIDE THE HUDDLE Overall
Getting there
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downs last year. Pisano attempted two passes. Spindler is a promising freshman. RUNNING BACKS
Dylan Lukachko, Franny George and Alex Hoban will be the tailbacks. At fullback Position breakdown will be John Symons and DJ Darbenzio. Lukachko led the QUARTERBACKS team in rushing last year Mike Nocito returns for with 614 yards and five touchhis second season as the downs. starter. The backups will be WIDE RECEIVERS PJ Pisano and freshman JimAndrew Krawczyk, Brenmy Spindler, the nephew of former Pitt and nine-year nan Higgins, Gino Triboski NFL defensive lineman, and Devin Shandra will be Mark Spindler. Nocito threw the receivers. Krawczyk was for 1,184 yards and 14 touch- second on the team in catch-
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LINEBACKERS es but tops in receiving yards T h e l i n e b a cke r s a re with 479. He also had a teambest seven touchdowns. Hig- Symons, George and Bryan gins averaged 7.5 yards per Herron. George picked off two passes last year. catch. OFFENSIVE LINE
SECONDARY
Teagan Reboli will be the center. At guard are Adrian Colon and Hugh Bentham. The tackles are Stephen Yanchis, John Galonis, Joe Galonis and Chris Reiss. Joe Galonis and Reiss can rotate to any spot on the line.
Lukachko, Krawczyk and Zac Sulima are the corners. The safeties are Higgins, Anastasi and Bryheem Patterson. Krawczyk and Anastasi each had one interception last year.
DEFENSIVE LINE
SPECIAL TEAMS
Darbenzio and Hoban are Matt Soy and Anthony the ends. At tackle are Yan- Thomas are the kickers. Darchis and Bentham. Colon benzio will punt. — Steve Bennett will play the nose.
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As he enters his third season with the program, Barbieri sees things heading in the right direction. What he wants to see change this season is the overall mental toughness of the team. There were times last year when the Patriots fell behind and the players just hung there had and waited for the next thing to go wrong. This year, with a solid group of leadership from the senior class, he is hoping that will be a big difference, considering the Patriots are coming off back-to-back playoff appearances. That alone is something this year’s team could build off of. “The biggest concern is how we handle adversity,” Barbieri said. “I just thought last year there were times we
had success and were able to hang in games. There were times a team got up on us early and we kind of threw it in. But there were times when teams did get up on us the year before and we came back.”
T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
As the Patriots get set to begin the new season, there is plenty of optimism surrounding the skill positions. Across the board, the Patriots have experience at all the important spots. The quarterback returns, as do several running backs and receivers. That alone is enough to be enthusiastic about. All that is left to be seen is whether they ake advantage of it, especially when they have the opportunities to make plays in space. But the big question mark will be the play of the offensive and defensive lines. Fortunately for Pittston Area, it is not the only school in the conference with that issue. Where it really hurts is that there is not a lot of depth up front on either side of the ball. So to cut to the chase, Pittston Area will be successful when they can handle teams up front. When it is getting pushed around is when it will struggle. And that is a problem
coach Nick Barbieri is trying to figure out. He estimates that there are about 11 linemen on the roster, and when the depth chart is challenged, that is when it will become difficult for the Patriots.
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30 T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
TUNKHANNOCK TIGERS
CLASSIFICATION: 4A
2018 RESULTS: 3-7; wins came against Coughlin, Holy Redeemer and Mid Valley
COACH Mike Marabell Second season 3-7 record
SCHEDULE Aug. 23 Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25
Dallas at Nanticoke Area Pittston Area at Honesdale at Wyoming Area Towanda at Crestwood North Pocono Mid Valley at Midd-West
All games 7 p.m. unless noted
BREAKDOWN It is not going to be easy for the Tigers with the home opener against Dallas, a team projected to make a run to the Class 4A district title game. Tunkhannock lost Holy Redeemer on the schedule this year and picked up Wyoming Area, a team that is projected to be in the hunt in Class 3A. Other Wyoming Valley Conference teams on the schedule include Nanticoke Area, Pittston Area and Crestwood. Nonconference opponents include Honesdale, Towanda, North Pocono, Mid Valley and Midd-West, a team that is in its second year of existence.
SCOUTING
JAKE FRISCO
One scout’s anonymous assessment of the Tigers: COLLEEN MCALEER / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Frisco could flourish as Tigers aim to spread it out BY STEVE BENNETT STAFF WRITER
By his own standards, Jake Frisco thought he had a pretty good season last year. He caught a pass in eight games and finished third on the team in receptions. He averaged more than a first down each time he caught the ball ... but failed to catch a touchdown pass. That final statistic is one that has a great chance of changing this year. With Tunkhannock going to the spread offense this year, even
more than it used the formation last season, Frisco’s has the potential to see his number increase for his senior season. While the Tigers are used to running that type of offense, there will be a few tweaks to it. Mainly, they are going to be going faster. “Last year was a little slower pace,” Frisco said. “At the end of last year we were starting to do it. This year we are going full no-huddle. Now we are going to have quicker routes with some longer progres-
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sions.” Along with Frisco, the Tigers have some talented athletes to line up at receiver. It will be a matter of them getting space and getting the chance to make plays. With the way quarterback Jack Chilson threw the ball last year, another year of experience is going to help make this offense a little more dynamic. “The kids on the team are very excited,” Frisco said. “This is coach’s (Mike Marabell) second
season, he is ready to go. He will coach you up and if you do something wrong he will let you know about it.” With 18 returning starters back for the season Frisco thinks this team has the potential to be considerably better than last year. “I think our defense is going to be good this year,” Frisco said. “The three kids we are missing from last year were pretty valuable players. I think the kids taking over for them will step up and do
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“I can see this team taking another big step in the right direction with the head coach being in his second season. If he gets the kids buying into to what he is trying to teach, there is no reason that there will not be a sign of improvement this year. This is a team that will beat the teams it is supposed to, but it will be a matter of being able to beat a few of the teams nobody thinks they will. With the Tigers, it all starts up front. If the offensive line plays up to its potential, this team may be able to surprise some people. I really like what they are doing with their skill kids. Just a matter of them making the big plays in space.”
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ROSTER
COLLEEN MCALEER / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Tunkhannock seniors, first row, from left, Alex Smith, Jaxson Montross, Tyler Chesla, Alec Walter, Gavin D’Amato, Alex Dailey, Brett Sickler, and Evan Sackmann. Second row, Jake Frisco, coaches Bill Prebola, Rich Appleby, Tyler Peterson, Mike Marabell, Bob Ashton, Chris Lockard, John Slusark and Alec Seboe.
TUNKHANNOCK TIGERS: INSIDE THE HUDDLE Setting the tone
Inexperienced group When looking at the roster and the projected starting lineup, there are several names that saw time last year. That is part of the process of building a program. Last year when things went a little sideways, Marabell was not afraid to change out an upperclassman for an underclassman. He points to this year’s Dallas senior class as an example — the Mountaineers feature several four-year starters on a team expected to contend for WVC and District 2 titles. With that in mind, the Tigers do have 18 returning starters back on both sides
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Position breakdown QUARTERBACKS Jack Chilson is entering his second year as the starter. His brother, Ben, will be the backup. Also on the depth chart is Matt Prebola. Jack Chilson threw for 1,455 yards and 11 touchdowns last year. He completed 48.6 percent of his passes. Prebola attempted two passes last season.
LINEBACKERS up to be the featured back. Troy Simmons and Matt Jacob Baltrusaitis and Troy Simmons will also see time Prebola are the outside linein the backfield. D’Amato backers. Alex Prebola and ran for 428 yards and five Baltrusaitis will play inside. touchdowns last year. He SECONDARY averaged 5.2 yards per carry. Frisco and Lord will be the corners. Riley Jones is the WIDE RECEIVERS This will be an athletic safety. group that has the potential SPECIAL TEAMS to be very good in the spread Jaxson Montross will be offense. Jake Frisco, Baltru- the kicker. He will also hansaitis, Prebola, Troy Sim- dle kicking off and punting. mons and Nate Lord are the Last year he kicked four field receivers. Frisco is a three- goals with a long of 42 yards. year starter who had 17 — Steve Bennett catches last season and averaged 11.2 yards per reception. OFFENSIVE LINE Andrew Slusark is the center. Brett Sickler and Colin Porasky are the guards. At tackle will be Nick Marabell and Alec Seboe. The tight ends are Jhamal Zacharias and Shane Wood.
DEFENSIVE LINE Zacharias and Wood are the ends. Alec Walter and RUNNING BACKS Gavin D’Amato is shaping Alex Smith are the tackles.
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THE CITIZENS’ VOICE FILE
Jack Chilson returns for his second season as Tunkhannock’s starting quarterback.
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Yr Sr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Jr. So. Fr. Jr. Fr. So. So. Sr. So. Sr. Jr. So. So. So. Sr. Jr. So. So. Sr. So. Sr. So. So. Jr. Fr. So. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr.
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of the ball. But that does not mean this is going to be a ve t e r a n g ro u p by a ny means. Marabell admits that putting in the new offense is going to be a bit of a gamble. He sees with the personnel he has this year that this is the way to go. Marabell gave it a brief look at times last year, particularly near the end of the season, and it worked out well enough to switch to it on a full-time basis this year.
Pos WR/DB WR/K K QB/DB QB/DB RB/DL WR/LB WR/DB QB/LB WR/LB WR/DB WR/DB RB/DB RB/DB WR/DB RB/LB RB/LB RB/DB WR/LB WR/LB WR/DL OL/DL RB/LB OL/DL OL/DL OL/LB OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL WR/DL WR/DL
T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
Entering his second season leading the program, Mike Marabell will continue to put his stamp on the Tigers. With the opportunity to have a full summer with the team, Marabell has tweaked his offense to go to a more fulltime spread set, as opposed to what they did last year. One aspect that Marabell has seen change is the attitude. He said leadership was not a strong point for last year’s team. He said that has not been an issue this year from the time offseason conditioning began up through training camp. “Just the overall attitude has been great,” Marabell said. “Last year, every time I said something I had to be questioned. This year that has not been a problem. I understand they had been through three coaches, so they weren’t comfortable with anything. These kids I have now played for me when
they were in midget football. They know what I expect.” And Marabell’s expectations are for them to show up and work. He has made it perfectly clear that the best players are going to play regardless of what grade they are in.
