Whistles blared. Coaches yelled. Players ran through plays and hustled on and off the field during breaks with great intensity and enthusiasm.
If you stood on the hill behind Martz Hall and watched the Pottsville football team practice this week, you would think the Crimson Tide are unbeaten.
Instead, the Tide are suffering through their worst season in 56 years, taking an 0-8 record into tonight’s Berks Football League Section 1 game against Reading at Albright College’s Shirk Stadium.
There are several reasons for Pottsville’s rough season, but none of them is a lack of effort. Despite the winless record, despite the harsh criticism the players and coaches have received from the community, media and in their own school, the Crimson Tide players and coaches have continued to put forth the effort required to field a championship-caliber team.
That effort is evident on the practice field week to week.
“Practice-wise, these kids have been great,” Pottsville head coach Tom McGeoy said. “Our senior class has been phenomenal this year. Too bad it’s only eight kids, but they’ve been really, really good leaders.
“We’ve been really practicing well. It’s a little disappointing that our Fridays haven’t turned out the way we wanted them, but every week they come out, they have fun, they enjoy being here and we enjoy being around them.
“For an 0-8 season, it’s gone quick. It feels like we’re winning sometimes because of the fun we’re having with them. Unfortunately, Fridays haven’t been too fun for us.”
The present
The biggest problem Pottsville has had this season is numbers.
The Crimson Tide lost 26 seniors from last year’s group, and had to replace all 11 starters on defense when you factor in that All-State wide receiver/defensive back Travis Blankenhorn did not come out for his senior season.
Filling all those holes is not an easy task for any program, regardless of its numbers.
Heading into tonight’s game, Pottsville has only 38 available players, and currently has only eight seniors and 13 juniors on the roster. A group of 22 sophomores has been thrust into varsity roles before they are ready, and that inexperience has shown.
“It’s unfortunate that the kids in this senior class, for whatever reason, didn’t play as freshmen,” McGeoy said. “We saw the numbers coming up. It’s not a surprise.
“The biggest loss from this senior class was Blankenhorn deciding not to play. Losing him … he’s an All-State guy, and that’s tough to replace. Offensively, that shows a little bit. We don’t have that guy who can stretch the field anymore like he did last year.”
Senior quarterback Patrick Keating has had a nice season, completing 71-of-154 passes for 799 yards, but he’s been hampered by injuries to key offensive weapons and an inexperienced offensive line.
Sophomore running back Darion Jacoby, the 2013 Republican-Herald Rookie of the Year, will proba-
bly miss the final two games due to mononucleosis. He missed several games earlier this season due to injury, and has just 219 yards rushing on 84 carries this season.
Junior offensive lineman Kobey Azbell has missed most of the season due to a shoulder injury, and sophomore center/guard Brent Gauntlett is out with a concussion.
A team known for its potent running attacks over the years, Pottsville has gained just 437 yards on the ground in eight games (54.6 ypg) and scored just 48 total points.
Despite the lack of resources, Keating said it’s important for the eight remaining seniors to set the right example.
“It’s rough, because I remember when I was a sophomore I saw those seniors go through it,” Keating said, referencing Pottsville’s 2-8 record in 2012. “But just like they did, we come to practice every day because we want to set a precedent for the classes that play after us.
“The game keeps getting played year after year. Football is still going to be here after we’re gone. And there’s more to the program than just our senior class.
“We want to see this program continue with the tradition that it’s had. Play good football and not give up. No matter what the score is, you have to keep playing the game.”
Another big factor in Pottsville’s struggles is the Crimson Tide’s schedule.
Heading into this weekend’s games, Pottsville’s 10 opponents are a combined 58-22 (.725), with all but one (Muhlenberg, 2-6) having a record of 4-4 or greater.
If the season ended today, nine of Pottsville’s 10 opponents would make either their respective district or the Eastern Conference playoffs.
“It’s important for us to keep going and never quit, keep fighting,” junior running back Hunter Futchko said. “It’s been tough.
“A lot of people in this town want to criticize us, and they really don’t understand what we go through. We’re students by day and athletes by night. We work really hard in school to maintain our grades, and we bust our butts out here the entire season. It just hasn’t turned out the right way.”
The Future
Of those eight seniors, six — QB Keating, WR/FS Exavior Hunt, FB/LB Aaron Mickonis, OL Kyle Shuman, OL/DT Justus Schultz and DL Bill Laundry — are starters.
The varsity experience gained this season by the Tide’s underclassmen will come in handy next year. Futchko, junior wide receiver/defensive back Brian Heckler, sophomore linebacker Chase Alisauckas (75 tackles) and junior linebacker Anthony Angelichio have had breakout seasons.
Sophomore Eric Wapinsky is set to take over the reins at quarterback when Keating graduates, while juniors Azbell (6-2, 200), Dante Yeastadt (6-5, 270), Cyle Hinson (6-3, 245) and Nate Sadusky (6-0, 220) and sophomore Gauntlett (5-11, 205) return up front.
“Getting a year older will be a big deal for us,” McGeoy said. “A year of maturity, and more seniors. We’ll have 13-14 seniors next year, and 22 juniors, about 11 of which have varsity experience now.
“A lot of the sophomores this year, they should be playing JV, but they’re playing a lot of varsity because of the numbers situation.”
The Tide’s current group of 35 underclassmen will be joined by roughly 30 freshmen from a squad that has gone 4-2 and suffered close losses to Governor Mifflin and Exeter.
When you add in the fact that Pottsville has 60 players in its junior high program, it’s a possibility that the Tide could have nearly 80 players on their varsity roster in two years if they have a good retention rate.
“Our numbers are going to be way up next year. That’s going to be a big boost,” McGeoy said. “With the experience we have, we should be much more competitive next year. I don’t know what that means yet, because it’s early, but I think it should be a better season for us on the field next year.”
Futchko said one area the Crimson Tide had to improve was their strength. A solid offseason weight program with good participation could set the tone for a bounce-back year in 2015 or 2016.
“We need to hit the weight room a lot more,” he said. “I’d like to see a lot more kids in the weight room. If we can get the freshmen in there earlier, I think we can improve a lot for next year, get stronger, get more wins.”
Pottsville will play the exact same schedule next season, so a drastic improvement next year is unlikely. A big turnaround could occur in the 2016 season, when this year’s sophomores are seniors and Pottsville moves to the Anthracite Football League.
For right now, staying positive and getting the most out of his players at practice and in games is McGeoy’s goal for the rest of the season, with an eye toward the future.
“It’s not hard to stay positive with these guys. They’re fun to be around. If practices were like they were dragging, hanging their heads and they were fighting with one another, it would be a lot harder,” McGeoy said. “It’s tough being 0-8, but this group has made it a little easier being 0-8.
“I’ve been here with some other teams where practices haven’t been nearly as good. This team really does practice well, it’s just our numbers and our age that are what hurt us the most.”