Five players to watch in Colonial League

http://www.mcall.com/sports/football/mc-colonial-football-rail-tab-20120825,0,228904.story FROM THE MORNING CALL NSIDE THE COLONIAL LEAGUE FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH CALEB JOHNSON TE/LB, Northern Lehigh Teams from the Ivy League, Patriot League and major Division I schools want the 6-foot-4, 215-pound athlete in their program next fall. The returning Colonial League all-star is moving from defensive end to inside linebacker. His athleticism and intelligence make him a natural for the most important defensive position on the field for coach Joe Tout's Bulldogs. Look for Tout to find a way to get the tight end the ball more on offense, as well. SCOTT BELTZ TE/LBPen Argyl Best described as a menace to opposing offenses, the 6-3, 210-pounder is another Division I-AA prospect. He has a nose for the ball, evidenced by his 90 tackles last season which included 17 for loss, as well as 29 quarterback hurries and six blocked passes. He has 210 career tackles, including 21 sacks. He will be an anchor to a more youthful defense in 2012. RA'VON BURTON TB/LB, Catasauqua The 5-11, 193-pound junior ran for 598 yards last season, averaging 7.7 yards per carry. He is a threat every time he touches the ball in the Rough Riders' wide-open attack. If the undersized offensive line can come together this season, he could have a monster season utilizing his strength, speed and moves. MIKEY RACCIATO TB/CB, Pen Argyl At 5-7, 165 pounds, he doesn't look like much … until the ball finds his hands. Then, look out. Every play could be a game-changer or touchdown. His college future could include a Division I wrestling scholarship, but for this fall, he'll be the focal point for opposing defenses. He ran for 664 yards on just 105 carries last season. He scored 17 touchdowns and also will be a threat as a receiver and on special teams. TREY ROBINSON RB/LB, Wilson The better his teammates get, the more dangerous the 5-11, 170-pound senior will be. He ran for a team- and league-record 405 yards against Notre Dame-GP on the last day of the regular season in 2011. That accounted for nearly 40 percent of his entire season's total because the Warriors had so many young, inexperienced players around him. He finished with 1,096 yards and 12 TDs last season. He also was the team's leading tackler with 83.5. LOOK WHO'S NEW JOSH SALAMONE WR/DB, Pen Argyl With the graduation of so many playmakers, including Dylan Evans and Conor Gum, coach Paul Reduzzi is looking for some talent at the skill positions. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound junior didn't play last year because of concussion issues, but could figure prominently in the Green Knights' versatile offense. NICK HEISER-KOCH WR/CB, Southern Lehigh The senior transfer from Emmaus will give a solid complement to returnee Jake Del Priore as wide receiver. Del Priore will get a lot of attention from opposing secondaries because of his record-setting season in 2011 as a sophomore. That opens the door for Heiser-Koch to make plays in working with a first-year starter at quarterback — either Tom Dex or Travis Edmond. DANNY MARSH QB/TB/LB Northern Lehigh A spot player last season with upperclassmen Travis Yashur and Dylan Hofmann in front of him, the 6-foot-3, 185-pound senior is prepped for a breakout season at quarterback, or maybe tailback, in the Bulldogs' run-oriented attack. Nate Farmer and C.J. Young will be new at tailback, so it's not out of the realm of possibilities for Marsh to move there should Chance DeLong look good at QB. PHIL VASS WR/DB, Bangor The 5-10, 185-pound junior was at Freedom last season after being at Bangor as a freshman. Slaters coach Frank Scagliotta likes his athleticism and