# Name Ht/Wt 2 Jake Frisco 6-1/175 3 Gavin Montross 5-9/140 4 Jaxson Montross 6-0/140 5 Ben Chilson 6-3/163 7 Jack Chilson 6-5/175 9 Tyler Chesla 5-10/180 10 Sean Meder 5-10/169 11 Riley Jones 5-8/150 13 Matt Prebola 5-8/135 14 Colin Madan 5-11/142 15 Nathan Lord 6-3/175 17 Garrett Yuhas 5-9/135 21 Ty Konen 5-9/162 23 Mason Roccograndi 5-7/145 24 Evan Sackmann 5-10/150 25 Jeffrey Meader 5-7/185 26 Gavin D’Amato 5-6/150 27 Connor Elgin 5-7/135 31 Michael Sickler 5-8/180 35 Jacob Baltrusaitis 6-2/175 38 Justin Strohl 6-1/200 39 Alec Walter 5-8/170 42 Ryan Simmons 6-1/170 54 Stephen Burd 5-5/180 55 Nick Marabell 5-11/215 56 Alec Seboe 6-1/215 57 Devon Anderson 6-0/225 58 Alex Smith 6-0/240 59 Jaden Kozlowski 6-1/233 66 Seth Reimiller 5-10/230 70 Andrew Slusark 6-1/250 71 Connor Chesner 5-7/201 72 Jacob Davenport 6-1/240 73 Colin Porasky 6-0/275 77 Alex Daily 6-0/230 78 Brett Sickler 6-3/280 80 Shane Wood 6-3/210 81 Jhamal Zacharias 6-1/290
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32 T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
WILKES-BARRE AREA WOLFPACK
CLASSIFICATION: 6A
2018 RESULTS: Coughlin 0-10; GAR 1-9; Meyers 7-4; Meyers qualified for District 2 playoffs, losing to Western Wayne in first round
Brown excited to start new program
COACH Ciro Cinti 14th season 71-73 record at Coughlin
SCHEDULE Aug. 23 Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25
BY STEVE BENNETT STAff WRITeR
Corey Brown is looking forward to the opportunity to be the part of something new. As the 2019 season is set to get underway, Brown is looking forward to the opportunity that not only he will be presented with, but the entire Wolfpack football team, a combination of players from Meyers, Coughlin and GAR. “It has been good, we have been together,” Brown said. “It is fun to be a part of something new. We’ve just been getting prepared for the season.” Brown is expected to be one of the featured backs in the running game, as well as continue his physical style of play on defense at linebacker. The preparation began back in January when the coaching staff was finalized and players expressed their interest to be part of the team. Coming together as one team has not been an issue, according to Brown, and there have been no i s s u e s a s m a ny m ay h ave thought possible when the merger of athletic programs for the 2019 season was announced. “It has been great,” Brown said. “Everybody is coming in motivated to work hard and try to ear n a starting position. With all our old schools there were low numbers. Now the numbers are a lot bigger and the competition has been good.” The competition, according to Brown, is bringing out the best in the players on the team. It’s something he believes will only help build Wilkes-Barre Area. “It is great to have competition for starting jobs,” Brown said. “Everybody wants to be a team. Everybody is coming t o g e t h e r, a n d n ow we a re focused on getting some wins.”
at Crestwood Scranton Nanticoke Area Delaware Valley at Hazleton Area Dallas at Valley West at Wallenpaupack Williamsport at Berwick
All games 7 p.m. unless noted
BREAKDOWN The schedule will be challenging. And while the former Coughlin players are used to playing 5A and 6A schools, the Meyers and GAR players aren’t. The Wolfpack will play their first game in program history at Crestwood. The following week, they will play at home against Scranton. Scranton, Delaware Valley, Hazleton Area and Williamsport are the other Class 6A teams on the schedule. Add in Valley West and Wallenpaupack, as well as Class 4A contenders Dallas and Berwick, and the Wolfpack clearly have their work cut out for the year.
SCOUTING One scout’s anonymous assessment of the Wolfpack:
COREY BROWN
LYONS PHOTOGRAPHY
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“It is going to be interesting to watch this team come together. They have plenty of athletes. I can’t see them having a difficult time coming together as a team. ... What this team is going to need is linemen. Coughlin, Meyers and GAR weren’t very big across the board last year, and I think it is going to take a while for the line to develop. But once it does, I can see this program really taking off, as long as everyone buys in. I can see the athletes on the offensive side of the ball having the potential to make big plays. They have a lot of speed on the outside and those kids can make plays. The schedule they play is going to be challenging, especially for the kids from Meyers and GAR.”
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WILKES-BARRE AREA WOLFPACK: INSIDE THE HUDDLE Come together This will be an interesting challenge for head coach Ciro Cinti and the rest of the coaching staff. Cinti brought in Ted Jackson Jr. to be the offensive coordinator, and that should help move that phase of the game forward. Jackson did an excellent job calling the offense at Valley West, utilizing the athletes that he had at his disposal, and putting them in position to make plays. Expect the same with the Wolfpack this year. With talented players from the combination of Meyers, GAR and Coughlin, the Wolfpack will have plenty of speed and athleticism on both sides of the ball. The biggest question mark may be up front on the offensive and defensive lines. While the defense should be expected to be ahead of the offense are far as that perspective is concerned, the offensive line is going to need to come together quickly for the Wolfpack to have success.
Numbers game
Meyers and Coughlin were playing on their own, players knew they were going to be starters and did not have to work for their spots. This year with more numbers, nobody was guaranteed a starting job. They now have to be earned.
Position breakdown QUARTERBACKS Kam Taylor, Talee Swinney and Jonathan Karpien are the quarterbacks. Taylor was the starter at GAR last year, while Swinney started at Meyers. Karpien did not attempt a varsity pass last year. Taylor threw for 1,065 yards and nine touchdowns last season. Swinney threw for 814 yards and six touchdowns. Both, though, will need to cut down on their interceptions this year.
WIDE RECEIVERS This will be an exciting group to watch with plenty of speed and big-play potential across the board. Malachi Williams, Nino Cinti, Rafael McCoy, Casmir Van
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OFFENSIVE LINE The centers will be Randall Bednar and Cameron Hagenbaugh. At guard are Ian Bednar, Greg DeLeon and Josh Jones. The tackles are Michael Timek, Kareem Jones, Kevin Kaskey and Koby Bednar. The tight ends are Silas Armstrong, Maleek
Robinson, Anthony Nguyen corners. At safety will be and Conor Shedlock. Cinti, Jermaine Curtis and Abu Bakr-Samake. DEFENSIVE LINE
Ar mstrong, Jones, SPECIAL TEAMS Kashawn Wade, DeLeon, Michael Deutsch-Jones Adriel Chamberlain and will be the kicker. The punter Xavier Carter will be the will be Chad Regan. ends. At tackle will be — Steve Bennett Andrew Brooks, Randall Bednar, Ian Bednar, Vincent Beltran and Kaskey. LINEBACKERS Brown, Aiden Redding, Gonzale z and Kristian Vasquez will be the outside linebackers. Playing inside will be Noah Taylor, Carey, Tyler Woolard and Nguyen. DEFENSIVE BACKS McCoy, Williams, Van Buren and Dobson are the
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Yr Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. So. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. So. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. So. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. Fr. Sr. Jr. So. So. Sr. Sr. So. Jr. So. Jr. Jr. Jr. So. So. So. Fr. Jr. So. So. Sr. Jr. So.
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RUNNING BACKS Corey Brown and Javier Gonzalez will be the running backs. Noah Taylor and Richard Carey are the fullbacks. Gonzalez carried the ball 42 times for GAR, while Brown rushed seven times for 72 yards at Meyers.
Buren and Tyere Dobson will be on the perimeter. Williams averaged 16.1 yards per catch last year for GAR. McCoy averaged 17.1. Cinti was more of a running back early in his career at Coughlin but will now be moved outside. Van Buren and Dobson will add another dimension and depth.
Pos WR/DB WR/DB RB/LB QB/DB QB/DB QB/LB WR/DB WR/DB RB/LB WR/DB TE/LB RB/LB TE/LB TE/LB TE/LB WR/DB RB/LB WR/DB RB/DB RB/LB RB/LB RB/DE RB/DB WR/LB TE/DE RB/LB RB/LB TE/DE OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DE OL/DL TE/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL TE/DE WR/DB TE/DE TE/DE RB/DE
T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
A big reason for the merger of the Wilkes-Barre public schools had to do with the decreasing numbers in sports across the board. With that being said, the roster for the Wolfpack has seen a steady increase in terms of players coming out for the team. But what has been the problem, according to Cinti, is that on any given day, 40-45 players would show up for a workout. The next day, the same number of athletes would report but not necessarily be the same. That is something that is going to have to change in terms of consistency. Cinti did point out that perhaps it had to do with it being the summer and some of the athletes being away. But what the increase in numbers does create is more opportunities. Players who may not be starters on either offense or defense will still have a chance to get on the field playing special teams and work their way into a starting role. The competition at practice is something that will benefit the program not just this year but going forward. In the past when GAR,
LYONS PHOTOGRAPHY
Wilkes-Barre Area seniors, first row, from left, Jalil Timmons, Cyncere Hughes, Talee Swinney, Rafael McCoy, Raheem Bolden and Mike Fox. Second row, Corey Brown, Nino Cinti, Kristian Vasquez, Richard Carey and Malachi Williams. Third row, Kevin Kaskey, Josh Jones, Silas Armstrong, Greg DeLeon, Casmir Van Buren, Aiden Redding and coach Ciro Cinti.
