Nico Agosti 12 5-10 170 WR-DB
Joshua Ambruch 12 5-9 230 OL-DL
Christopher Bruno 12 5-9 180 RB-DB
Joe Damiano 12 6-0 270 OL-DL
Josiah Fedorshak 12 5-9 160 WR-DB
Matthew Karnish 12 5-9 150 WR-DB
James Kolbush 12 5-9 150 WR-DE
Angelo Maskornick 12 6-2 195 WR-DB
Christopher Miller 12 5-10 215 OL-DL
Nicholas Sully 12 5-11 190 RB-LB
A.J. Wolk 12 6-0 210 OL-DE
Christopher Weber 12 6-2 165 WR-DB
Aaron Bailey 11 6-2 280 OL-DL
Bailey Becker 11 6-3 205 TE-DE-K
Aaron DeAngelo 11 6-2 180 LB-TE
Peter Dubravski 11 5-10 259 OL-DL
Noah Goldberg 11 5-8 172 RB-LB
Noah Heckman 11 6-0 200 OL-DL
Justin Herron 11 5-7 170 RB-LB
Brandon Mauro 11 5-10 175 QB-LB
Ryan Malarkey 11 6-1 290 OL-DL
Sean Mick 11 5-9 150 RB-DB
Cooper Moore 11 5-8 155 WR-DB
Dominic Mussoline 11 5-9 135 WR-DB
Joe Nahas 11 6-0 150 WR-DB
Hunter Nause 11 6-1 160 WR-DB
Jacob Parnell 11 5-11 175 RB-DB
Josh Skotek 11 5-11 200 OL-DL
K.J. Snerr 11 5-11 180 QB-DB
Anthony Collevechio 10 5-10 160 WR-DB
Billy Derr 10 6-5 265 T-DT
Michael Dubravski 10 5-10 202 RB-DE
Nicholas Erbe 10 6-0 205 OL-DE
Ethan Kuczynski 10 5-11 170 QB-DB
Nathan Litsch 10 5-10 170 RB-LB
Stonewalker Miller 10 6-0 200 DL
Michael Neary 10 5-10 180 RB-LB
Brandon Novatnak 10 5-8 170 RB-LB
Jacob Paluck 10 6-0 190 WR-DE
Kyle Plesh 10 5-9 235 OL-DL
Gunnar Rehrig 10 5-8 170 RB-LB
Devin Shimko 10 6-1 250 OL-DL
Matthew Stanziola 10 6-4 190 TE-DE
Eric Tang 10 5-5 190 OL-DL
Jeffery Thomas 10 6-2 200 TE-DE
Nicholas Cerimele 9 6-1 250 OL-DL
Zachary Falls 9 5-11 240 OL-DL
Colts at a glance
Head coach: Stan Dakosty (38th season)
Assistant coaches: Lou Ceci, Charles Connely, Rick Weidick, Jim Barron, Pat Morgans, J.D. Hackenberg, Ken Snerr, Ziggy Kuczynski, Jim Dudash
Last year: 7-5, 4-4 Anthracite Football League. Eastern Conference Class A champion
Coach’s record: 288-137-3 (.673)
Mascot: Colts
Stadium: Men of Marian Stadium
District/Classification: 11 A
Eastern Conference Classification: Class A South
Starters returning: 8 offense, 6 defense
KEY RETURNEES (12): K.J. Snerr (jr., QB-DB), Ethan Kuczynski (soph., QB-DB), Dominic Mussoline (jr., WR-DB), Hunter Nause (jr., WR-DB), Matthew Karnish (sr., WR-DB), Nico Agosti (sr., WR-DB), Nicholas Sully (sr., RB-LB), A.J. Wolk (sr., OL-DE), Joe Damiano (sr., OL-DL), Christopher Miller (sr., OL-DL), Peter Dubravski (jr., OL-DL), Joshua Ambruch (sr., OL-DL)
KEY NEWCOMERS (9): Angelo Maskornick (sr., WR-DB, transfer from Shenandoah Valley), Josiah Fedorshak (sr., WR-DB), James Kolbush (sr., WR-DE), Aaron DeAngelo (jr. LB-TE), Jacob Paluck (soph., WR-DE), Michael Neary (soph., RB-LB), Noah Goldberg (jr., RB-LB), Ryan Malarkey (jr., OL-DL), Chris Weber (sr., WR-DB)
SEASON OUTLOOK: Good group of returning starters and bevy of skill-position players should help sophomore quarterback Kuczynski adjust to a permanent starting role. Defense could struggle early due to graduation losses. AFL and District 11 title contender.
HOMETOWN — Stan Dakosty has been the head football coach at Marian for the past 37 years.
