Colonial League: Football preview capsules

http://www.mcall.com/sports/football/mc-colonial-football-capsules-tab-20120825,0,4000025.story FROM THE MORNING CALL BANGOR •Coach: Frank Scagliotta (7th year at Bangor, 27-37; 168-119-2 overall) •Last year: 7-4 overall, 7-3 CL; lost to Pottsville in District 11 3A semifinals. •Impact players: Sr. QB Ryan Hudock; Sr. FB-LB Josh Pensyl; So. WR-FS Shavaughn Morris; Sr. C-DT Tyler Setzer; Jr. T-DT Logan Matthews; Sr. RB-SS Tim Vicario; Sr. DE Mike Clarke; Sr. T-DT Andrew Lumsden; Sr. DE Brett Albinson; Sr. TE-DT Brett Sanders; Jr. WR-CB Jryi Davis. •Bye team: Palisades. •Biggest question: Can a rebuilt offensive line, quarterback and new committee of running backs lead to a consistent offensive attack? •Outlook: The Slaters have some good returning talent on defense , led by Pensyl, who missed the second half of last season with a knee injury, Clarke and Vicario. There are a lot of skill players capable of making an impact, including Vicario, Morris, Davis, Phil Vass and Elonn Plummer. But Hudock will have to show some consistency behind a new offensive line. There is plenty of talent here to believe they will contend again for a playoff berth. "Ryan has to perform," Scagliotta said of Hudock, who took over the starting job midway through last season. "If he doesn't perform, we'll have to get somebody else. "As far as running back, we lost Josh Wing, but right now I think I've got five guys who can replace him. It's going to take five guys to replace what he did." CATASAUQUA •Coach: Tom Falzone (4th year, 22-15) •Last year: 8-4, 7-3; beat Northampton in its annual Thanksgiving Day game. •Impact players: Jr. TB-LB Ra'Von Burton; Sr. WR-DB Alex Parker; Sr. OL-DL Zach Labezius; Sr. WR-SS Eric Matz; Jr. QB Zack Bradley; Sr. TE-LB Zach Stopay; Jr. WR-FS Paryss Marshall; Jr. T-LB Jared Nosal; Sr. DT Donald Hunter; Jr. WR Jacob Stopay; Sr. DB Jimmy Deily. •Bye team: Notre Dame-GP. •Biggest question: Can Bradley step into the quarterback spot and take advantage of the athletic talent surrounding him? •Outlook: The Rough Riders don't have a lot of depth, so losing two returning starters (Shakur Lester and Tony Harris) to transfer hurts. But there is a lot of athletic ability here to pressure opposing defenses on every snap. Burton should be the anchor of that talented group. He figures to get a lot of touches on offense this season. There is a large crop of receivers who could spread a defense and make it easier for the undersized offensive linemen to create cracks for Burton, Parker, Matz, Marshall and the Stopays. They should be very exciting to watch and have a chance at a fourth consecutive playoff appearance. NORTHERN LEHIGH •Coach: Joe Tout (7th year, 51-20) •Last year: 10-2, 9-1; beat North Schuylkill in District 11 2A semifinals; lost to Pen Argyl in district final. •Impact players: Sr. TE-LB Caleb Johnson; Sr. G-LB Kris Seiler; Sr. FL-P Darien Middaugh; Sr. QB-RB-SS Danny Marsh; Sr. G-C Dustin Henritzy; Sr. FB-DE Antoine Davis; Jr. G-DT Jake Moser; So. TB-FS Nate Farber; Jr. QB-CB Chance DeLong; Jr. TE-LB Stephen Ingles; Jr. T-DE Nick Buresh; Sr. DT Zach Feifel; Jr. TE-DE Theo Young. •Bye team: Wilson. •Biggest question: Can a new crop of offensive skill players generate enough offense to keep the defense off the field ? •Outlook: Tout has a pretty solid returning group of offensive linemen in Seiler, Moser, Henritzy, Nick Buresh and Tyler Werley. Cody Bowman steps in at center. Fresh faces are behind them, including Davis, who transferred last year from Trenton, N.J., Marsh, DeLong and Farber. Middaugh leads the receivers with a stronger work ethic. Johnson and Seiler move from the front line to inside linebacker to anchor the defense. Marsh moves to strong safety and Ingles shifts to linebacker. Unlike last season, several linemen will be asked to play both ways. That could be a factor late in games. But there is no reason to think the Bulldogs won't