Stambaugh has talked to his quarterback, confirms he's in Tennessee

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/ FROM KEITH GROLLER Pius X football coach Phil Stambaugh said on Thursday morning that he has talked to A.J. Long and his record-breaking quarterback is, indeed, in Tennessee. He has been there for nearly two weeks now. But he's apparently not at the school that we thought. Stambaugh said he believes he is at Friendship Christian in Lebanon, Tenn. "I had a brief conversation with him," Stambaugh said. "I just wanted to make sure he was OK, that he was safe. It's a delicate situation. I don't want to say anything more because it's a family issue and it's personal. I don't know if he has officially enrolled down there or not, and at this point, it's none of my business." Stambaugh said he'd welcome Long back withouthard feelings if he returned to the Lehigh Valley, but he's determined to move forward with the kids he knows he has in his program. Right now he is looking for candidates to replace Long at quarterback with rising senior Aaron Savelli in the lead role at the moment. "It's important for the other quarterbacks in our program to know that I am not asking them to replace A.J.," Stambaugh said. "I am just asking them to do the best they can. Aaron played some wide receiver last year and was our punter. He had been our JV quarterback. He has an understanding of the offense. We were just getting him ready to be our backup before this all went down. I feel confident he'll be able to get the job done." As for any other possible departures, Stambaugh said he doesn't expect any. "I talked to my juniors and seniors and every indication is that they're all coming back," Stambaugh said. "The emphasis now is on moving forward. Whether A.J. comes back or not, the season is coming fast and we've got to prepare for it. If A.J. comes back, he'll be our quarterback. But we've got to prepare as though we're not going to have him."