ROSTER # Name 2 Nino Cinti 5 Malachi Williams 6 Corey Brown 7 Kam Taylor 8 Talee Swinney 9 Jonathan Karpien 10 Tyere Dobson 11 Casmir Van Buren 12 Kristian Vasquez 14 Rafael McCoy 15 Anthony Nguyen 16 Timothy Tyndall 17 Maleek Robinson 18 Anthony Martinez 19 Tyler Woolard 21 Abu Samake 23 Javier Gonzalez 24 Raheem Bolden 26 Jalil Timmons 31 Jaquan Elam 32 Aiden Redding 33 Xavier Carter 34 Jaiden Evans 36 Mike Fox 42 Silas Armstrong 43 Richard Carey 44 Noah Taylor 45 Ray Perdomo 50 Randall Bednar 51 Cameron Hagenbaugh 52 Kevin Kaskey 53 Christian Swinney 54 Cah’Mier Stephenson 55 Cyncere Hughes 56 Greg DeLeon 57 Josh Jones 58 Koby Bednar 59 Coltyn Reese-Baker 62 Vincent Beltran 64 Michael Timek 66 Jeremy Shimko 70 Andrew Brooks 72 Ivan Ramos 73 Shabbir Ahmad 75 Shawn Riecke 78 Ian Bednar 79 Kareem Jones 80 Adriel Chamberlain 81 Michael Andrzejewski 84 Michael Smeraglio 85 Conor Shedlock 99 Kashawn Wade
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34 T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
KICKOFF 2019
WOLFPACK: It’s been a long road leading up to the first game FROM PAGE 3
depth. “It’s nice going in the chutes for the offensive line and seeing bodies,” Armstrong admitted. “It was different because last year I wanted to be careful because you can hurt them. Now we have that next person step up mentality. It feels great. There is a lot of talent between the three schools.”
“Originally, I thought that I wasn’t sure if I was with it,” said Talee Swinney, the starting quarterback at Meyers last year, who is now competing with GAR’s Kam Taylor for the Wilkes-Barre Area job. “Now everything has come together. There is more competition, there are more numbers. It feels good. The competition motivates you to be better. Even if I am not the starting quarterback, I can play another position. I don’t mind that at all.”
Blocking out the critics
Getting it started Once Cinti was officially named head coach, he hopped right into the fray. He visited the three schools. He introduced himself, explained what the plan is and opened his arms to anyone interested in coming out for the Wolfpack football team. Originally, the weight lifting sessions were held at GAR. After the initial meetings were complete at the three schools, close to 100 students expressed interest. Obviously through attrition and other issues, that number dropped. There were close to 60 players who showed up for the first day of doubles. “We told them right from the start that we are going to coach them hard,” Cinti said. “When you have competition you have to be stern. All these kids want to be coached. My staff has been excellent. The competition has been great. There are a lot of guys that should be out for the team that are walking the halls who didn’t want to compete. That bothers me and makes me sad that kids don’t want to compete to make us better. That is the one negative part about it.”
A numbers game The numbers don’t lie. 8 — The combined number of wins by the three Wilkes-Barre public schools in 2018. 24 — The number of combined losses by the three schools. Coughlin finished its season with 17 healthy players on the roster; one was the punter. GAR was not much higher. Meyers was able to sustain a good number of players, but when it came to quality depth, there were questions. “Honestly, when I found out we were merging, I was excited,” Taylor said. “I always wanted to see what the three schools could do together. I like the competition. Just to be able to be a bigger school and face bigger teams. I knew it would be a lot more fun.” Facing the bigger schools is
SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Wilkes-Barre Area’s Noah Taylor, right, congratulates teammate Maleek Robinson after scoring a touchdown in a scrimmage against Wyoming Area. going to be a challenge for twothirds of the roster. While the players from Coughlin are used to playing 4A, 5A and 6A schools on a regular basis, the players from Meyers and GAR will need to get caught up to speed really quick. “It’s really going to be different going from 3A to 6A,” said Swinney. “I know the competition is going to be better compared to what we played at Meyers. Just with the numbers alone. I know those teams are going to have some big boys and will be ready to play. That just makes us work harder knowing that we are going to be going against better teams.” Silas Armstrong, who played for Coughlin, understands what it is like to be a part of a football program where there is competition and a bigger roster. He moved to the area from New Mexico when he was in eighth grade. “I was thinking I wasn’t a huge fan in general when I first heard about it,” Armstrong said. “Now I like it. When I was in New Mexico it was competitive. A lot like we are facing now, the bigger schools. I lived right on the border of Texas so I had a taste of that Texas football mentality. Now when I look at it, it was something stupid to be upset about. The three of us are combined into one. I look to my left, there is a kid from Meyers. I look to my right, there is a kid from GAR.
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They are all good pieces that fit our team. I love it.”
Offseason work As the winter turned to spring and eventually summer, the Wolfpack really started to kick things into gear. There were conditioning workouts, continued work in the weight room and eventually 7-on-7 passing scrimmages. That led to heat week and, not long after, the first week of double sessions. Attendance was good. There were times when 45-50 players would show up for some workouts. The next day there would be approximately the same number, but not always the same kids. Eventually, though, when workouts became mandatory, attendance picked up. “It was different,” Swinney said. “Everybody wasn’t around, but once we started practicing, everybody is together,” Swinney said. “We meshed together once practice started. It went from 40 kids to 60 kids. It just shows you who puts in the work and who doesn’t.” Armstrong, who plays tight end and on the defensive line, noticed an immediate difference once mandatory workouts began. Unlike last year at Coughlin, when he was reluctant to go all out in fear of maybe injuring a player needed on Friday night, he can go all out, because as he looks around, there is
The kids in the locker room, the ones that will be wearing the Wolfpack uniform and that came together as one, aren’t naive. They know there is a faction of people out there who don’t want to see the new school built and were against the merger from the start. However, the kids that will wear that uniform and build the bond that football players build after going through training camp, they aren’t really worried about that group. They see the fighting and the comments on social media as well as hear all the background noise. “Those people who save our school, we just use it as motivation to prove them wrong,” Taylor said. “We are going to try and shut their mouths with what we do and how we perform.” Armstrong said the team has done a good job of blocking out the political noise and all the back-and-forth bickering about the new school being built, as well as the angst people felt about the merging of the athletic programs. “We are here to go to school and play football,” Armstrong said. “We are here to work. It has been interesting. There are a lot of new kids I didn’t know in the area that have been my neighbors. It is really nice getting to know them. The team has really come together. It is looking good.”
One Wolfpack The fun part of it all as double sessions were underway has been the overall flow and energy during practice. The players are getting after one another, yet at the same time encouraging one another. And if there is a big play made, then there is plenty of celebrating going on. It’s a sign that this is truly the WilkesBarre Area Wolfpack, not just three teams that were thrown together because somebody thought it would be a good idea. “All these kids are hungry, they have really been going after it,” Cinti said. “They have all known each other for a long time, and now they are on the same team together. There is a lot of stuff in practice where they
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challenge each other. When there is a good play they are patting each other on the back and encouraging one another.” When the Wolfpack take the field on Friday night at Crestwood, it will be a new beginning for a new program that will be looking to establish its own identity and be a part of history in the Wyoming Valley Conference. The season will feature its share of ups and downs, just like every other team. But this is the team that will be watched the most. Sure, Berwick and Dallas are considered favorites in Class 4A. Valley West is still Valley West and grabs the attention simply because of its name. Lake-Lehman has built a solid foundation and winning tradition, but the Black Knights are tucked away in the Back Mountain, and Wyoming Area is still Wyoming Area. Wilkes-Barre Area is the new kid on the block. It has athletes capable of making plays on both sides of the ball. Meyers had a tradition of having quick backs. GAR was known for its athletes. Coughlin made its name by having a solid offensive line to lead the way for a solid running game. Now when you combine all three, the potential is there for something special. It may not happen this year or next year for that matter. As is the case with any new program, it takes time. “I’m having a great time,” Cinti said. “It’s been very challenging, but as a coach you want to be challenged.” “It’s been going well, some people might not like it, but I like the competition,” Taylor said. “We have so many good skill players. We like to compete and it is motivation for everybody.” Swinney noted there have been no issues inside the locker room with the three schools coming together. “I’m close to everybody,” Swinney said. “Our relationships are building and the bond is getting stronger. We are really close.” Armstrong is looking forward to hitting a team in a different color jersey in a game that counts. “I wouldn’t say there have been any problems,” Armstrong said. “It’s just about getting down and getting to work. Once the pads go on against another team we are going to be good. Whoever works is going to play. The kids that have been working the hardest are the ones you are going to see stepping up in bigger roles.” Contact the writer: sbennett@citizensvoice.com; 570 821-2062; @CVSteveBennett on Twitter
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WILLIAMSPORT MILLIONAIRES CLASSIFICATION: 6A
2018 RESULTS: 5-6; lost to Hazleton Area in the District 2 playoffs
COACH Charles Crews Ninth season
(fifth at Williamsport)
41-46 record
(30-17 at Williamsport)
SCHEDULE Aug. 23 Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25
at Central Mountain Altoona at Berwick Hazleton Area Crestwood at Scranton Pittston Area Delaware Valley at Wilkes-Barre Area Valley West
All games 7 p.m. unless noted
BREAKDOWN
THe CiTiZeNS’ VOiCe fiLe
Williamsport’s Drake Mankey goes to sack Pittston Area’s Michael Nocito during a game last season.
Millionaires face rebuilding year after losing top players BY STEVE BENNETT STAff WriTer
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Yr So. Jr. Sr. So. So. Sr. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. Jr. Jr. So. So. Jr. Jr. So. So. So. So. So. Jr. So. So. So. So. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. Jr. So. Jr. So. So. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. So. Jr. Sr. So. So. Jr. Jr. So. So. Jr.
SCOUTING One scout’s anonymous assessment of the Millionaires: “When you look at this team, it is all about the athletes. Coach Crews has done a great job with this team since he has been hired. But when you look at it, he has had the players to build around. He came in at the right time and the kids bought in to what he was selling. But if you look back to last year, they were hit hard by injuries. But at the same time, that allowed some younger kids in the program to step up and get varsity time. They may not be as dynamic on the offensive side of the ball as in years past. But when you look at what the program has coming up, they should be in really good shape. Coach Crews will get them going in the right direction.”
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hurt,” Crews said. “You have to remember, we are counting on 15-year-old kids. Some of them have been struggling through camp. They don’t understand that you have to push through. It has been interesting. We are trying to keep them excited.” Crews estimates that for more than half the roster, this is their first time going through a varsity football training camp. He expects there to be some growing pains this year, but at the same time is looking to build for the future. Crews refuses to use youth as an excuse. “They are really trying,” Crews said. “Some of them don’t know they are supposed to be sore when you go through camp. It is some growing pains. The seniors are really trying, but we don’t have enough of them. We started with six, but a couple more came out for the first time.”