contend again. "Last year's players were gamers," Tout said. "Thursday, we had practices that didn't look good, but then Friday they came out and played great. That was a different group. Now, who are our leaders? Caleb is a natural as a Division I kid. I hope there are more." NORTHWESTERN •Coach: Josh Snyder (1st year) •Last year: 5-5. •Impact players: Sr. RB-WR-LB Mason Schuler; Jr. TE Justin Betz; So. QB Frank Dangello; Jr. OL-DL Max Storm; So. RB Cam Richardson; Jr. G Chris Snyder; So. G George Haddad; Jr. G Alex Partington, So. T Zane Struss; Jr. C Jake Najarian; Jr. WR Alex Bobbyn. •Bye team: Saucon Valley. •Biggest question: Can another group of inexperienced linemen develop fast enough to have the Tigers in the playoff hunt again entering Week 10? •Outlook: The essentials won't change. There will continue to be a shift from the Wing-T philosophies toward a more open offensive attack and a 4-4 base defense is the call in Snyder's first year. With just 38 players on the roster, including eight freshmen and just four seniors, it is an ideal teaching situation for Snyder, though winning a lot of games may be tough with so much inexperience. An entirely new offensive line and backfield are in place, led by Dangello. Senior Mason Schuler is the only returning offensive starter. Schuler, Betz and Storm are the only returning defensive starters. Snyder, Haddad, Partington, Storm, Struss and Betz (TE) are among the top offensive linemen. Richardson could step in for the graduated Ty Cunningham and Payton Bachman in the backfield. If the Tigers get to the regular-season finale again with a shot at a playoff berth, then Snyder has done a really good job. NOTRE DAME-GP •Coach: Chuck Muller (4th year, 4-26) •Last year: 3-7. •Impact players: Jr. QB Kordeal Theadford; Sr. RG-DL Mike Williams; LG Mike Turnbach; LT Forrest Thompson; C Brandon Jones; WR-S Noah Miller; RB-DE Juvany Georges; LB Stanton Santos; LB Chris DeGaetano; SB-CB Jimmy Federico; Jr. RB-LB Reggie Carter; So. RB Trey Watson; So. RB Joey Fedrezzi; Jr. WR Jahun Ford; Sr. OL-DL Dylan Pianto. •Bye team: Catasauqua. •Biggest question: Who picks up the running slack left by the graduated Kyree Bowles and Dysean Alexander? •Outlook: The Crusaders have made progress in Muller's tenure. He believes this team is capable of taking the next step, threatening the .500 mark and putting itself in position for a playoff berth. They are experienced at quarterback and on the offensive line. There are five returning defensive starters and a few transfers (Carter, Ford, Pianto) expected to plug holes, particularly at the offensive skill positions. "We'll know right away where we stand," Muller said of the first month of games which include Northern Lehigh, Pen Argyl and Bangor on consecutive weeks. "I like this team." He's hoping to love the foursome trying to step in for Bowles and Alexander — Carter, Watson, Federico and Fedrezzi. PALISADES •Coach: Kevin Ronalds (1st year) •Last year: 1-9. •Impact players: Jr. QB-SS Kyle Jesiolowski; Jr. FB-LB J.D. Donnelly; Jr. TB-CB Jesse Snyder; Jr. T-DT Ben Henry; Sr. G Mike Roszkowski; Sr. LB Sean Carroll; Sr. LB Jimmy Kelleher; So. WR-SS Devin Ramsden; Sr. WR-CB Alex Odle; Sr. T-DT Jon Anton; Sr. TE Jake Lynch; Jr. G J.T. Lynch; Sr. C Devon Kramer. •Bye team: Bangor. •Biggest question: Can the Pirates' athleticism and enthusiasm translate into a return to previous glory? •Outlook: The Pirates have some quality athletes, including Jesiolowski who is moving to quarterback; Snyder, Odle and Ramsden. Ronalds believes Henry is a future Division I college lineman, and there are many other returning lettermen. They all want the same thing — a reversal of fortunes. "They've struggled the last few years," said Ronalds, who last was on the Pen Argyl staff while his son played there. "Everyone, especially the seniors, don't want to do that again." The Pirates are 3-17 since making the playoffs in 2009. PALMERTON •Coach: Chris