LVC FOOTBALL PREVIEW: No weeks off in revamped league

http://www.mcall.com/sports/mc-lvc-football-preview-20120825,0,7083729.story FROM THE MORNING CALL Preseason predictions are as much a part of the run-up to football season as double sessions and scrimmages. Emmaus coach Joe Bottiglieri wanted no part of trying to pick the frontrunner in the Lehigh Valley Conference last week. "It could be anybody," he said after wrapping up a morning practice Monday. "It could be anybody. Did anybody pick Nazareth to win a District 11 title last year? No. "There's a group of maybe 5-6 teams that you can say are stronger than the others. But any one of them could win it." The football-only defections of Allen and Dieruff to the Mountain Valley Conference have already altered the LVC schedule. When the LVC sat at 12 teams, everyone missed two other league teams each year. In 2010, for example, Central Catholic and Easton were the league's top two teams but did not play one another. Those days are gone. The 10 teams still in the LVC will all see one another this season, leading to an unquestioned league champion. Coaches across the LVC agree that whichever team emerges as the league champion will have earned it. Allen and Dieruff were not competitive in recent seasons, so LVC teams that had them on their schedule knew a soft spot would arrive during the season. Easton had a chance to rest banged-up quarterback Justin Pacchioli when it faced Dieruff in 2010, and he came back to lead the Red Rovers to a second straight District 11 Class 4A title. Central Catholic and Emmaus both faced Allen and Dieruff back-to-back in Weeks 8 and 9 the last two seasons, giving them plenty of time to gear up for one another in Week 10. Those days are also gone. "When people ask and they talk about our schedule, I joke," Whitehall coach Brian Gilbert said. "I say Tony [former Whitehall coach Tony Trisciani] got the schedule, handed me the paper and then went to Villanova." So where do you look for an LVC favorite or two given the schedule challenges this season? Most coaches pointed to the teams with experience and numbers. Easton and Parkland lead the pack. Easton, which has reached the last three Districts 2-4-11 4A subregional title games, will start a new quarterback for a second straight year but has eight returning starters on offense and seven on defense. Parkland has a third-year quarterback in Tim Baranek to pair with a dynamic playmaker in Jarel Elder and several experienced linemen. Easton also entered preseason with nearly 120 kids in the program in its upper three grades. Parkland had close to 90 players out for varsity and junior-varsity football. "I think what you're going to see is teams across the league with a little bit more fatigue, maybe a little bit more injury issues," Bethlehem Catholic coach Joe Henrich said. "Therefore, those teams that have guys waiting in the wings are going to benefit from that a little bit." Numbers may help already strong teams like Easton and Parkland, but the Red Rovers and Trojans will have no shortage of challengers. Whitehall has the top returning quarterback in the LVC in senior and Lehigh recruit Nick Shafnisky. The Zephyrs lost a one-point overtime game against Easton last season, helping to keep them out of the Districts 2-4-11 Class 4A subregional playoffs. Freedom, defending league champion Nazareth and Liberty all lost a lot of skill players to graduation. All three teams also received mentions from multiple LVC coaches as having the capability to challenge for the league crown this season. Easton, Parkland, Whitehall, Freedom, Nazareth and Liberty will all be competing with one another for spots in the Districts 2-4-11 Class 4A subregional playoffs, too. Emmaus also hopes to push for one of the six spots District 11 will receive in the eight-team subregional. Northampton is the LVC's one Class 4A team that looks like it will need time to challenge for a district berth. The Konkrete Kids did not beat any of the league's other current 4A programs last season and have a host of new players again this season. The LVC's two Class 3A programs, Central Catholic and Bethlehem Catholic, rate with Northampton as long-shots in the league race. That doesn't mean they won't cause trouble for opponents along the way. "It's going to be a grind," Freedom coach Jason Roeder said. "You're not going to be able to have that lull. You're not going to be able to have that off game. If you do, you're going to get beat — plain and simple. Consistency and mental toughness is going to be huge."