So when he says this could be one of the toughest seasons in the Anthracite Football League, it carries a lot of weight.
“At media day, I filled out the Anthracite League rankings and I’m ranking teams No. 6 or 7 I’m seeing should be No. 2 or 3,” Dakosty said in his office after Marian’s media day during the first week of practice.
“I look at what we have and what everybody else has and I really think it’s going to be one of the toughest Anthracite League seasons maybe ever,” Dakosty continued. “Every year is tough, but this year it’s balanced from top to bottom. Bringing in Lehighton and Blue Mountain just takes it to a whole different level now.”
It’s a level, however, at which the Colts can compete.
Marian, picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll to which Dakosty alluded, brings back five offensive linemen who have started up front at one point or another during their careers.
That fact prompted Dakosty to say, “We’re as deep on the offensive line as we’ve ever been.”
Senior lineman Joe Damiano knows how important that can be.
“When you have a solid offensive line, it allows you to run the ball more and open up passing lanes,” the 6-foot, 270-pounder said. “That should really help our running backs and quarterback.”
Particularly sophomore quarterback Ethan Kuczynski, who started in the Colts’ Eastern Conference championship run last season. Kuczynski played in just the two playoff games, completing 14-of-22 passes for 310 yards and six touchdowns as the Colts beat Muncy and Mahanoy Area.
“He played two games last year, helped us in Eastern Conference get that championship,” Damiano said. “He’s coming back with experience but he still hasn’t played a
full season so we’re going to help him out, protect him, make sure he doesn’t get hit.”
The Colts will have K.J. Snerr as what Dakosty called the “No. 1½ quarterback” if necessary, but Dakosty would rather see Snerr in the tailback role.
Snerr missed six of the last seven games last year due to injury. He rushed for 313 yards and three scores while throwing for 206 yards and two more touchdowns.
“We just want to see him healthy and show people what kind of player he is because he’s got a lot of talent, a lot of ability,” Dakosty said.
A deep receiving corps is simply the cherry on top for the Colts’ multiple spread offense.
“Athletes in space — that’s what we’re looking for,” Dakosty said. “Getting our athletes in space, giving them room to roam and do what they gotta do.”
Hunter Nause, Dominic Mussoline, Chris Weber, Nico Agosti and Matt Karnish have all caught varsity passes for the Colts — not to mention the addition of Shenandoah Valley transfer Angelo Maskornick, who hauled in 20 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns for the Blue Devils.
Marian is perhaps too deep at receiver, but a little friendly competition for a starting spot never hurt anyone.
“If we fight to get on the field, we fight to make everyone else better,” Agosti said.
Agosti is one of few players returning for the Colts’ defense, which lost key pieces up front in lineman Stephan Hall and linebackers Sam Budusky and Lukas Damian, last season’s Republican-Herald All-Area Defensive Player of the Year. Damian collected 163 tackles in 10 games.
“That ‘V’ in the middle, we’ve got some guys there we think can play but that’s a big question mark for us,” Dakosty said, “not on the players’ abilities, but the first time they’re there.
“Those guys are going to have to play at a high level and we think they’re capable players or else they wouldn’t be there.”
Everyone is taking responsibility to make up for the defensive losses. Agosti said the secondary will need to make more tackles to help the linebackers, while Damiano said the line will need to step up to take pressure off the linebackers as they adjust to heightened responsibility.
Amidst the league’s expansion, Kuczynski starting the season under center and the defense making up for graduations, one thing Marian can’t afford to do is start the season in a similar fashion to last year.
Following a 13-point loss to Lehighton to open 2013, the Colts suffered back-to-back blowout losses to Schuylkill Haven and Mahanoy Area.
This year, Marian opens with a non-league game against Tri-Valley League powerhouse Williams Valley before beginning its AFL slate against Panther Valley and Minersville.
“We gotta come out to a strong start this year. We can’t come out slow,” Agosti said. “We lost the first three games last year and that certainly won’t do it. We gotta play strong and win some games.
“We can’t fall behind early,” Agosti added. “We’ve got a big middle of our schedule. We’re not looking past Williams Valley before that, but you just gotta’ play every game.”
2013 results
Anthracite Football League
7-5 overall, 4-4 AFL
Lehighton L, 14-27
Schuylkill Haven L, 6-30
Mahanoy Area L, 6-40
Conwell-Egan W, 28-13
North Schuylkill W, 27-26
Panther Valley W, 25-0
Minersville W, 43-7
Shen. Valley W, 52-20
Jim Thorpe L, 7-14
Tamaqua L, 10-24
EC Class A Semifinals
Muncy W, 34-13
EC Class A championship
Mahanoy Area W, 28-3