Walkowiak (2nd year, 4-6) •Last year: 4-6. •Impact players: Sr. RB-DB Alex Vignone; Sr. G-DT John Snyder; So. FB-LB Tre Nelson; Sr. T Alex Zmyewski; Sr. TE-DE Jacob Peck; Sr. C-LB Ryan Reitz; So. T-DE Tyler Rodgers; Jr. WR-LB Logan Lesher; Sr. QB Cody Peters. •Bye team: Southern Lehigh. •Biggest question: Can the Blue Bombers prevent one big, negative play from turning into a landslide of big, negative plays? It was the story of the 2011 season. •Outlook: Vignone is a talented two-way returnee at running back and defensive back. Sophomore Nelson, who learned on the fly last season as a starting linebacker, should blossom this season. He also will start at fullback. Snyder is a returning two-way lineman who will be the emotional leader up front. Zmyewski returns at offensive tackle. Everyone else will be first-year, full-time starters, including Peters at quarterback. If the offense can limit the turnovers — it had a league-high 33 in 2011 — then Walkowiak's club has a chance to improve on last season's mark in a very tough division. PEN ARGYL •Coach: Paul Reduzzi (6th year at Pen Argyl, 34-23; 109-71 overall) •Last year: 13-1, 10-0; beat Northern Lehigh for District 11 2A title; beat GAR in first round of PIAA playoffs; lost to West Catholic in the quarterfinals. •Impact players: Sr. TE-DE-LB Scott Beltz; Sr. RB-DB Mikey Racciato; Jr. FB-LB Michael DePaolo; Jr. OL-DE Brady Mutton; Jr. QB-FS Ryan Hunt; Jr. WR-SS Nick Oyer; Sr. TE-LB Tanner Geake; Sr. OL-DL Alan Lancaster; Sr. G-DL Ricky Johnson. •Bye team: Salisbury. •Biggest question: Can the Green Knights build a new offensive line to go with talented, experienced skill players in the backfield? •Outlook: Heavy losses to graduation figures to take another 10-0 regular season out of the picture. Reduzzi has some of the league's best individual talent wearing green in Racciato, Beltz and DePaolo. The head coach returns only six of 22 starters from last season's league and district championship team. However, many backups, including Lancaster, Geake, Hunt and Johnson, played significant varsity time during blowout situations in 2011. The JV team also posted a 15-2 record the last two seasons, so there is a lot of confidence in camp. Leadership, a strong suit in recent years, will be by committee and, most likely, by example. Hard to sell the Green Knights anywhere outside the top three in the standings come November. "Our kids have played a lot of football, which is rare with all of the kids we graduated," Reduzzi said. "We were fortunate to get them a lot of time as subs, to get them on the field. I'm [confident] that they are going to react well, that it's going to take them a lot less time to get adapted to varsity football." SALISBURY •Coach: Andy Cerco (1st year) •Last year: 1-9. •Impact players: Sr. QB-CB Michael Abraham; Jr. FB-DE Dom Rossetti; Sr. OL-LB Tyler Waterman; Jr. RB-DB Austin Watson; So. QB-DB Derek Brown; Sr. WR-DB Jordahn Orlena; Jr. QB-DB Troy Parton; Sr. RB-DB Anthony Dee; So. RB-LB Teddy Denver; Jr. OL-DT Ricky Diaz; Sr. OL-DT Gavin Sonntag; Sr. TE-LB Logan Renninger; Sr. OL-DL Adam Yarko; Sr. WR-OLB Mason Kresley; Jr. TE-DE Ryan Gardus; Sr. WR-DB Chaz Orlena; Jr. RB Beran Mitchell. •Bye team: Pen Argyl. •Biggest question: Will an entirely new coaching staff, philosophy and mentality be enough to turn around a decade-long drought? •Outlook: There are more than 10 returning starters, but only 12 seniors (three first-timers) on a roster of 41 players. This is still a young team that must learn how to win again. It has been a rough decade for the Falcons' program, which has just five wins in its last 40 games dating back to the start of the 2008 season. So, it's hard to predict just how this group will respond to an entirely new coaching staff, new philosophy, new psychological approach and Class 3A Bangor in Week 1. Should this group stick together and stay healthy, it could be a very productive season, especially considering