Pos QB/DB RB/LB WR/DB QB/DB WR/DB WR/DB RB/LB RB/DB RB/DB TE/DE WR/DB WR/DB WR/LB TE/DE WR/DB RB/LB WR/LB RB/DB WR/DB RB/DB RB/LB RB/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB RB/DB RB/LB RB/DB K WR/DB TE/LB OL/LB OL/LB OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DE OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DE OL/DL TE/LB WR/DB
T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
The level of expectation for the Millionaires this season is quite different from last year. Williamsport entered the 2018 season as one of the favorites. With running back Trey Potts having already committed to the University of Minnesota, quarterback Joe Fagnano, who was just awarded a full scholarship at the University of Maine, and wide receiver Marcus Simmons, coach Charles Crews believed his team would be the one to beat. But the injury bug hit hard. Potts, Fagnano and Simmons were all lost for the year due to injury or illness. If there was one positive of it all, it gave Crews the opportunity to insert some younger players into the lineup to get their feet wet on the varsity level. All that leads to the 2019 season, which Crews believes will be a
rebuilding year. There is a lot of inexperience across the board. At the skill positions and up front on both sides of the ball. Dallas Griess is expected to be the starting quarterback. He threw passes in four games last year and threw for 266 yards and four touchdowns. He was intercepted three times. He also rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns. As far as running back and wide receiver, there is little varsity experience returning to speak of. Crews sees a lot of juniors and sophomores on his roster, but there is some athleticism as can always be expected with a Williamsport team. One of the big issues Crews has faced during camp is that this is the first go-around for the sophomores, and a few seniors have come out for the team for the first time. “What players we think we may have, we can’t afford for them to get
ROSTER # Name Ht/Wt 1 Dallas Griess 6-0/165 3 Malik Jones 5-10/180 4 Brock Moyer 5-10/170 5 Frankie Morrone 5-8/175 6 Damier Sams-Glover 5-3/120 7 AykeemCowen-Connelly5-8/160 8 Drake Mankey 5-9/190 9 Treyvon Eiswerth 6-0/170 10 Cameron Sims 5-8/160 11 Nassir Jones 6-2/210 12 Braedon Mazzante 5-9/160 13 Ishiye Dixon 5-10/190 14 Tarik Cobb 5-11/175 15 Avery Campbell 6-2/195 17 Gavin Turner 5-11/155 18 Chantz McCloskey 5-9/165 19 Christian Mumford 6-0/180 20 Stavon Jefferson 5-8/160 21 Damond Greene 5-8/150 22 Sebastian Robinson 5-7/150 23 Lajear Whaley 5-9/195 24 Maxwell Goode 5-11/175 25 Keith Freeman 6-0/175 27 Santino White 5-7/155 29 Nazier Smith 5-8/150 30 Roman Morrone 5-10/160 32 Ian Welshans 5-9/225 33 Edward Jefferson 5-8/165 34 Jonathan Cramer 5-11/160 36 Dylan Robbins 6-1/160 43 Naki Castro 5-8/190 50 Chase Nye 5-8/175 51 Gabriel Peterson 5-6/155 52 Dade Splain 6-1/225 54 Hunter Entz 5-6/210 55 Connor Adkins 5-10/240 56 Charles Crews 6-2/240 57 Solomon Reagan 6-2/225 58 Beau Smith 6-2/220 59 Ethan Williamson 6-2/275 61 Chris Peterson 6-2/285 62 Alexis Winder 5-7/150 63 Conner Musser 5-9/200 66 Collin Holt 6-1/230 69 Jayden Ulmer 5-8/255 72 Blake Forker 5-11/275 73 Reilly McCloskey 5-7/180 76 Joseph Heim 5-10/195 79 Andre Mullen 5-6/275 88 Garrett Laver 5-9/170 89 Austin Stugart 5-8/140
With this being the second year of the two-year cycle, the Millionaires have the advantage of playing six home games and need to hit the road just four times. Last year, Williamsport went on the road six times. The road games this year consist of trips to Central Mountain, at Berwick, at Scranton and a Week 9 trip to Wilkes-Barre Area. The trips to Central Mountain and Berwick are relatively easy ones in terms of distance.
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36 T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
WYOMING AREA WARRIORS
CLASSIFICATION: 3A
2018 RESULTS: 11-1; after a perfect regular season, the Warriors’ only loss came in the District 2 semifinals to Lakeland
COACH
Mruk healthy & ready to play
Randy Spencer 12th season 64-57 record
SCHEDULE Aug. 23 Aug. 31 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25
BY STEVE BENNETT STAFF WRITeR
One of the top rushers in the conference last season, Corey Mruk was having himself an outstanding season. He ran for 1,081 yards and 18 touchdowns. He averaged 8.0 yards per carry and averaged 13.2 yards pe r catch out of th e backfield. And in the first round of the district playoffs, it all came to an end when he suffered a severe high ankle sprain. It cost him the rest of the football season and ke pt him from wrestling as he continued the rehab process. “It was tough, but the team had to do what it had to do,” Mruk said. “They told me it would have been better if I did break my ankle. There were some micro tears in some of the ligaments.” The Warriors went on to win the first-round district game, but were eliminated in the semifinals. All Mruk could do was stand on the sidelines, cheer his teammates on and offer wo rd s o f e n c o u r a g e ment. But now he is back and ready to prove himself all over again. “I feel because I got hurt, I had a lot more time to prepare this offseason,” Mruk said. “A lot of lifting and conditioning. I feel a lot better this season than last coming into the year.”
All games 7 p.m. unless noted
BREAKDOWN This year’s schedule is certainly a step up in competition, and it all has to do with the addition of two teams from the Lackawanna Football Conference. With Wyoming Area losing GAR and Meyers from the schedule, the Warriors picked up perennial District 2 and state contenders Scranton Prep and Dunmore. Wyoming Area will be on the road for both games. One positive is that the Warriors will be able to close out the season with three consecutive home games against Holy Redeemer, Hanover Area and Pittston Area.
SCOUTING One scout’s anonymous assessment of the Warriors:
COREY MRUK GOLDeN PHOTO
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Mid Valley at Scranton Prep,1:30 p.m. at Northwest at Nanticoke Area Tunkhannock at Lake-Lehman at Dunmore Holy Redeemer Hanover Area Pittston Area
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“All the pressure is on them this year. The best thing about them this year is Scranton Prep and Dunmore are on the schedule and that will help prepare them for the playoffs, not like last year when they breezed through the regular season. You could see they weren’t ready to play Lakeland, and it showed. Injuries have been a problem with the Warriors the last two years. If this team can stay healthy, they will be dangerous. Looking forward to the Prep and Dunmore games because they are both on the road. Dom DeLuca at quarterback, he is a threat running and throwing the ball. If Corey Mruk comes back healthy with the rest of the skill kids on the perimeter, all the pieces are in place. Sammy Solomon should be the best defensive lineman in the conference as long as he keeps his head. He can’t let his emotions get the best of him. He needs to keep them in check.”
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ROSTER
GOLDEN PHOTO
Wyoming Area seniors, first row, from left, Zajquay Williamson, Darren Rodney, Enzo Scotto-Diluzio, Riley Rusyn, FJ Braccini, Charlie Banashefski, Corey Mruk, Michael Mondlak and Quadre Sessoms. Second row, Stanley Moderski, Jimmy Miller, Dillon Williams, Thomas Wycoski, Caleb Graham, Derek Ambrosino, Dante Bovani, Dominic DeLuca and Brian Williams.
WYOMING AREA WARRIORS: INSIDE THE HUDDLE Poise and discipline
Position breakdown
The Warriors have plenty QUARTERBACKS of experience returning on Veteran Dominic DeLuca the offensive and defensive headlines the depth chart. side of the ball. On offense, DeLuca is a dual threat who the skill positions are set, can throw the ball downfield
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RUNNING BACKS Another veteran group who will give teams problems with their versatility. Corey Mruk, Darren Rodney, Leonardo Haros, Zajquay Williamson, Enzo ScottoDiluzio, Vincienzo Giambra and freshman Drew Mruk will be the tailbacks. At fullback will be Sammy Solomon, Nick Elko, Dillon Williams, FJ Braccini and Colby Gashi. WIDE RECEIVERS Catching the ball from DeLuca will be Brian Williams, Riley Rusyn, Rocco
Pizano and Adam Sigman. lon Williams and Charlie Williams led the team with 25 Banashefski will be at linereceptions last year. backer. OFFENSIVE LINE Bryce Hinkle and Nasir Condry will be the centers. Rotating in and out of the guard and tackle spots will be Shawn Kostak, Dante Bovani, Jayden Rusyn, Vincent Bowers, Ryan Gilpin, Thomas Wycoski and Matt Clark. The tight ends are Derek Ambrosino, who has had a strong summer, and Caleb Graham.
SPECIAL TEAMS Josh Cumbo will kick the extra points. Jayden Rusyn will handle kicking off, DEFENSIVE LINE and DeLuca will be the Ambrosino, Dillon Wil- punter. — Steve Bennett liams, Graham, Jerrel Chepalonis and Jayden Rusyn will be the ends. At tackle will be Solomon, Bovani, Kostak, Condry and Bowers. LINEBACKERS Mruk, Braccini, Elko, Dil-
200 Wyomiing Aven nue West Pittsto on
B3Q
SECONDARY DeLuca and Jacob Williams will play free safety. Rodney, Riley Rusyn, Quadre Sessoms and Drew Mruk will be the strong safeties. Haros, Brian Williams, Williamson, Pizano and Sigman will be the corners.
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Yr Sr. Sr. So. Sr. Sr. Sr. So. Sr. So. Sr. So. So. So. Jr. Sr. So. Fr. So. Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. So. So. Sr. So. So. So. Jr. So. Sr. Jr. Jr. Jr. So. So. So. Fr. So. So. So. Jr. Jr. Jr. Sr. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. So.
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W E DNE SDA Y , A UG UST 21, 2019 37
Front and center
as well as create positive yards with his running ability. DeLuca passed for 871 yards and 16 touchdowns last season, and ran for 523 yards and nine scores. Jacob Williams and Blaise SokachMinnick will serve as the backups.
