Schools Sports

2017 Panther Football Preseason Preview

As glorious as the Panther football past was, it is of little operational value now as we move forward into this new season.  Will 2017 be another season for Saucon Valley to reload or is it written in the cards for the Panthers to rebuild?  What changes will the Panther faithful see?  What will 2017 bring the football fans of Saucon Valley? Let’s take a look!

Est. Read Time: 6 mins

Here come the 2017 Panthers!

Last year the hugely successful Panther high school football program accumulated a 10-2 record, won their third consecutive Colonial League title and were the District XI silver medalists.  The senior class of the 2016 team left a legacy that included a 43-8 record, three consecutive Colonial League titles, a District XI championship and were the 2015 PIAA State semi-finalists who lost to Imhotep Charter (football) School.  The Panthers recent past is soaked with numerous titles and a variety of flashy hardware.

Obviously, as glorious as the Panther past was, it is of little operational value now as we move forward into this new season.  Will 2017 be another season for Saucon Valley to reload, or is it written in the cards for the Panthers to rebuild?  What changes will the Panther faithful see?  What will 2017 bring the football fans of Saucon Valley?

Let’s take a look!

OFFENSE

Many football coaches would agree that a football team’s foundation all starts up-front in the trenches with the linemen.  Well, up-front, Saucon Valley’s 2017 Hogs will be looking much different than the Hogs of recent past. Now, forever part of Panther history are the familiar names of Stephen Good, Ryan Meyers, Trey Polak and “King Kong” Cody Zrinski who were invaluable keys to the success of names like Savant, Culver, Thatcher, Holub, Kehs and Petiet.  Joining 6’5″, 285  returning junior offensive lineman Tim Weaver this year, will be the new era Hogs of John Chaffier (Jr.), Evan Deily (So.), Jared Harka (Jr.), Kyle Malone (Sr.), Dave Osmun (Fr.), Aiden Redding (Jr.), Nick Warnke (So.) and Patrick Zuber (Jr.).

Even though the depth chart has not been finalized yet, look for the freshman Osmun at center, Harka and Malone at guards and Redding joining Weaver at tackle to start tomorrow’s scrimmage.  The tune-up on Saturday against Fleetwood will likely solidify the lineup in preparation for the season opener against Bangor on Friday evening, August 25.

The Hogs of the past often led the way to Panther success.

Another big change that Panther fans will notice will be Alstan Wolfe moving from wide receiver to the quarterback position.  Wolfe is a super-freak athlete who has the football- smarts and athleticism that will drive opposing defenses insane with his play-making ability.  What an entertaining treat it will be for Panther fans to see the ball in Wolfe’s hands just about every offensive play.  Waiting in the wings to take over at quarterback is junior C.J. Stump.  Should the Panther coaching staff decide to go in a different direction and move Wolfe back to wideout where he has made so many incredible plays throughout his high school career, the capable Stump is ready and willing to lead the Panther offense.

Even though the Panthers lost Nate Kehs to graduation last year and Evan Culver the year before, the running back position remains in solid shape.  The Panthers are looking forward to the return of senior Zach “Lightning” Petiet.  “Lightning” struck for 1,564 yards and 22 touchdowns last season and, with his excellent vision and speed, is a threat to put the pigskin in the end-zone anytime he touches the football.  A bulked-up Ian Csicsek, who is a junior, is in line behind Petiet when the time comes.

With Wolfe making the move to quarterback, the doors open wide in the receiver room. Look for Ryan Holub (Jr.), Steven Rose (Sr.) and Chris Smith (Sr.) to rotate the reps as the featured pass-catchers on the outside.  Inside, it will be Patrick Morrissey (Jr.) once again manning the tight-end position.  When Morrissey needs a break, seniors Garrett Hudak or Patrick Beatty are there to pick up where Morrissey left off.

DEFENSE

Look for Saucon Valley to unveil a new look “forty-front”.  With the loss of some of their hulking interior linemen the Panthers are looking to capitalize on their perimeter speed and are transitioning from last year’s 3-4 to a 4-3, 4-4 scheme.  Chuck Muller, defensive coordinator, noted that the biggest position battle is taking place at “Nose Tackle”.  The NT generally plays right under the “nose” of the offensive center.  John Chaffier (Jr.), Calver Gallard (Jr.), Kevin Hernandez (Sr.), Aiden Redding (Jr.) and Nick Warnke (So.) are currently battling for the right to start at Nose.  Look for some of these same linemen to rotate at Weaver’s defensive tackle position to give “Big Tim” a break now and then. The Panthers will have decent size at the interior of their defensive line and will look to force opponents to take their chances outside.

The Panthers switch from the familiar odd-front to an even-front defense.

One gets the sense Coach Muller is feeling real good about his junior defensive ends, Christian “Mongo” Alling and Patrick Morrissey.  Both are experienced six-footers with long arms.  Morrissey plays smart with athleticism and finesse. Alling defends his edge with a remarkable attitude and toughness.  “Mongo” seems to dare you to come his way so he can punch you in the mouth.  Patrick Beatty (Sr.) looks to crack the rotation at defensive end in relief.

The starting linebackers are all new and you will see Jared Harka (Jr.) in the middle with Angelo Mahaffey (Sr.) and Curtis Clifford (Jr.) on the outside.  All three are reliable and will play with an in-your-face toughness.  Kelvin Gallard (Jr.) and Dane Csencsits (So.) are in the mix to get on the field at linebacker.  Gallard has speed and can capably defend from sideline to sideline. Csencsits will get his chance after he recovers from a foot injury.

Opponents will not find it easy throwing against the Panthers defensive backs.  All four return with plenty of experience.  “All-Star” Alstan Wolfe and “Lightning” Zach Petiet lead the Saucon secondary from their safety positions.  Ian Csicsek (Jr.) and Steven Rose (Sr.) are seasoned veterans with plenty of starts at the corners. Chris Smith (Sr.) and Reilly Hudak (Jr.) will rotate into the mix for the Panthers. It will be a tough task for opponents to pass with any sort of consistency against this defensive backfield.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Record setting kicker Josh Snead has graduated and the Panthers are breaking in a couple of new kickers in Erik Sundlof (Sr.) and Anthony Kittelstad (So.) Expect to see one, or both, of these football newcomers takeover or share the kicking responsibilities. The punting chores are shaping up with with Morrissey having a slight edge over Alling. Steven Rose will likely hold on PAT’s (extra-points) with Justin Kyra (Jr.) serving as the long-snapper.

FINAL THOUGHTS…

About one thousand pounds of athletic and proven pork has graduated with the departure of Good, Myers, Polak and Zrinski.  The Panthers have some big shoes to fill up-front, on both sides of the ball.  However, it is clear that the coaching staff likes their team speed this year.  “We’re still going to do what we’ve done in the past, but we really like our speed to the outside,” said offensive coordinator and play-caller Ed Chromczak. Similarly, defensive coordinator Chuck Muller said, “We switched from a 3-4 to a 4-3 and 4-4 for personnel reasons.  We don’t have those big boys to play a three-man-front and feel the forty-front will allow us to play fastest and toughest.  This year we are going to try to spill it (force the ball wide) and kill it.”

UP NEXT:

*  TOMORROW!  Home Scrimmage v. Fleetwood  (10 a.m.)

*  8/25 Colonial League season opener at Home v. Bangor (7 p.m.)

Good luck Panthers, the Source is with you!

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About the author

Keith Riefenstahl

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