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State Champs, New and Old,
Selinsgrove and Mount Carmel Meet in Opener
By Jack Burns, ESPN AM-1240 Play-by-Play Announcer
The 2009 football season was similar to a four-month long party for the Selinsgrove football faithful as good times where enjoyed during that period with the Seals dancing their way to a perfect 16-0 record and capturing the school’s first-ever state title. Now, it’s the morning after for Selinsgrove, as 18 starters have graduated and the Seals will also have opponents line up to take their best shot at the seemingly-depleted defending Class AAA State Champions.
“I think everybody knows that means we’re going to have a huge target on our back,” said Selinsgrove coach Dave Hess (3rd.-year, 29-2). “So far this team hasn’t won a game, hasn’t lost a game, other than that (being the returning state champions) doesn’t mean a whole lot other than the fact that teams are going to be gunning for us. We know week one with Carmie DeFrancesco back at Mount Carmel it’s going to be a big one.”
If the Seals are trying to sell the fact that they are vulnerable this year given the fact that only four starters return, DeFrancesco isn’t buying.
“They got all the ingredients,” commented the new Red Tornado coach. “I keep hearing about Selinsgrove lost so many players, but when you got a system like that, kids just fill in the system and they’re consistent. It’s going to be a real challenge for us.”
DeFrancesco is used to challenges during his head coaching career. The former Mount Carmel running back has taken over four different high school programs at Cardinal Brennan, Danville, Shamokin, and Upper Dauphin and has left the program in a much better state than before he began. However, the veteran coach opted for yet another high school position during the off-season, at his alma mater, Mount Carmel.
“It’s been a lifelong dream of mine,” said DeFrancesco (18th.-year overall, 110-78). I’m 57 years old and I’ve been thinking about this job ever since I got my first coaching job back in 1993. I applied for the position in ’92 and I didn’t get the job and then I applied last year and didn’t get the job. Then, low and behold, I never realized that one year later it would open up again and so I applied again. I guess you could say I persevered, so it just all worked out. The wait has been worth it.”
Hess knows of DeFrancesco’s track record and his desire to succeed at Mount Carmel, which has state championships of their own in 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2002 and is the state’s winningest program with 785 victories.
“Everywhere (DeFrancesco) goes he makes winners out of the teams and he’s a positive man. He’s a great man. He’s probably the best motivator I’ve seen in my life as far as getting kids up for games,” praised Hess, a two-time Pennsylvania Class AAA Coach-of-the-Year. “You take that in conjunction with the fact he’s been waiting 35 years for this job, and this is his home. He is sky-high. His kids are going to be sky-high. I’m telling you, it’s going to be a war.”
The new Mount Carmel coach is ready to kick the season off at Selinsgrove’s Harold L. Bolig Memorial Field.
“I’m very familiar with Selinsgrove,” said DeFrancesco. “If you can remember at Danville, we always opened up with Selinsgrove. It was a wonderful game. A great experience, and we’re looking forward to the challenge of playing the defending Class AAA State Champions.”
The Seals have a 9-5 edge in the all-time series with Mount Carmel, winning 6 of the last 7 meetings, including a 41-0 triumph in last year’s opener.
Selinsgrove Offense vs. Mount Carmel Defense
With only two returning starters on offense, it’s probably not a well-kept secret who the Selinsgrove offense will revolve around in 2010 as one of those players is a three-year starter at tailback in Kyle Reinard. The two-time Heartland Athletic Conference-Division I 2nd.-Team All-Star has rushed for over 1,000 yards in his sophomore and junior campaigns and enters the season as the Seals 8th. all-time leading rusher with 2,351 yards, 46 behind Matt Cook on the career rushing list.
Joining Reinard in the backfield will be junior Eric Eaton at fullback. Eaton carried the ball 16 times a year ago for 142 yards and 3 touchdowns. Also, seeing time in the backfield will be Grant Fleetwood, Selinsgrove’s second-leading rusher last season with 526 yards and 5 touchdowns on 71 carries.
While the ground game appears to be in good hands, Seal fans are wondering if Selinsgrove can be nearly as prolific throwing the ball as in the past. Gone is the school’s career leading in receiving yards (2,454) and touchdown receptions (35), Ryan Keiser to Penn State. Also picking up his diploma was quarterback Cory Briggs, who threw for a career record 61 touchdown passes and is now at Harvard.
Directing the Seal offense this year is Ryan Keiser’s younger brother, Justin Keiser. He threw for 280 yards and a pair of touchdowns last season and got to see considerable action when Selinsgrove built comfortable leads in games a year ago.
