40 teams in 40 days – Day 35: Nazareth Area (11)

Written by: David Mika on Saturday, August 25th, 2012. Follow David Mika on Twitter.

2011 season

The Blue Eagles went 12-2 and 8-1 in their conference. They had big wins in the regular season against teams like Easton, Liberty, Allentown Central Catholic and Freedom. They won the District 11 4A title against Easton Area. Their comeback bid against LaSalle College came up short.

During the regular season they came back five times and rallied for the win.

Leading the way was a host of talented players. One was freshman running back Jordan Gray who rushed for 1,663 yards on 267 carries and 20 touchdowns.

Dan Harding led his team by throwing for 3,749 yards and 32 touchdowns. Harding was named co-player of the year in Class 4A. He ended his career with 5,542 yards passing and 52 touchdowns.

Adam Bridgeforth led all receivers with 82 catches for 1,221 yards and eight touchdowns.

Q & A with Nazareth Area head football coach Rob Melosky

We sat down with Melosky and talked to him about his team for the 2012 season.

How is your camp going this summer?

Being there now five years with our coaching staff the kids know what to expect. It’s been a productive off-season. The kids are committed to putting in a lot of time and dedication in the weight room.

Who do you have coming back on offense?

OT Aaron Bradley is returning on the offensive line. He has been a three-year starter and is a leader on the line. He actually started for us as a freshman on the defensive line. Blaize Boell will be playing at guard. Frank Sharo will be the other tackle. There is some competition at center and guard. We lost a center by the name of Joe Walsh who played 26 games for us a starter.

There is some competition at the quarterback spot between Parish Simmons and Spencer King. We have a kid that is only going to be a freshman coming up, Nick Banasese. Keep an eye on him.

Sophomore Jordan Gray returns at running back after setting a state freshman rushing record. This year he won’t surprise any one. We are counting on him to do some good things for us. There is some competition there that is pushing him as well. Shabbar Bokhari is a kid that was in our system last year.

Alex Tonnies is returning at receiver. He is our leader there. Zac Berman, TJ Bray and Tom Rollins will be in the mix. There may be some young kids seeing time. We like what we have at receiver.

Who do you have coming back on defense?

We have Aaron Bradley and Blaize Boell back as starters. We have kids like Brandon Lance who will be a sophomore keeping for a spot and Adam Heinrich.

Frank Sharo will be our inside linebacker. Devon Gordan, TJ Bray and Anthony Trainello will be the other linebackers.

We lose the Bridgeforth twins in the secondary. That will be some tough corners to replace. Alex Tonnies will play safety. We have a young sophomore coming up Jorey Ferraro, Austin Cordero and Parish Simmons will compete for a spot.

Who do you have coming back on special teams?

Our special teams will be decided in camp and from the two scrimmages.

League

Everyone plays each other and it’s going to be a battle this year.

To have a successful season you have to?

Play good defense and be productive on offense. Get the young kids some more experience.

Home Opener

Nazareth Area opens at Pleasant Valley on August 31st

40 teams in 40 days

Day 1 – Mount Carmel Area (4) Day 11 – Scranton (2)

Day 2 – Manheim Central (3) Day 12 – Pottsville (11)

Day 3 – Delaware Valley (2) Day 13 – Cardinal O’Hara (12)