Pos RB WR WR WR RB WR WR QB WR TE WR QB RB QB WR WR RB RB RB K RB RB RB RB RB WR RB RB RB RB/T WR TE WR TE G C C T G T T C G G G G T G T G T T T WR TE TE TE WR WR RB/T K TE K WR
T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
With a veteran group, coach Randy Spencer is looking for leaders on the field as well as in the locker room. Too many times last year, whether it be a miscue, a penalty at the wrong time or the inability to capitalize on an opponent’s mistake, errors came back to haunt the team. Spencer refers to them as “self inflicted wounds.” Those are the types of things the Warriors are going to need to avoid this season. While those will be two big keys to Wyoming Area’s success this year, another is one that every coach hopes for, but has been particularly revalent at Wyoming Area: remaining healthy. The injury bug has been a common nuisance for the Warriors. Two years ago they lost their starting quarterback early in the season. Last year, the team had six season ending injuries and approximately 10 significant injuries that forced them to miss games.
and in some cases will have as many as five players on the field who have started since they were freshmen. That is the good news. What might be concerning to Spencer and the coaching staff is the offensive line. Last year, this was a veteran group; this year that will not be the case. Though the Warriors were able to get plenty of backups in games last season due to the lopsided nature of a good portion of their victories, there is a difference between getting time in the game as a reserve, as opposed to being the No. 1 guy coming out of training camp. It is that area where the Warriors will need to work the hardest. The potential is definitely there for this to be a solid unit. The group will be a little taller and heavier across the front, but it will be a matter of getting up to game speed and how well they perform as starters as opposed to coming in off the bench.
# Name Ht/Wt 1 Darren Rodney 6-0/190 2 Quadre Sessoms 6-0/205 3 Rocco Pizano 5-7/150 4 Riley Rusyn 5-10/165 5 Zajquay Williamson 5-8/160 6 Brian Williams 6-1/190 7 Nick Ross 5-6/135 9 Dominic DeLuca 6-2/200 10 Nick George 5-5/125 11 Derek Ambrosino 6-3/220 14 Usamah Alansari 5-10/160 15 BlaiseSokach-Minnick 6-3/185 16 Nico Sciandra 5-9/165 17 Jacob Williams 6-0/195 18 Michael Mondlak 5-9/165 19 Vincenzo Nova 5-5/130 21 Drew Mruk 5-11/180 22 Leonardo Haros 5-9/160 23 Corey Mruk 5-10/190 24 Sydney Kruszka 5-5/100 25 Colby Gashi 5-8/195 26 Charlie Banashefski 5-7/170 30 Vicienzo Giambra 5-7/170 35 Enzo Scotto-Diluzio 5-9/185 36 FJ Braccini 5-9/205 38 Matt Skilonger 5-7/155 40 Matt Ragantesi 5-5/140 42 Richie Hizynski 5-9/170 43 Dillon Williams 6-3/240 44/69 Nicholas Elko 6-2/275 45 Dylan Rosati 5-8/140 46 Daniel Angus 5-8/185 47 Jerrel Chepalonis 5-9/150 49 Jake Pietrowski 5-11/170 50 Dante Bovani 5-11/240 51 Bryce Hinkle 5-8/205 52 Nasir Condry 5-7/215 53 AJ Merlino 5-10/200 54 Matt Clarke 5-9/275 56 Alessandro Mannino5-10/220 57 Owen Kelly 6-3/230 58 Ethan Speece 5-11/250 59 Jayden Rusyn 6-1/230 62 Matt Pelleschi 5-7/180 63 Dustin Doria 5-9/220 64 Vincent Bowers 5-9/190 66 Shawn Kostak 6-1/235 68 Jaleem DeJesus 5-8/190 71 Thomas Wycoski 6-5/295 72 Tyler Brzozowski 5-8/250 73 Ryan Gilpin 5-10/250 74 Kameron Barber 5-8/200 79 Alex Chickson 5-10/220 80 Zach Sheridan 5-6/130 82 Michael Clark 6-1/200 85 Charlie Osenkarski 6-7/230 86 Caleb Graham 6-3/210 87 Tom Collin 5-10/165 88 Adam Sigman 5-7/140 90/76 Samuel Solomon 6-4/295 92 Stanley Moderski 5-9/200 94 Jimmy Miller 6-1/200 95 Josh Cumbo 5-7/230 99 Erik Trasciatti 5-9/150
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38 T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
WYOMING VALLEY WEST SPARTANS CLASSIFICATION: 5A
2018 RESULTS: 5-5; got wins vs. Scranton, Hazleton Area, Crestwood, Coughlin and Williamsport
Woods gets his turn with the ball
COACH Jack Baranski First season
SCHEDULE Aug. 23 Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25
BY STEVE BENNETT STAff WrITer
Brendan Woods believes his time is now. At least on the offensive side of the ball. Because from about the midway point of his sophomore season, Woods has been a mainstay at the linebacker position for the Spartans. But now he will get his turn to carry the ball. After getting four carries last season, he can expect to see his touches increase. “I figure now is the time for me to step up,” said Woods. “You just have to be patient and wait your turn. I knew the opportunity was going to come eventually.” This definitely will be the year as Jack Baranski, Valley West’s first-year coach expects to use a backfield by committee. As far as playi n g i n s i d e l i n e b a cke r, Woods has that spot locked down. He worked his way into the lineup as a sophomore and has stayed there. He recorded 84 tackles in his sophomore year and has set the goal of ending his high school career with 300. By his count, he is 126 away. “Defense has definitely been my thing the last couple of years,” Woods said. “I was able to learn a lot the last two years from the seniors. They ran everything and showed us where we were supposed to go and how a senior needs to step up. It is a lot of responsibility, but I am looking forward to it.”
All games 7 p.m. unless noted
BREAKDOWN The schedule is never easy for the Spartans. And this year is just as grueling as it typically is. With just two Class 5A teams in the district, every game has meaning. And there is not a week the Spartans can come up for air. If there is one bright spot, it’s that three of the last four games of the season are at home. To compensate for not having to leave Kingston much in the second half, Valley West plays three of its first four on the road against Scranton, Crestwood and Berwick. A Week 2 home game with Hazleton Area will be Baranski’s debut in front of the home crowd.
SCOUTING One scout’s anonymous assessment of the Spartans:
BRENDAN WOODS MArK MOrAn / STAff PHOTOGrAPHer
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at Scranton Hazleton Area at Crestwood at Berwick Dallas at Wallenpaupack Wilkes-Barre Area Abington Heights Delaware Valley at Williamsport
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“It’s going to be interesting to follow this team. (Jack) Baranski was put in a tough situation after Pat Keating resigned in June. That’s pretty late for a program like this. But the good thing is that Baranski has been a coach in the program so the kids know him and he knows them. You know they are going to have athletes and they will be put in position to make plays. With Baranski’s experience on the defensive side of the ball, you know not much is going to change. They are going to be aggressive and will make plays. Going to need to find somebody to be able to run the ball to set up the passing game. I still think they will be one of the better teams in the conference.”
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ROSTER
THE CITIZENS’ VOICE FILE
The Valley West Spartans take the field before a game last season.
WYOMING VALLEY WEST SPARTANS: INSIDE THE HUDDLE New Old Guy
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The Spartans have enough returning players where they are not completely starting over from scratch. But what Baranski is interested in finding out is how those veterans are going to perform against the stronger competition the Spartans are going to face on a weekly basis. Baranski is mainly looking to see how the group has matured since last season, as well as how they react when it is time to hit the road for those key games. Executing in the big moments is something Baranski wants to see the team get better at this year, because he belivies there were instances where that wasn’t the case last season.
Position breakdown QUARTERBACKS Dontae Rhodes will be the starter. Rhodes only attempted one pass last season, but
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Noah Anderscavage, Mark Ruskiewicz, Aiden Golightly and Evan Lord. The tackles are Brandon Tirado and Donald Messersmith. Baranski said the guards and tackles will be interchangeable this year to give certain spots a break, particularly early in RUNNING BACKS Brendan Woods, Darius the season when the weather Redguard and Zach McDan- is typically warmer. DEFENSIVE LINE iels will be a running back by S t o c h l a , E v a n s, I a n committee. Woods and McDaniels will also see time Leachey and Jayden Swainat fullback along with Josh back will be the defensive Koval. Redguard was second ends. At tackle will be Tiraon the team in rushing last do, Ja-Mir Murphy, Mooney year with 275 yards and four and Elijah Cropp. Leachey touchdowns. McDaniels and Swainbank are both rushed for 110 yards and one freshmen with tremendous upside, while Cropp is comtouchdown. ing off a knee injury. WIDE RECEIVERS Nah-Syr Garner, Nastanski, Jerimiah Williams, Salem Diop, Tyler Weidman and Josh Kennedy will be the receivers. Garner led the team with 30 catches last year, while Nastanski had 18 with two going for touchdowns.
LINEBACKERS Woods, Anderscavage, Koval, Aziz Martin and Luis Rivera will be the inside linebackers. Playing outside will be McDaniels, Redguard, Jonathan Chell and Zack Tomascick.
be Nastanski, Dominick Barofski and Conner Olisewski. Garner had a team-high five interceptions last season. SPECIAL TEAMS Baranski said the competition between Tyler Gillespie, Zach Bufano and Marcos Montoya for the kicker and punter jobs has been pretty heated over the course of training camp and was going to wait until the end to determine the starters. He did say Woods is going to be the longsnapper. — Steve Bennett
Yr Sr. Jr. So. Jr. Jr. So. So. Jr. Sr. So. Sr. Sr. So. Sr. Jr. Jr. Fr. So. So. So. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. So. So. Jr. Jr. Jr. Sr. So. Fr. So. Fr. So. Sr. So. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Sr. So. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr.
THE CITIZENS’ VOICE FILE
Nah-Syr Garner, left, had 30 catches for Valley West in
SECONDARY 2018. OFFENSIVE LINE Garner, Williams, Diop, The center will be Nate Kennedy and Weidman will Mooney. The guards are be the corners. At safety will
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has worked hard in the offseason and has a strong arm. He is an athlete, and the Spartans tend to use their best athletes at the position. Dylan Nastanski, a wide receiver by trade, will serve as the backup.