“We’ve been impressed with Justin Keiser,” commented DeFrancesco. “I know he’s young at that quarterback position, but boy, he just throws that three-step drop beautifully. He sits in that shotgun, and it looks to us when we watch him on film, he’s making good decisions and they run an offense that he seems real comfortable in.”
Catching Keiser’s aerials will be wide receivers Dan Bausinger (8-95-1 last year), Ben Morrow (1-17 in 2009), and Colt Walter (1-31 in 2009).
“On the outside, Danny Bausinger has just become one of our big-time leaders and just a heckuva football player for us this year,” said Hess. “He did a great job last year. He’s one of our two returners defensively. He’s a great cornerback, but he’s also stepping up at wide receiver and we’re real happy with him.”
The Seal offensive line averages 248 pounds a player and will be anchored at center by Selinsgrove’s other returnee, Logan Hetherington, a 2009 1st.-Team HAC-Division I All-Star at guard last year. Matt Rouse, who started in the state semifinals and finals last year, will help to add some experience in the interior for the Seals.
Like Selinsgrove lost some All-State performers on offense in Ryan Keiser and Briggs, Mount Carmel graduated a pair of All-State selections on defense in Trevor Demko and Ahmad Abuomar. Nevertheless, DeFrancesco feels he has another potential All-State candidate at linebacker.
“Shustack. That’s the first name (when talking about our defense). Remember that name, Cody Shustack, he’s number 34,” emphasized the MCA coach. “He is our heart-and-soul.”
Shustack was a 2009 2nd.-Team HAC Division-II All-Star last year and returns along with Tommy Hynoski as the two Red Tornado linebackers in their base 5-2 formation.
In the secondary, strong safety Meyrick Lamb and cornerback Mark Minnig return from a season ago, and the defensive line has tackle Ed Smerlick and end Tyler Karycki back. Smerlick also was a 2nd.-Team HAC-Division II All-Star for a defense that yielded 237.3 total yards and 16.6 points a game in 2009.
“Defensively, they’re hard to block,” explained Hess. “They move and they move well. Our kids are going to have to get on them early. We’re going to have to get on them fast. We’re going to have to be explosive if we’re going to have a chance against them up front.”
Mount Carmel Offense vs. Selinsgrove Defense
Returning to the lead the Mount Carmel charges on offense is quarterback Eddy Stewart. As a junior, Stewart completed 39 of 104 passes for 525 yards and 3 touchdowns with 7 interceptions. Stewart also showed his quickness a year ago, rushing for 315 yards and 5 touchdowns on 104 attempts.
“Eddy’s a wonderful athlete,” praised DeFrancesco. “He’s a smart kid. He’s picked up our system real well. He throws the ball wonderfully, but he runs it. So, we have an option here where we can run with him, we can throw with him, we can run a little bit of option, ands we can do some checking out at the line with him. He’s responded well and that’s where everything starts, if you want to have a good offense and score points, it begins at that quarterback position and we think that we have a good one.”
The Red Tornadoes will miss the talents of graduated tailback Justin Pellowski (187-1212-17 TD’s last year), but feel between Lamb (68-251-4), Shustack (57-263), and Karycki (14-107-2) in the backfield that they can get close or surpass their average of 189.9 rushing yards a contest in 2009.
Minnig is back at flanker for Mount Carmel after catching 7 passes for 111 yards last season and at split end is Jacob Kleman, a converted backup quarterback a year ago.
“They’re a very dangerous football team,” commented Hess. “I’m seeing every time they touch the ball offensively, they got big play potential and that’s what we’ve seen out of their first couple of scrimmages. We’re seeing a lot of big plays out of their kids with good speed.”
Selinsgrove has just two starters back from one of the state’s most suffocating defenses last year. The Seals limited enemy offenses to just 132.1 yards/game (74.9 rushing yards and 57.2 passing yards) and 6 points/game. Included in their conquests was a whitewashing of Mount Carmel where the Red Tornadoes mustered just 3 first downs and 51 yards.
The afore-mentioned Bausinger is back at one cornerback spot, where he was tied for second on the squad with two interceptions. The other veteran is inside linebacker Dakota Wolf. He was sixth on the unit a year ago with 62 tackles and also contributed a sack.
Other than those two, you’ll see a lot of fresh faces from the Seals including two-way starters Hetherington and John Hine at tackles, Morrow at safety, and Eaton and Lorenz Scholl at linebackers. Scholl, in particular, has had a good off-season.
