By Mike McLaughlin
After losing eight starters on each side of the ball last year, the football team has looked to returning starters and many new young players to make plays for the team.
“We need other kids to make plays this year,” Coach Jim Wehner said.
Wehner also said he expects a lot this year from his quarterbacks, Doug Altavilla and Luke Smorey. Other key players this year include Gary Jackson, D’Andre Andres, Todd Zandier, Nick Barca, and star running back Dorian Brown.
So far this year Wehner said that he has been particularly happy with the performances out of Brown, Smorey, and Jay Morrison.
Wehner said that their game plan this year has been the same as last year, with a Division One-type tailback in Brown. However, he said the team will “tweak strategy to personnel.”
Brown set lofty goals for the year.
I want to be a first team all-conference running back and run for 2,000 yards this year,” he said.
Brown also noted that he has learned a lot from being the running back the two previous seasons. He said that one of the keys to having a successful year is to not make any mental mistakes.
Brown’s off-season training consisted of speed and agility workouts, as well as lifting for more repetitions instead of more weight, which he thinks will help him have a better year.
Wehner said that the most important game remaining is always “the next one,” meaning that they have to take it week by week and can’t think too far ahead.
“The strong points this year are how, game to game, we battle,” Wehner said.
“Our goal every year is to make the playoffs, even with the conference getting tougher,” Wehner said.
The toughest defeat so far this season was the same as last year, the loss to Peters Township, he said. The toughest challenge this year has been competing in the best conference, Quad A.
The team captains for this year are Brown, Zandier, and Andrews, and they are expected to provide leadership for the team.
As for traditions, after every win they give a player of the game, and they have stickers for players’ helmets for when they accomplish certain goals.