speed. He'll be part of a group of wide receivers with breakaway speed and big-play capability. He'll also see time in the secondary. ALEX PARKER WR/CB, Catasauqua The 6-2, 177-pound senior was a starter at cornerback last season, but his size and ability to catch the ball down the field will make him a two-way player this season for coach Tom Falzone. He is one of a few receivers who can keep opposing defenses from keying on teammate Ra'Von Burton and the Catty running game. MARK YOUR CALENDAR Friday, Aug. 31 Southern Lehigh at Northern Lehigh Last season, Northern Lehigh used three big plays, including on the first snap from scrimmage, to win. This one should be equally dramatic in a matchup of two Colonial League contenders. The Spartans have a lot of experience back on both sides of the ball. The Bulldogs don't have as much, but don't have rebuilding years. Friday, Sept. 28 Pen Argyl at Southern Lehigh The Green Knights won a great game on the road two years ago and dominated last year's matchup. The Spartans should be geared up to avenge last season's poor showing in what is the final weekend of divisional crossover games. Friday, Oct. 5 Pen Argyl at Northern Lehigh The last three meetings in this series, including two last season, have been highly entertaining. Despite graduation losses on both sides, this is a great start to the divisional portion of the schedule and a real tough back-to-back scenario for the Green Knights. Friday, Oct. 26 Northern Lehigh at Catasauqua The Rough Riders have been a playoff team the last three seasons. But in order to take the next step and be a legitimate regular-season championship contender, they'll have to beat an upper-echelon team. This would be a good start. Saturday, Nov. 3 Bangor at Pen Argyl The Slaters slumped as November approached last season. The schedule got tougher and they didn't play up to the competition. Regardless of how the first nine weeks of the regular season go, they'd like nothing better than to knock off their rivals … especially after struggling to compete in last season's game. TOM HOUSENICK'S PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH Southern Lehigh Pen Argyl Northern Lehigh Catasauqua Bangor Wilson Saucon Valley Northwestern Palmerton Notre Dame-GP Palisades Salisbury 2011 COLONIAL LEAGUE STANDINGS School, League, Overall, PF, PA *Pen Argyl, 10-0, 13-1, 506, 121 Northern Lehigh, 9-1, 10-2, 321, 105 Bangor, 7-3, 7-4, 316, 192 Catasauqua, 7-3, 8-4, 290, 202 Southern Lehigh, 6-4, 7-5, 329, 274 Northwestern, 5-5, 5-5, 253, 199 Saucon Valley, 5-5, 5-6, 169, 236 Palmerton, 4-6, 4-6, 108, 282 Notre Dame-GP, 3-7, 3-7, 166, 244 Wilson, 2-8, 2-8, 178, 331 Salisbury, 1-9, 1-9, 100, 326 Palisades, 1-9, 1-9, 111, 307 *CL champion TOP RETURNING STATISTICAL LEADERS RUSHING Player, School, Att., Yards, Avg., TDs Trey Robinson, Wilson, 138, 1,096, 8.4, 12 Matt Laub, Saucon Valley, 137, 693, 5.1, 5 Mike Racciato, Pen Argyl, 105, 664, 6.3, 1 Ra'Von Burton, Catasauqua, 78, 598, 7.7, 6 Alex Vignone, Palmerton, 158, 490, 3.1, 6 PASSING Player, School, Comp., Att., INTs, Yds., TDs Ryan Dailey, Wilson, 103, 211, 9, 1,594, 11 Ryan Hydock, Bangor, 38, 82, 9, 661, 7 Michael Abraham, Salisbury, 36, 111, 8, 406, 2 Kordell Theadford, Notre Dame, 28, 68, 6, 286, 2 RECEIVING Player, School, Rec., Yds., Avg., TDs Jake Del Priore, Southern Lehigh, 39, 564, 14.5, 5 Zach Bogoly, Wilson, 34, 534, 15.7, 2 Trey Robinson, Wilson, 29, 457, 15.8, 4 Caleb Johnson, Northern Lehigh, 14, 284, 20.3, 3 Noah Miller, Notre Dame-GP, 13, 201, 15.5, 1 SCORING Player, School, TD, 2pt, PAT, FG, Pts. Trey Robinson, Wilson, 17, 0, 0, 0, 96 Mikey Racciato, Pen Argyl, 12, 3, 0, 0, 78 Alex Vignone, Palmerton, 7, 0, 0, 0, 42 Jake Del Priore, Southern Lehigh, 5, 0, 0, 0, 30 -Tom Housenick