“Lorenz Scholl, number 90, he was a sophomore for us last year, but boy has that kid ever stepped up. He’s starting Mike backer (middle linebacker) and he’s going to start at tight end,” said Hess. “In one year’s time, he has become a football player. I mean a good football player, a solid football player. He’s spent a lot of time in the weight room. Every year you have one of those kids that kind of comes out of the woodwork so to speak, they’re a question mark coming in and all of a sudden you got a football player standing in front of you. He’s one of those guys.”
Kickers
Selinsgrove does have the good fortune of returning the key personnel in their kicking game. Spencer Hotaling is back for a second year after a school single season record with 79 PAT’s (in 83 attempts) last season. He also connected on 3 of 4 field goal tries with a long of 29 yards. Reinard will be the punter once again, coming off a 2009 season when he averaged 36.6 yards a punt. Both were 2nd.-Team HAC-Division I All-Stars last year.
Performing all of the kicking duties for the Red Tornadoes will be Ian Kanezo, who like Hotaling plays soccer in the fall as well. Rob Varano will be the Mount Carmel punter.
Starters
Selinsgrove Offense
TE-90 Lorenz Scholl (5-11, 206, Jr.)
LT-72 John Hine (6-4, 254, Sr.)
LG-53 Seth Raker (6-0, 254, Jr.)
C-73 Logan Hetherington (6-1, 242, Sr.)
RG-75 Brent Womer (5-11, 245, Sr.)
RT-51 Matt Rouse (6-2, 244, Sr.)
WR-81 Dan Bausinger (5-8, 165, Sr.)
WR-7 Ben Morrow (5-10, 187, Sr.)
QB-3 Justin Keiser (5-11, 163, Jr.)
FB-16 Eric Eaton (5-11, 188, Jr.)
TB-28 Kyle Reinard (5-10, 191, Sr.)
Mount Carmel Defense
DE-85 Mike Stutzcavage (6-5, 208, Sr.)
DT-77 Eric Joraskie (6-3, 229, Soph.)
NG-26 Brett Prezkop (5-10 ½, 170, Jr.)
DT-74 Ed Smerlick (6-1, 211, Jr.)
DE-1 Tyler Karycki (5-11 ½, 179, Sr.)
LB-34 Cody Shustack (5-9, 188, Jr.)
LB-48 Tommy Hynoski (6-0, 188, Jr.)
CB-3 Mark Minnig (5-10, 160, Sr.)
FS-12 Jacob Kleman (6-2, 164, Jr.)
SS-24 Meyrick Lamb (5-9 ½, 167, Jr.)
CB-2 Josh Maloney (5-10, 157, Sr.)
Mount Carmel Offense
TE-48 Tommy Hynoski (6-0, 188, Jr.)
OT-77 Eric Joraskie (6-3, 229, Soph.)
OG-74 Ed Smerlick (6-1, 211, Jr.)
C-66 Mike Scicchitano (6-0, 246, Soph.)
OG-61 Gabe Matukaitis (5-11, 207, Jr.)
OT-70 Seth Nicola (5-11, 226, Soph.)
SE-12 Jacob Kleman (6-2, 164, Jr.)
FL-3 Mark Minnig (5-10, 160, Sr.)
QB-4 Eddy Stewart (6-0, 174, Sr.)
RB-24 Meyrick Lamb (5-9 ½, 167, Jr.)
RB-34 Cody Shustack (5-9, 188, Jr.) or 1 Tyler Karycki (5-11 ½, 179, Sr.)
Selinsgrove Defense
DT-73 Logan Hetherington (6-1, 242, Sr.)
NG-33 Mike Walter (5-10, 175, Soph.)
DT-72 John Hine (6-4, 254, Sr.)
OLB-80 Adam Mowery (6-1, 190, Jr.)
ILB-27 Dakota Wolf (5-10, 210, Sr.)
MLB-90 Lorenz Scholl (5-11, 206, Sr.)
ILB-16 Eric Eaton (5-11, 188, Jr.)
OLB-32 Grant Fleetwood (6-0, 180, Sr.)
CB-6 Zach Rager (6-4, 202, Sr.)
S-7 Ben Morrow (5-10, 187, Sr.)
CB-81 Dan Bausinger (5-8, 165, Sr.)
Kickers
Selinsgrove
PAT/FG’s and Kickoffs-60 Spencer Hotaling (6-3, 154, Sr.)
P-28 Kyle Reinard (5-10, 191, Sr.)
Mount Carmel
PAT/FG’s and Kickoffs-32 Ian Kanezo (6-1, 170, Sr.)
P-14 Rob Varano (5-10, 154, Soph.)
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