CM football aiming to grow
By John Lipez
BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP, PA – There’s only one way to go for Central Mountain football and that would be up. Following a winless 2022 season, and with a couple dozen senior letterwinners returning, the Wildcats are hoping for an improved 2023 season.
Travis Thompson is the new head coach. A former Wildcat standout and an assistant coach in the program some years back, Thompson is tasked with solving the great unanswered question: how can Central Mountain find success in so many programs but struggle on the gridiron?
Coach Thompson, in a recent question and answer with The Record, acknowledged the success of sports elsewhere within the school as the new football season approaches. “We are looking forward to a great season and building on the tradition of excellence in athletics that is a theme for so many sports here at Central Mountain.”
Quick program turnarounds can happen. Look no further than the Wildcats’ opener this Friday at Mifflin County. The Huskies were 0-10 in 2021 but rebounded nicely last year, going 6-5 under first year coach Shane Breon. The Mifflin County 2022 season started with a 14-7 win over the Wildcats at Malinak Stadium, a victory that set off a mammoth postgame celebration for the visiting Huskies.
The Wildcats return a lot of players on a senior-laden team. The roster also includes a newcomer in Hunter Hoy, a standout on the CM basketball team a year ago who returns to football as a junior, back out for the first time since junior high. One student who won’t be playing is last year’s starting quarterback, Brady Myers, who has opted to concentrate on baseball in his senior year. This year’s expected starter, Thomas Sprague, did see considerable action as a backup q-b a year ago.
Questions for the coach:
The numbers you’re working with, roughly by class:
“We have 57 kids outs -26 seniors, 9 juniors, 8 Sophomores, 14 freshmen.”
Returning lettermen/starters to the best of your understanding:
“With such a senior heavy team, and so few seniors last year, we are looking at 20+ returning letterwinners/starters. Including, Thomas Sprague, Connor Foltz, Rocco Serafini, Ashton Bennett, Giovanni Tarantella, Dylan Baker, Jake Weaver, Ethan Coakley, Osten Lindsey, Dom Longworth, Brayden Diehl.”
Talk about any new schemes you’re putting in, offense and defense:
“Offensively we are working an Inside Zone with an RPO, with a heavy dose of Spread to compliment the athletes we have at Receiver. Defensive we are based out of a 4-3.”
Talk about anticipated strengths:
“I feel that senior leadership is going to be one of our greatest strengths. We have a very veteran roster, that is hungry to compete and win. As a whole the team spent a lot of time in the weight room and are incredibly strong and fast. Up front we have a tremendous amount of size.”
Areas of concern:
“Underclassmen numbers are a bit of a concern, but we will worry about that in the off season.”
Feel free to talk about kids on the team vying for slots, returning standouts, etc.:
“Returning standouts: Connor Foltz will be a 4-year letter winner and is on the verge of breaking almost every receiving record in school history. Rocco Serafini will look to be one of the leading rushers not only on the team, but in the area, as well as a force on defense. Giovanni Tarantella is looking to be a 3-year starter at center and is one of the hardest working kids I have ever coached. Ashton Bennett, Mack Saar, and Osten Lindsey are all transitioning to new positions on offense this year. All three were linemen last year but will see some time carrying and catching the ball this season.”
“As far as competition, we have a tremendous amount of skill at WR and DB. Dom Longworth, Dom Slota, Xavier Persun, Hunter Hoy, Kevin Grenninger, Brady Wolfrom, and Ben Temple are all very talented both offensively and defensively which makes for a stiff competition. Luckily for us, iron sharpens iron so we get great looks on both sides of the ball during practice.”
Can you touch on the quarterback position:
“Thomas Sprague will be or QB1 this season. He has really stepped into the role this off season and is a vocal and visible leader on and off the field. With his understanding of the passing game, ability to read a defense, and arm strength, he will give defensive coordinators fits this year.”
How have things gone through pre-season and heat acclimation?
“Things have gone very well. There have been some learning curves for both players and coaches in getting to know each other and build relationships, but this team is a tight unit and is 100% bought in.”
So what are your thoughts on the season? with so many seniors, reason for optimism? goals for the year? can the kids pick up the new systems?:
“I am very optimistic coming into the season. We have a lot of veteran leadership and talent. Our goal for this season is the same as every team I’ve ever been a part of, and that is to win a district title and push as far into the post season as possible.”
The opposition? what do we know? including the Mifflin County opener… and the Heartland Conference this season (noting that Jersey Shore and Selinsgrove are both in the top 10 statewide preseason:
“We have some very tough opponents this year that will test us. Opening with Mifflin County, who returns most of their offense will definitely be a big challenge and great test to start the season. Mifflinburg is coming off a great year last year, making it to week 12 of the post season, and you can never count out an athlete rich Williamsport team. The latter part of the season, we play Selinsgrove and Jersey Shore who are both ranked or honorable mention in the preseason state rankings, so we should definitely be battle hardened going into postseason play.”