Pos WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB RB/LB WR/DB WR/DB QB/DB WR/DB QB/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB K QB WR/DB RB/LB RB/DB RB/LB RB/LB RB/LB RB/LB RB/LB TE/DE K RB/LB TE/DL RB/LB RB/LB RB/LB RB/LB TE/DL OL/DL TE/LB OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL K OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL WR/LB TE/DL RB/LB TE/DL OL/DL
T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
The biggest news around the Spartans in the offseason had nothing to do with what is going to happen on the field, it was more along the likes of who was going to orchestrate it all. When Pat Keating resigned in June, the school board turned directly to Jack Baranski to be the new head coach. Baranski has been with the program for the last 10 seasons as defensive coordinator, but did have a few years where he was calling offensive plays. Baranski’s initial meeting with the team as the head coach was a smooth one, as he just wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page. “When I first met with the team, I explained to everybody that there is a lot of stability in the coaching staff and that things are going to be all right,” Baranski said. “What made it easier was the strong senior leadership on the team.” Players like Brandon Tirado, Zach McDaniels, Brendan Woods, Donald Messersmith and Nate Mooney made it a point to take control of the weight room and to make sure the offseason conditioning
program continued to run on time. “They set the mood of the room,” Baranski said. “They lead by example and the rest of the kids follow them. The transition has been easy because of them.”
# Name Ht/Wt 1 Salem Diop 6-4/180 2 Nah-Syr Garner 6-0/170 3 Ryan Meyers 5-9/125 4 Jerimiah Williams 5-9/165 5 Darius Redguard 5-9/200 6 Patrick Meade 5-7/150 7 Conner Olisewski 5-11/155 8 Dominick Barofski 5-9/140 9 Dylan Nastanski 5-8/180 10 Monathan Scarpelli 6-1/145 11 Josh Kennedy 5-10/130 12 Jumir Johnson 6-1/155 13 Brandon Kennedy 5-7/125 14 Tyler Gillespie 6-2/200 15 Dontae Rhodes 6-0/180 16 Tyler Weidman 6-2/175 17 J’Von Gamble 5-9/150 21 Caleb Grossman 5-8/160 22 Zack Tomascik 5-8/170 23 Gavin Phillips 5-9/175 24 Aziz Martin 6-1/180 25 Luis Rivera 5-7/195 26 Zack McDaniels 5-10/190 28 Abdul Alzahrani 5-11/175 32 Zach Bufano 5-10/140 33 Colin Rood 6-2/195 34 Jonathan Stochla 6-1/190 35 Jarrett Kasarda 5-8/170 36 Makal Henderson 5-9/215 42 Brendan Woods 5-11/215 44 Josh Koval 5-11/180 45 Ian Leachey 6-2/225 50 Evan Lord 5-11/230 51 Landon Dietterick 6-0/180 52 Jayden Swainbank 6-2/180 53 Gerard Davis 5-10/275 54 Mark Raskiewicz 5-10/195 55 Nate Mooney 5-10/270 56 Mike Burke 5-9/160 58 Noah Anderscavage 6-0/210 62 Logan Strickland 6-2/325 64 Alejandro Moran 5-10/195 65 Marquesse McKenith5-10/200 66 Elijah Cropp 6-0/265 67 Marcos Montoya 6-4/185 68 Jason Pearson 6-1/175 72 Jayce Sachs 5-10/175 73 Brandon Tirado 6-1/314 74 Aiden Golightly 5-10/210 77 Donald Messersmith 6-1/303 79 Vito Donnarumma 6-3/230 87 Jonathan Chell 5-8/175 88 Joe Malloy 6-0/160 92 Davonn Ogan 6-0/180 95 Jordan Evans 6-2/195 99 Ja’Mir Murphy 6-1/270
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KICKOFF 2019: IMPACT PLAYERS Michael starbuck
by steve beNNett STAFF WRITER
Here’s a look at some additional players who are likely to make an impact on Wyoming Valley Conference fields this fall:
teagan Wilk
Berwick Senior One of the more electrifying players in the conference. Is a key factor in all three phases for the Bulldogs. Can line up on the perimeter or in the slot. Don’t be surprised to see him get some carries out of the backfield. Returns as the premier defender in the conference. Led the WVC in interceptions last season and has the ability to take one back for a touchdown. Is also a threat in the kicking game and is not afraid to take chances. Has already given a verbal commitment to East Carolina University.
Dominic DeLuca Wyoming Area Senior Will be one of the top returning overall athletes in the conference this season. Rarely leaves the field for the Warriors. As the quarterback, is a true dual threat with the ability to extend plays with his legs and get the ball down the field with his arm. In the secondary, always finds his way around the ball and can take away an opponent’s top receiver. And for good measure, he is also the team’s punter.
Dallas Senior Took over as the starting quarterback midway through his freshman season and has held the job ever since. Missed two games last year with an injury but is back to 100% heading into his senior year. Has really improved the way he reads a defense and the various coverages thrown his way. Is not afraid to tuck the ball and run when the pocket breaks down, but also is able to pick up the necessary yards on the designed QB runs. Is not afraid of contact, and is often the one THE CITIZENS’ VOICE FILE who delivers the first blow. Berwick all-purpose threat Teagan Wilk has committed
matchup problem on the outside, and when he gets the ball on the sweep is difficult to catch after getting a running start. He is a major impact player in the kicking game whether it be on punt or kick returns. If teams do elect to kick to him, they take the chance of paying the price. Really is a factor in changing the field position game.
Luke DelGaudio
film from his junior year. Still has all the tools to be a top notch defensive lineman. Has the ability to play with a high motor but at times needs to keep his emotions in check. A healthy Solomon will make Wyoming Area’s defense one of the best around.
Rafael McCoy Wilkes-Barre Area Senior The speedster will certainly be a focal point of the offense. There are lots of ways to get the ball in his hands, and it is certain the coaching staff will try to use his abilities on the offensive side of the ball. Don’t sleep on him on defense. Can cover a lot of ground and rarely gets beat.
Dallas Senior His size alone makes him an intriguing target in the passing game, which has expanded over the years under head coach Rich Mannello. Has the ability to go up and get the ball, and is not afraid to play college football for East Carolina and is poised to catch the ball in traffic. Nah-syr Garner to be one of the Wyoming Valley Conference’s top play- Is quick for his size, which Valley West ethan Adams makes him tough to defend. ers this season. Junior Lake-Lehman On defense he rarely gets Junior Was one of those playThere have been thoughts brandon Niemenski beat deep and finds a way to ers who flew under the raThe quarterback has been of him playing outside linestick his head in the middle Crestwood dar last year, but when you backer this year. Has already of things when it comes time making a name for himself Senior looked at the end of year across the state in terms given a verbal commitment to provide help in the run Spent the early part of his stats, realized Garner had of player rankings. Has a to UConn. game. career lining up at wide rehimself quite a season. strong arm and it appears Keanu Ammons sammy solomon ceiver, but will now switch to Led the Spartans in reas if this is the year he will his natural position at tight Nanticoke Area Wyoming Area ceptions with 30 for 321 be able to show it up. Has Senior Senior yards and two touchdowns. end going forward. At 6-foota solid understanding of the 6, will be the premier red Averaged 10.7 yards per With the ball in his hands, Returns for his senior year defense and can read and zone target in the confercatch. A true ball hawk it is fun to watch Ammons after an injury curtailed most diagnose coverages and difence. Will be difficult to find play a game of ‘catch him if in the secondary, Garner of his junior season. Entered ferent blitz packages. Along used his quickness to jump a defender that will be able you can.’ An explosive playwith his arm, is a threat his junior year with several to cover him. Has the abilroutes and his overall ather who is a threat to take when he runs the ball as he Division I offers and spent letic ability to lock his man ity to go up and get the ball the ball to the end zone any the summer on the camp averaged 4.5 yards per carry over anybody trying to cover down. As the season protime he touches it. Though last year and rushed for four circuit. What has hurt him him. Can play with some gressed teams grew wary he plays wide receiver, the touchdowns. up to this point is a lack of physicality that will help the of throwing his way as his Trojans find a way to get team-best five interceptions Crestwood offense when he him involved in the offense stays in as an extra blocker. as much as possible. Is a would indicate.
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KICKOFF 2019: RULE CHANGES BY STEVE BENNETT STAFF WRITER
As with any new season, the National Federation of High School Sports, the governing body of high school sports across the country, adopts new rules mainly in the best interest of player safety. This year is no different. There are a new set of rules put in place, but maybe the biggest change will be the adoption of the 40-second play clock. But that does not mean the 25-second play clock is completely going away. There will be some instances where officials will put 25 seconds on the clock. It also means the clock operator up in the press box is going to have to be on his toes. “After a score, the end of a period, an official timeout or penalty enforcement, we will be going on a 25-second play clock,” said veteran referee Chuck Suppon, who will be entering his 31st season as an official. “What it basically is doing is bringing more consistency for teams.” An example of this would be if a runner picks up eight yards and is tackled, the official will come in to make sure the ball isn’t loose. He will then pause for a second or two and raise a hand, and as soon as the hand is raised, the clock operator will set the clock at 40 seconds.
A legal scrimmage formation now requires at least five offensive players on the line of scrimmage with no more than four backs. The change is designed to make it easier to identify legal and illegal offensive formations. “There must be five on the line wearing numbers 50 to 79, and not more than four backs” Suppon said. “The easiest thing to do is find out how many are in the backfield. If it is five it is a flag.” Tripping a runner is no longer allowed, and if a defender is flagged for tripping it will be a 15-yard penalty. This is one of the rules designed to increase the safety of a player. “In the past you were allowed to trip the runner,” Suppon said. “The NFHS showed a couple of moves where a runner broke in the open and the trailing player, instead of diving, leg-whipped the runner. One kid had his leg broken and the other tore up his ACL.” There has been an addition to the horse-collar tackle that now expands to grabbing the back of the jersey where the name plate area is. “Not all high school jerseys have names on the back,” Suppon said. “If the runner is grabbed and pulled back or to the side it is a horse-collar. If a player grabs the horse-collar
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“If you are in that zone, you can be blocked below the waist as long as the ball is in the zone,” Suppon said. “The one that coaches question is
on the outside. Any part of the body, it could even be a foot, if you feel it is within the four-yard zone he is in the zone.”
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penalty to 10 yards. As far as the free blocking zone, it is four yards down the line of scrimmage and three yards back and forward.