that many teams in the league were hit pretty hard by graduation. Cerco, a teacher in the district, appears committed to getting this ship sailing in the right direction ASAP. SAUCON VALLEY •Coach: Matt Evancho (6th year, 24-29) •Last year: 5-6, 5-5. •Impact players: Sr. RB-DB Matt Laub; Sr. RB-LB Chris Mamay; Sr. WR-S Mike Paskiewicz; Jr. QB-DB Keith Mosher; Sr. LB John Amber; Sr. OL Ben Israel. •Bye team: Northwestern. •Biggest questions: Can the Panthers remain a cohesive group from the onset, avoid the untimely mistakes that prevented them from having a better mark in 2011, and find quality talent at wide receiver and defensive end? •Outlook: The Panthers return seven starters on each side of the ball and finished the regular season with four wins in five games, so there is momentum. Mamay and Laub are talented backs. Israel, who hasn't played the last two seasons, should be a welcome addition on the offensive line. Mosher, who started the last game of 2011 against Quakertown, will be looking to give the club stability at quarterback, something it lacked last season. "This year is going to be a challenge every week," Evancho said. "It will be up to that one team that can be consistent throughout the year." SOUTHERN LEHIGH •Coach: John Toman (7th year, 34-32) •Last year: 7-5, 6-4; beat Blue Mountain in Eastern Conference 3A semifinals; lost to Berwick in EC 3A final. •Impact players: Jr. HB-LB Collin Kendrick; Sr. G-DT Daulton Romano; Sr. T-DT Andrew Terlingo; Jr. WR Jake Del Priore; Jr. CB Trent Silfies; Jr. HB Dylan Schmidt; Sr. WR-DB Nick Heiser-Koch; Jr. DB Christian Ricci; Sr. LB Kyle Durics. •Bye team: Palmerton. •Biggest questions: Can a first-year varsity quarterback (either Tom Dex or Travis Edmond) lead the area's last remaining Delaware Wing-T offense and can last year's inexperienced defense become a stellar unit? •Outlook: The Spartans have a lot of returning parts, including two of the league's top linemen (Romano and Terlingo), a transfer (Heiser-Koch) who will step right in, a skill player who missed a large chunk of last season with an injury (Schmidt) and their leading tackler (Kendrick). They should be among the league's top-tier teams. Either Dex or Edmond will be a first-year varsity quarterback, replacing record-setting passer Ty Edmond, Travis' older brother. Ty threw for 1,637 yards and 19 touchdowns last season. Neither Travis nor Dex will be expected to chuck it the 223 times Ty did in 12 games last season, but there are weapons on the edge (Del Priore, Heiser-Koch) who can be game-breakers. Ultimately, the defense must be better. It allowed 274 points last season, including 57 in the EC final at Berwick. Toman expected to get a real good glimpse of what his team is capable of after scrimmages against Central Catholic and a team from Jacksonville, Fla., in a tournament in Disney. WILSON •Coach: Bret Comp (15th year, 107-54) •Last year: 2-8. •Impact players: Sr. RB-LB Trey Robinson; Sr. QB Ryan Dailey; Sr. WR-DB Zack Bogoly; So. LB Jahid Beamon; Sr. OL-DT Greg Cahill; So. OL-LB Nick Arcury; Sr. OL Chris Lemar; Sr. QB Nick Smith; Jr. WR Dan Gruppo; So. WR Javante Tooley; So. WR Nick Labatch; Sr. DL Travis Loebsack; Sr. DL Mike Figueroa. •Bye team: Northern Lehigh. •Biggest question: Can some of the younger players who were thrown into the fire the last couple of seasons develop into solid varsity performers? •Outlook: Robinson is among the league's most versatile and durable players. Dailey showed signs of stellar play as an athletic quarterback a year ago, but remains in a battle with Smith for the starting job. Bogoly was among the league's top receivers in 2011, and he should have plenty of help from newcomers Gruppo, Tooley and Labatch. But it is the progress of those underclassmen, including Beamon, that will determine whether the Warriors turn in another middle-of-the-pack season (or worse) or return to the upper echelon where they had grown accustomed to being.