Dunmore Football Preview

Written by: Vince Pellegrini on Wednesday, June 19th, 2013. Follow Vince Pellegrini on Twitter.

Dunmore advanced to their second state championship game in the last six years when they squared off against the mighty Clairton Bears. The Bucks’ bid for a state crown came up short as they fell 20-0 in the title contest. Dunmore has played in 22 post-season tilts over the past seven years.

Entering his 47th season as head coach (Wyoming Area/Dunmore), Jack Henzes has won 371 games and was honored for the second time this past winter as Coach of the Year in the state of Pennsylvania (1989). Henzes points to four ingredients as his recipe for success, “Great community, great families, great kids, and work hard”.

The Bucks lost ten seniors from last year’s group including Austin Seamon (1340 rushing yards, 21 total TDs) and John Rinaldi (16 catches, 295 yards). Coach Henzes is quick to acknowledge, despite the solid group returning, “we must stay healthy and gain experience throughout the season”.

2013 Dunmore Bucks’ Football Preview
Head Coach: Jack Henzes, 47th season (371-153-8)
2012 Record: 14-2
2012 Post-Season Finish: Lost in PIAA Class A State Championship game to Clairton, 20-0.
Returning Starters: Offense – 6 , Defense – 5
Offense: Multiple I
Defense: 4-4

2012 Team Statistics
Points Scored: 27.3 (14th in District 2)
Passing Yards: 56.6 (905)
Rushing Yards: 246.5 (3944)
Points Allowed: 13.5 (3rd in District 2)

Returning Leaders
Passing: Brandon Kujawski – 711 yards, 47.8 Comp %, 10 TDs
Rushing: Daiqwon Buckley – 213 att, 1799 yards, 23 TDs
Receiving: Josh Zilla – 15 rec, 250 yards, 4 TDs

2013 Schedule
Aug. 30 – at North Pocono, 7 PM
Sept. 6 – at G.A.R., 7 PM
Sept. 13 – West Scranton, 7 PM
Sept. 20 – Old Forge, 7 PM
Sept. 27 – Holy Cross, 7 PM
Oct. 4 – at Honesdale, 7 PM
Oct. 11 – Lakeland, 7 PM
Oct. 18 – at Western Wayne, 1 PM
Oct. 25 – Mid-Valley 7 PM
Nov. 1 – at Riverside, 7 PM

Offensive Strength: Experience at the tailback spot , as well as, at quarterback. Senior Daiqwon Buckley has received interest from many Big Ten and American Athletic Conference schools. Number 1 has rushed for 3,751 stripes in his three-year career while crossing the goal line 49 times on the ground. Kujawksi, senior signal caller, completed 47.8% of his 90 passes a year ago. Kujawski threw 10 touchdowns while amassing 711 yards via the air.

Offensive Weakness: With James McHale and Dan Drewes returning, it’s difficult to find much weakness along the line of scrimmage. However; the team will need to replace their left tackle (Mike Boland), left guard (Cory Jones) and right guard (Jake Korgeski) from last year’s 14-win bunch.

Defensive Strength: Three starters (Josh Sawka, Daiqwon Buckley, Sal Marchese) return to the Bucks’ linebacking core.

Defensive Weakness: The defensive line will see a few new faces in the mix after three starters have departed due to graduation (Mike Boland, Jake Korgeski, Matt O’Connor).

Storylines Facing the Bucks
1. Defensive Stand. In their 16 games a year ago, only five opponents were able to score 20 points or more. Of those five, none were able to compile 30 points against the Bucks’ stingy defense.

2. Wall of McHale. Senior James McHale, who stands 6’6 and weighs 298 pounds, has received strong interest from a slew of Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12 schools. McHale has been hailed as one of the best offensive lineman prospects from Northeast Pennsylvania.

3. Depth. Finding replacements for those who have graduated, as well as, broadening the depth chart is an issue every year for coaches around the state.

Did you know? Dunmore lost to Clairton this past winter in the State Championship game, 20-0. The Bears were led by their star receiver Tyler Boyd, who signed his National Letter-of-Intent to attend Pittsburgh. In 2007, the Bucks faced off against another accomplished athlete in Terrelle Pryor (Ohio State/Oakland Raiders QB). Pryor’s Jeannette Jayhawks defeated Dunmore, 49-21, in the 2007 Class AA title tilt.

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2 Responses to “Dunmore Football Preview”

1. brian says:
   June 19th, 2013 at 8:00 pm

   would love to see SCA get revenge for their loss to Dunmore last year. Dunmore does have a great program and storied history.

2. Rollie Ciffo says:
   June 19th, 2013 at 9:37 am

   Would love to see Dunmore finally pull it off. Henzes is a great coach.