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and the runner falls forward it is not a foul.” The infraction for illegally kicking or batting the ball was reduced from a 15-yard
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KICKOFF 2019: RADIO AND TV RADIO Max 102 FM Aug. 23: Mid Valley at Wyoming Area, 7 p.m. Aug. 24: Dunmore at Scranton Prep, 2:30 p.m. Aug. 30: Crestwood at Dallas, 7 p.m. Aug. 31: Wyoming Area at Scranton Prep, 1:30 p.m. Sept. 6: West Scranton at Valley View, 7 p.m. Sept. 13: Abington Heights at North Pocono, 7 p.m. Sept. 20: Dallas at Valley West, 7 p.m. Sept. 27: Wyoming Area at Lake-Lehman, 7 p.m. Oct. 4: Wilkes-Barre Area at Valley West, 7 p.m. Oct. 11: Dallas at Valley View, 7 p.m. Oct. 18: Berwick at Dallas, 7 p.m. Oct. 25: Lake-Lehman at Dallas, 7 p.m. WHLM; FM 94.7 p.m., 104.3, 105.5, AM 930 and 1280 The Coach DeFrancesco Show, 6 p.m. Aug. 23: Mount Carmel at Central Columbia, 7 p.m. Aug. 24: Berwick at Abington Heights, 1:30 p.m. Aug. 30: Berwick at Pittston Area, 6:30 p.m. Aug. 31: Mount Carmel at Southern Columbia, 7 p.m. Sept. 6: Williamsport at Berwick, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 13: Valley West at Berwick, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 20: Selinsgrove at Berwick, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 27: Berwick at Valley View, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 28: Sayre at Columbia Montour Vo-Tech, 1 Oct. 4: Hazleton Area at Berwick, 6:30 p.m. Oct. 11: Berwick at Crestwood, 6:30 p.m. Oct. 25: Wilkes-Barre Area at Berwick, 6:30 p.m. WHLM AM 930 and whlm.com The Friday Football Commute, 6 Aug. 30: Loyalsock at Danville, 7 p.m. Sept. 6: Southern Columbia at Selinsgrove, 7 p.m. Sept. 13: Southern Columbia at Shamokin, 7 p.m. Sept. 20: Central Columbia at Southern Columbia, 7 p.m. Sept. 27 p.m.: Danville at Central Columbia, 7 p.m. Oct. 4: Bloomsburg at Warrior Run, 7 p.m. Oct.11: Hughesville at Bloomsburg, 7 p.m. Oct. 18: Danville at Selinsgrove, 7 p.m.
Oct. 25: Central Columbia at Bloomsburg, 7 p.m. ESPN RADIO Aug. 23: Valley West at Scranton, 7 p.m. Aug. 24: Dunmore at Scranton Prep, 2:30 p.m. Aug. 30: Scranton at Wilkes-Barre Area, 7 p.m. Aug. 31: Wyoming Area at Scranton Prep, 1:30pm Sept. 6: Montrose at Lackawanna Trail, 7 p.m. Sept. 7: Scranton Prep at Abington Heights 1 p.m. Sept. 13: Lakeland at West Scranton, 7 p.m. Sept. 14: Valley View at Scranton Prep, 2:30 p.m. Sept. 20: Scranton Prep at West Scranton, 7 p.m. Sept. 21: Scranton at Abington Heights 1 p.m. Sept. 27: Scranton Prep at North Pocono, 7 p.m. Sept. 28: Honesdale at Abington Heights, 1 p.m. Oct. 4: West Scranton at Scranton, 7 p.m. Oct. 5: Honesdale at Scranton Prep, 7 p.m. Oct. 11: Old Forge at Riverside, 7 p.m. Oct. 12: Pittston Area at Scranton Prep, 1:30 p.m. Oct. 18: Scranton Prep at Lakeland, 7 p.m. Oct. 19: West Scranton at Abington Heights, 1 p.m. Oct. 25: Scranton Prep at Western Wayne, 7 p.m.
TELEVISION WQMY, My TV Aug. 23: West Scranton at North Pocono, 7 p.m. Aug. 30: Hazleton Area at Valley West, 7 p.m. Sept. 6: Pittston Area at Tunkhannock, 7 p.m.
Sept. 13: Hughesville at Central Columbia, 7 p.m. Sept. 20: Montoursville at Loyalsock, 7 p.m. Sept. 27: Berwick at Valley View, 7 p.m. Oct. 4: Lackawanna Trail at Old Forge, 7 p.m. Oct. 11: Wilkes-Barre Area at Wallenpaupack, 7 p.m. Oct. 18: Berwick at Dallas, 7 p.m. Oct. 25: Lakeland at Dunmore, 7 p.m.
PCN Aug. 23: Harrisburg at Coatesville, 7 p.m. Aug. 30: Bethlehem Catholic at Bethlehem Freedom, 7 p.m. WYLN Sept. 6: Manheim Central Aug. 23: Wilkes-Barre Area at Warwick, 7 p.m. Sept. 13: East Stroudsat Crestwood, 7 p.m. burg South at Stroudsburg, Aug. 30: Open date Sept. 6: Dallas at Hazleton 7 p.m. Sept. 20: Quaker Valley at Area, 7 p.m. Sept. 13: Nativity at Maha- Elizabeth Forward, 7 p.m. noy Area, 7 p.m. Sept. 27: Pine-Richland at Sept. 20: Wilkes-Barre Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Area at Hazleton Area, 7 7 p.m. p.m. Oct. 4: Hazleton Area at Berwick, 7 p.m. Sept. 27: Delaware Valley Oct. 11: Archbishop Wood at Hazleton Area, 7 p.m. at St. Joe’s Prep, 8 p.m. Oct. 4: Hazleton Area at Oct. 18: Bloomsburg at Berwick, 7 p.m. Oct. 11: Scranton at Hazle- Mount Carmel, 7 p.m. Oct. 25: Emmaus at Parkton Area, 7 p.m. Oct. 18: Wallenpaupack at land, 7 p.m. Hazleton Area, 7 p.m. Oct. 25: Hazleton Area at Crestwood, 7 p.m. HAVE A Service Electric Channel 2 Aug. 23: Athens at Hanover Area, 7 p.m. Aug. 30: Scranton at Wilkes-Barre Area, 7 p.m. Aug. 31: Northwest at Holy Redeemer, 1 p.m. Sept. 6: Valley West at Crestwood, 7 p.m. Sept. 7: Mahanoy Area at Holy Redeemer, 1 p.m. Sept. 13: Delaware Valley at Wilkes-Barre Area, 7 p.m. Sept. 20: Dallas at Valley West, 7 p.m.
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KICKOFF 2019: THE CITIZENS’ VOICE WVC FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE
I
t’s not officially football season until you participate in a fantasy football draft. Here in The Citizens’ Voice sports department, we’re no different. Recently, we held our 19th annual draft for a league comprised of some of the top talent in the Wyoming Valley Conference. Once again, it was an interesting evening. Lots of studying, a few cheat sheets and lots of scribbling off and circling the names of some of the premiere football players in the WVC Eric Shultz is the defending champ, knocking off sports editor Tony Maluso in last year’s championship game. Steve Bennett edged out Matt Bufano in the third-place game. The rules remain the same and we drafted in reverse order of last year’s standings, meaning Bufano had the first overall pick. Bennett went second followed by Maluso and Shultz. It was a snake draft, and Shultz made his selections with the championship belt right by his side. So with all that said, here is how the draft went. Bufano had all the pressure with the No. 1 pick:
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letic target to catch the ball from Starbuck. Has the Second round speed to beat his defendES: Dom DeLuca, quarers and is not afraid to catch terback, Wyoming Area: the ball over the middle. If Solid pick by Shultz to start he gets by the secondary, the second round. DeLuca chances are he is handing is one of the top returning the ball to the official in the quarterbacks in the conferend zone. ence. Can hurt teams with SB: Rafael McCoy, wide his arm and his feet. receiver, Wilkes-Barre Area: TM: Michael Starbuck, The first player from the quarterback, Dallas: Another Wolfpack to ever be selectveteran signal caller for one ed. Has the speed on the of the teams that are a seri- outside to beat his defendous contender in Class 4A. er deep. Can catch the ball Can extend plays with his over the middle and could legs and has plenty of weappossibly be involved in the ons to pick from on the perunning game. rimeter. TM: Keanu Ammons. wide SB: Ryan Laubach, quarreceiver, Nanticoke Area: terback, Berwick: Showed Another speedster who will a great understanding of be a factor in the passing the offense late in the year. game. With an experienced Should carry over to this season. Another quarterback quarterback, Ammons could with plenty of players to pick be in store for a big season. Is also a threat on special THE CITIZENS’ VOICE FILE from on the offensive side of teams. Look for him to touch Dallas running back Lenny Kelley was the first overall pick the 2019 Citizens’ Voice the ball. the ball quite a bit. MB: Brandon Niemenski, WVC Fantasy Football League. ES: Andrew Krawczyk, Crestwood, flex: Bufano top players in the conferto put up a lot of points this gets his flex player out of the wide receiver, Pittston Area: First round ence on either side of the season. way early. Another solid pick. Might be one of the most MB: Lenny Kelley, running ball. Will be getting the ball underrated receivers in the ES: Zack Kojadinovich, The 6-foot-6 UConn verbal back, Dallas: Just a solid all in a variety of ways this year. conference. He can make running back, Lake-Lehmcommit will be an attractive around runner. Will be the Is always capable of making an: Never a bad pick to target when the Comets get all the catches, and is refeatured back in an offense the big play. ally good on third down. Has take a running back from in the red zone. that looks to always estabTM: Corey Mruk, running been with quarterback Mike Lake-Lehman. Even though Third round lish the run. back, Wyoming Area: A rethe Black Knights are lookNocito since their mini-footSB: Teagan Wilk, wide returning 1,000-yard rusher in ing to open things up a bit MB: Luke DelGaudio, wide ball days, so the connection more, look for them to still receiver, Dallas: A tall, athan offense that is expected ceiver, Berwick: One of the is there.
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KICKOFF 2019: THE CITIZENS’ VOICE WVC FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE
DRAFT: Late round gems are found From page 44
Fourth round ES: Gavin D’Amato, running back, Tunkhannock: Shultz digs deep into his wrestling coverage and pulls D’amato to slot in at running back. a tough kid who can get all the tough yards. rarely goes down after the first hit. Should be a threat on the goal line. potential for a lot of points here. TM: Aiden Mason, running back, Berwick: Coming off a solid freshman year, mason will be the featured back for the Dawgs in new head coach Carmen DeFrancesco’s offense. Quick feet and has that extra burst. SB: Brendan Woods, running back, Valley West: The Spartans always have a running back or two. Here is hoping new coach Jack Baranski gives Woods the ball quite a bit this year. MB: Ryan Eiden, running back, Lake-Lehman: With two Lake-Lehman backs now off the board, Bufano and Schultz aren’t buying in to coach Jerry gilsky telling people he is going to open things up. eiden averaged 8.8 yards per carry and scored four touchdowns on the ground last year.
