40 Teams in 40 Days – Day 22 – Berwick Area (2) – Big School Team # 10

Written by: David Mika on Monday, August 12th, 2013. Follow David Mika on Twitter.

Berwick Area (2)

Conference: Wyoming Valley Conference, Division I

Class: AAA

Nickname: Bulldogs

Coach: George Curry

2012 Record: 10-2

Returning Players – Offense: Sr. OT Kyle Stearley; Jr. OG Mason Vandermark; Jr. OT Dalton Perla; Sr. QB C.J. Curry; Sr. TE Ian Mazonky; Jr. TE Kevin Woodeshick; Jr. RB Nate Maczuga; Jr. WR Andrew Force; Jr. WR Trevon Simmons; Sr. WR Kyle Trenholm

Returning Players – Defense: Sr. DE Will Updegrove; Sr. DE Ian Mazonky; Sr. DL Ray Grasley; Sr. DL Jorden Stout; Sr. LB Tanner Weaver; Jr. LB Zach Andress; Sr. DB Max Thomas; Sr. DB Andrew Wenner; Sr. DB Alex Klinger

Special Teams: “My punters are Alex Klinger and Zach Andress. My long snappers are Nick Talanca and Will Updegrove. My extra point kickers are returning starter Oliva Seely and backup Tanner Weaver. My kick-off guys are Randy Miller and Chase Petty. My return guys are Dain Kowalski, Kyle Trenholm, Alex Koch, Alex Klinger, Andrew Force, Daquan Hellenthal and Nate Maczuga.”

Top Newcomers: Sr. RB/DB Dain Kowalski

Coaches comments:

How’s your offensive line?

“We have some experience returning on the offensive line. We have only one senior on our line this year. He is All-Conference tackle Kyle Stearley. Mason Vandermark returns at offensive guard. Dalton Perla is moving from center to tackle. The center position will be a battle between Dan Gingher and Ryan McNamara. Upcoming sophomore Zach Beckley could be starting at guard along with Ray Grasley. We have a lot of depth on the line this year. They are Justin Wenner, Mike Canouse, Mike Stefanick, Bo Bogart, Chris Laubach, Noah Martinez, Logan Eyer and Troy Stair. I believe the offensive line will be more knowledgeable, stronger, and more confident. We made a lot of progress in one year. There’s still room for improvement, but we’ve made progress.”

“The tight end position has some experience returning and one player is Ian Mazonky. He is one of the strongest kids on the team. Another player back that will get playing time is Kevin Woodeshick. We have depth at the tight end spot. Players like AJ Vandermark, Devonte Powell, Ryan Miller, Zach Ridall and Trent Force. We also will look at Ray Grasley at tight end. He’s physical.”

You have your quarterback back. Talk about C.J.

“Yes, we have C.J. back for his senior year. He was named All-Conference last year and has grown. He is 6-foot-2, 195-pounds and he is faster and brings more experience. One thing nice is he knows my playbook inside and out. He accounted for 1,800 plus yards and 19 touchdowns last year for us. There is a battle for backup between Dallas Arner and Marcus Welliver. Frosh Mike Force will bolster the depth chart.”

How’s your running game look?

“We have talent at the running back position. We have a transfer from Central Columbia, Dain Kowalski. He is a talented player that will make a impact on the team. We have speed at running back with guys like Nate Maczuga, Nick Talanca and Paul Jay Wiegand. We have Alex Klinger who is a hard nose runner. We have a super talented sophomore named Daquan Hellenthal. Nick Koch, Sean McCole and Richie Snyder add depth. We have a lot of backs battling for playing time this summer. Nothing beats good competition.”

“This is the first time in a while we had three big fullbacks. We have Jorden Stout, 6-foot-1, 230-pounds, AJ Vandermark, 6-foot, 220-pounds and Chase Perry, 6-foot, 230-pounds. All three guys are physical weapons and quick.”

How are your receivers?

“We’re deep with guys that are athletic and quick. We have to start with Junior speedster Andrew Force. Every time Force touches the ball he makes a big play. We have two returning letterman. They are Trevon Simmons and Kyle Trenholm. All three of these guys can score from anywhere on the field. Also another guy is Will Updegrove. He’s big, quick and very athletic. We have three guys that may challenge for playing time. They are Alex Klinger, Ricky Densberger and Alex Koch. Brandon Karafinski has shown promise down the road. Chris Hampton, Rob Harter and Rob Palermo add depth to the receivers.”

Note: Force caught seven passes and six went for touchdowns. He averaged 42.0 yards per catch.

How’s your defensive line?

“We have both our defensive ends back. They are Will Updegrove and Ian Mazonky. They both are great players. AJ Vandermark will rotate in. He’s strong, tough and quick. Tom Laubach and Tanner Kachurka will get some playing time at end. Sophomore Zach Beckley could add size to the line at the defensive end position. Kevin Woodeshick and Brandon Karafinski add depth at end. At the other line spots we have Ray Grasley and Jorden Stout. They are two proven lineman from last year. Grasley was All-Conference last season. We have some more returning lineman looking to contribute this year. They are Kyle Starley, Dalton Perla, Mason Vandermark, Nick Franczak and Matt Grasley. I have some young guys that have a lot of potential and they are Chase Petty and Sean McCole. We’ll have different combinations utilizing each youngster’s talents.”

How about your linebackers?

“We lost our leading tackler from last year in Travis Potter. But, we have some young talent coming back. Starting with Tanner Weaver he returns bigger, stronger, and more experienced this year. We also have returning Zach Andress from last year. He’s a tough kid with speed. Other players in the thick of things are Randy Miller and Devonte Powell. Brendon Young and Trent Force are coming off injuries. Brandon Kishbaugh and Jackson Jaffin are showing some promise. I think at the start of the season, we have five inside linebackers ready to handle the starting role.”

How are your defensive backs?

“Our secondary is our strength. We return four starters from last year in the secondary. Our secondary is led by All-Conference player Max Thomas. Andrew Wenner, Alex Klinger and Dain Kowalski could be one of the better secondaries in the area. There are six or seven more defensive backs that will see playing time. They are Andrew Force, Trevon Simmons, Nate Maczuga, Ricky Densberger, Nick Koch and Alex Koch. Some of the guys need a little more time to learn the defensive coverages, but we’ll run four or five coverages in a game.”

What is the difference from taking over the team late last year versus this year?

“I have been here the whole year. We got a lot done. Getting hired in the summer last year was difficult. Last year it took the kids some time to pickup my system. But now I have spent the whole year with the kids, spending time in the weight room and we had made great strides this year. Last year we only had three kids that could bench press 300 pounds. This year we have 17. They understand the system this year. I changed a lot of things. We are doing some new things this year.”

Is your strength your defense going into the season?

“Yes, we return nine players on defense. As bad as people thought we looked defensively it was only two games. We led the league in four of the five defensive categories. Our secondary has experience coming back and is one of the best in the area.”

What is your key on offense?

“It’s the offensive line. I don’t care how good your skill guys are. You are only as good as the people around you and it starts with the offensive line. If your line doesn’t let you get off the ball, how are you going to hit the receivers or create holes for your running backs.”

Side Note: I have 26 players on my team that I either coached their dad or uncle.

2013 Schedule

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