Crestwood Football Preview

Written by: Vince Pellegrini on Tuesday, June 18th, 2013. Follow Vince Pellegrini on Twitter.

The Comets returned to the post-season following their 8-3 mark in 2011. However, it was the same result as the year prior as Crestwood fell to Scranton Prep, 61-21, in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs (AAA). Coach Greg Myers’ bunch opened the campaign with a 6-1 record before dropping three of their final four contests.

Crestwood will begin the regular season with a showdown against Berwick on Friday, August 30.

2013 Crestwood Comets’ Football Preview
Head Coach: Greg Myers, 8th Season (48-48)
2012 Record: 7-4
2012 Post-Season Finish: Lost in 1st Round of Class AAA Eastern Conference Playoffs to Scranton Prep, 61-21
Returning Starters: Offense – 6 , Defense – 5

2012 Team Statistics
Points Scored: 23.3 (25th in District 2)
Passing Yards: 125.0 (1375)
Rushing Yards: 188.7 (2076)
Points Allowed: 26.1 (20th in District 2)
Passing Yards Allowed: 92.5 (1018)
Rushing Yards Allowed: 217.8 (2396)

Returning Leaders
Passing: Jay Popson – 1254 yards, 45.4 Comp %, 16 TDs, 9 INTs
Rushing: Frank Aigeldinger – 116 att, 814 yards, 9 TDs
Receiving: Frank Aigeldinger – 7 rec, 97 yards, 1 TD
Interceptions: Frank Aigeldinger, Andrew Chang, & Brandon Cole – 2

2013 Schedule
Aug. 30 – Berwick, 7 PM
Sept. 6 – at North Pocono, 7 PM
Sept. 13 – Pittston, 7 PM
Sept. 20 – at Wallenpaupack, 7 PM
Sept. 27 – Tunkhannock, 7 PM
Oct. 4 – Hazleton, 7 PM
Oct. 11 – Pocono Mountain West, 7 PM
Oct. 19 – at Dallas, 1 PM
Oct. 25 – Williamsport, 7 PM
Nov. 1 – at Coughlin, 7 PM

Offensive Strength: The skill position players seem to be ready to take on the additional load in 2013. Frank Aigeldinger scored 12 total touchdowns and accumulated 911 yards (814 rushing/97 receiving) from scrimmage as a sophomore.

Offensive Weakness: The offensive line is a major concern for Coach Myers. The Comets’ lost a pair of Second-Team All-Wyoming Valley Conference members from last season (Dean Gregory and Bernie Popson).

Defensive Strength: The Comets have shown their propensity to take the ball away from their opponents. Last fall, they intercepted 12 errant passes; however, were able to recover just five of eleven loose balls.

Defensive Weakness: In order to return to the post-season, the Comets’ must be able to slow the opposition’s rushing attack down. Last year, Crestwood allowed 217.8 yards per contest on the ground. Over the course of their last four contests, the defense yielded an average of 291.8 yards.

Storylines Facing the Comets
1. Replacing Linemen. Coach Myers is well aware of his team’s deficiencies entering training camp. “We need to replace a few players on the defensive and offensive lines,” says Myers. “That’s a concern”. Losing the likes of Gregory and Popson will be a challenge.

2. Sophomore Backfield. Jay Popson and Frank Aigeldinger both return for their junior seasons. Popson, the team’s quarterback, will be back under center following a campaign which saw #12 complete 45.4% of his passes (54-119) and compile 23.2 yards per completion. Aigeldinger appears to be ready to take the next step. He accumulated 7.0 yards per carry while scoring 12 total touchdowns.

3. Power. Myers believes the Comets’ greatest asset is their ’overall team strength’.

Did you know? Recent graduate Kota Kishel led Crestwood in each of the last three seasons in receiving yards and catches. During that time frame, Kishel caught 76 tosses for 1741 stripes and 15 scores. Following the 2012 season, Kota was named to the First-Team All-WVC.

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