2019: 2018: 2017: 2016: 2015: 2014: 2013: 2012: 2011: 2010: 2009: 2008: 2007: 2006: 2005: 2004: 2003: 2002: 2001:
Past No. 1 overall selections
Lenny Kelley, RB, Dallas Trey Potts, RB, Williamsport Janssen Wilborn, QB, Meyers Sean Judge, RB, Valley West Tanner Kahlau, RB, Crestwood Frank Aigeldinger, RB, Crestwood Dustin Jones, RB, Lake-Lehman Nick O’Brien, QB, Wyoming Area Eugene Lewis, QB, Valley West Kurtis Thomas, RB, GAR Tomas Cabrera, WR, Hanover Area Ryan Womack, RB, GAR Gordon Law, QB, Berwick Harry Reese, RB, Valley West Brant Quick, RB, Berwick Brian Ostrowsky, RB, Bishop Hoban Joe Marianacci, RB, Wyoming Area Darrell Blackman, RB, Williamsport Darrell Blackman, RB, Williamsport
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has extended his distance from a year ago, so if the TiES: Shawn Sheptock, wide receiver, Berwick: Shultz likes gers can get the ball inside the 45, montross gives them speedy wide receivers and a shot at getting points. he gets another one here. If TM: Casey Kaminski, wide teams concentrate too much receiver, Lake-Lehman: maluon Wilk, Sheptock has the poso follows Bufano’s lead tential to have a big year. on this whole Lake-Lehman TM: Nah-Syr Garner, wide passing deal and goes with receiver, Valley West: anoththe veteran receiver who er wideout with game-breakshould be catching most of ing speed. Led the Spartans those passes. in receptions with 30 and avES: Berwick defense. The eraged 10.2 yards per catch. Dawgs are big, physical, agCertainly a player to keep an gressive, nasty and more imeye on. portantly angry. all the qualiSB: Wyoming Area defense. ties you would expect from a The Warriors are expected to Berwick defense. be a contender in Class 3a Eighth round this year. and the schedule, Fifth round well, kind of indicates the WarES: Jack Wessler, Kicker, MB: Ryan Fisher, K, Dallas: riors have the potential to be Northwest: another long range pretty good on the defensive Had two of the biggest kicks kicker who has been doing it side of the ball. of the year in 2018. Both since he was a freshman. Has MB: Brian Williams, wide were enough to beat Berwick. some distance to his leg that With Bufano expecting Dallas receiver, Wyoming Area: Buwill give the rangers a chance to score a lot of points this fano really likes his Warriors at points if the offense stalls. year, Fisher will get his paT op- and he gets a good one here. Lon Hazlet is not afraid to run portunities. He is also pretty Just a solid, fundamental foot- him out there. consistent on field goals. ball player. Knows the routes, TM: Luke Russo, Kicker, HaSB: Lance Johnson, running where to break them off and zleton Area: mike Brennan is back, Hazleton Area: Well, can catch the ball. all the not afraid to go for the three somebody has to fill the void things you want in a receiver. points if necessary. Hazleton after Damon Horton graduatarea has always been pretty Seventh round ed and Johnson is expected to solid in the kicking game and MB: Ethan Adams, quarbe that guy. rushed for three russo will be no different. touchdowns and 267 yards last terback, Lake-Lehman: after SB: Jack Farrell, flex, Dalsix rounds of thinking about year. as his role expands his las: The tight end can do overall numbers should, as well. it, Bufano realizes that gilsky more than block. He can might be telling the truth and TM: Dallas defense: maluso catch passes, run people over takes the Lehman QB. He goes off the board and is the and score touchdowns. first to take a defense. This is a did throw for 12 touchdowns MB: Pittston Area defense. veteran group that has played a last year and averaged 13.7 Bufano wraps up the draft by lot of varsity football since they yards per completion. If the selecting a scrappy pittston Black Knights do start throw- area defense. The patriots are were freshmen. ing, the ball will be in capaES: Malachi Williams, wide in the third-year of coach Nick ble hands. receiver, Wilkes-Barre Area: Barbieri’s system. If the deSB: Jaxson Montross, kick- fensive front holds up its end Lined up opposite of mcCoy er, Tunkhannock: He didn’t on the perimeter, Williams has of the bargain the linebackers kick an extra point last year speed as well as good hands. and secondary will be able to but did have four field goals If he gets open in space, he is do its thing. with a long of 42 yards. He — Steve Bennett gone.
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CLEANUP FOR
W E DNE SDA Y , A UG UST 21, 2019
46 T HE C IT IZE NS' V O IC E
LACKAWANNA FOOTBALL CONFERENCE PREVIEW
Valley View expected to be strong again BY JOBY FAWCETT STAFF WRITER
Seasons come and go, yet, every year it seems the contenders for division titles remain constant. This is the second year of a two-year cycle and the second with the Lackawanna Football Conference aligning with four divisions made up of five teams. Next year, the LFC’s landscape could look much different. The new enrollment numbers will be released and the PIAA Power Rating policy that will be implemented could move teams from their classification based on success rate. For now, the preseason favorites as chosen by a poll of coaches list some familiar names. In Division I, Wallenpaupack rose to the challenge in 2018 and climbed to the top. The Buckhorns won the title despite not being favored, and went on to win the District 2 Class 5A championship. However, Wallenpaupack must replace the majority of its lineup, many of whom were three-year starters. So, Delaware Valley, which won the District 2 Class 6A crown with a roster that featured several underclassmen, is picked to win this season. In Division II, Valley Vi e w e n d e d S c r a n t o n Prep’s reign last season and enters this year favored to repeat. Scranton Prep isn’t going away, however. The Cavaliers received strong consider-
ation to return to the top of the division. The division could be decided early when these two powerhouses meet Sept. 14. Lakeland captured the Division III title last season with a regular-season win over Dunmore that snapped the program’s 46-game division winning streak. The division coaches feel Dunmore will reverse that outcome, but give the Chiefs strong consideration to repeat. In Division IV, Old Forge won its ninth LFC division title since 2006 by handing Lackawanna Trail its only loss in the regular season. The Lions made it all the way to the PIAA Class A title game. Both teams are rated as viable contenders in the state playoff picture, as well.
DIVISION I Favorite: Delaware Valley The Warriors return the top offensive player in running back Josh Balcarcel and the best defensive player in linebacker Jason Henderson, giving them the clear edge over the other division teams. Delaware Valley also has the bulk of its offensive line back, along with quarterback Zach Scillia, deep threat Jawon Foushee, receiver Mark Callanan and tight end Hunter Klein. Preston Machado, Matt Studsrud and Joe Casella give the Warriors three play makers on defense. Could surprise: Abington Heights Two years removed from winning the District 2 Class 5A championship, the Comets won only one division game in those seasons. But they return All-Region receiver Corey Perkins and LFC all-star defensive end Mike Malone. They are winners, helping the Comets win the PIAA Class 5A basketball title two years ago. Player to watch: Jacob Owens, North Pocono Has been a fixture in the Trojans’ lineup since his sophomore season. The rugged linebacker has a nose for the ball and is a powerful running back and deceptively fast. Could keep North Pocono in contention all season.
BELLES
DIVISION II Favorite: Valley View As is the case in any year that follows a championship season, there are holes to fill left by impact players and a pair of Players of the Year. But the Cougars had depth last season and some of that talent pool is back. QB Janaasah Boone is considered the most dynamic player in the LFC. He is coming off an all-state season where he led the Cougars to a second straight District 2 Class 4A crown. The Cougars also have a pair of bruising front line players in Cyler Rozina and John Shnipes. Defensively, they will be led by linebacker Ryan Turlip. And if tight end Dylan Howanitz returns at 100%, he will be a difficult matchup for any team. Could surprise: West Scranton Last season, when the Invaders were at full strength both mentally and physically, they were a tough matchup for any team, including Valley View in the regular season. Kevin Williams is a powerful running back with good speed. Mason Spano is a physical player who can really dominate defensively. Fushawn Liggins is a returning LFC Division II all-star on the defensive line. West Scranton must navigate through a very challenging first half where it will play three defending District 2 champions.
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DIVISION III Favorite: Dunmore The Bucks begin a new era under the guidance of first-year head coach Kevin McHale. All-around athlete and quarterback Steve Borgia returns as a three-year starter. Joining him in the backfield are breakaway runners Cristian Buckley and Rayshaun Dawkins. Charles Valvano is a returning two-way starter who earned all-star honors on defense last season. In what will be a change from the last few seasons, however, the Bucks will be inexperienced up front with only Seamus Cadden returning. Could surprise: Riverside Made headway last season in coach Harry Armstrong’s return. The Vikings will likely throw the ball all over the field, run no-huddle, and keep the pace up-tempo with starting quarterback Johnny Gilchrist and receiver Razen Reyes. Riverside must find a way to pull even with Dunmore and Lakeland, who beat the Vikings by a combined 89-13 last season.
Player to watch: Carter Odell, Scranton Prep
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Player to watch: C.J. Dippre, Lakeland. A lot of college recruiters will be watch-
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Was part of the Cavaliers’ explosive passing game, hauling in 16 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns. He is also coming off an outstanding spring as a sprinter for the track and field team.
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ing, too. Dippre has scholarship offers from Boston College and Ball State. He’s a physical specimen, and if he develops more as a passer, could be dominant. DIVISION IV Favorite: Old Forge With quarterback Dante Lucarelli entering his third season as a starter, the Blue Devils have a solid leader. Lucarelli lost his top three receivers to graduation, but the Blue Devils welcome back their top four rushers, including Kevin Pepsin. As always, Old Forge will be physical on defense, led by linebacker Colin Holzman. Could surprise: Susquehanna It’s going to take the Sabers a little while to get their feet beneath them with several new starters. However, they have some talent returning and will receive an infusion of freshmen who had a successful 2018. Plus, it is always a challenge for teams to travel and play on a Saturday afternoon. Player to watch: Ray Melnikoff, FB-LB, Lackawanna Trail It isn’t easy to help lead a team to the state final, but Melnikoff did that as a sophomore with his bruising running and aggressive defensive style. He lost several important teammates to graduation, but winning breeds winning.
Contact the writer: jbfawcett@timesshamrock.com
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48 THE CITIZENS' VOICE
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