FALL SPORTS PREVIEW, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 \ \ ® Dallas The Dallas Mountaineers drop to Class 2A for the 2004 and 2005 seasons, and are con- sidered the top WVC team in that bracket. “We have a nice nucleus back,” said head coach Ted Jackson. “We don’t play Berwick or Valley West, but we still play five teams that are big- ger than us. ... Our schedule is- n’t a cakewalk. We're playing three 3As and two quads. It’s very challenging and a lot of our tough games are on the road.” : Now, Dallas goes back to the class where they've had great matchups with GAR, Hanover Area and others. However, more seems expected of the Moun- taineers than another Eastern Conference playoff spot. Quarterback Matt Kelly ex- ceeded expectations last year, throwing for a WVC-high 17 touchdowns, some of which came because of his tremen- dous scrambling ability. He was also one of three WVC quarter- backs to throw for more than 1,000 yards. Kelly’s primary target should again be Mike Race, who caught 30 passes last season as a sophomore, second-most in the WVC. Wingback Nick Samanas and receiver Jim Schwerdtman are also experi- enced. Tight ends Jeff Bernosky and Kyle Zapoticky were hampered by injuries last season, but did start on occasion. In the backfied, Doug Harris was slowed by an illness during looks like biggest dog in small division DALLAS FOOTBALL the preseason, but there is hope he’ll have another 1,000-yard season. Joe Lambert will also see some time at tailback. The fullback position is strong with Buddy Kocher, who averaged 4.4 yards per carry, back as the starter. Nick Onzik will be the backup. : Three starting offensive line- men have graduated, but the Mountaineers are in solid shape. Tackle Matt Daube and guard Steve Wengen, the re- turning starters, lead the unit. John Yanik will be at guard after playing tight end last sea- Daube. PHOTOS FOR THE POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Captains of the 2004 Dallas Mountaineers football team are, from left: Matt Kelly, Buddy Kocher, Jeff Bernosky, Matt son. Curt Montz is a the new center, but has starting experi- ence on defense. Alan Pugh will be the other tackle. “We're not green there,” Jack- son said, “but we lost three good players.” On the defensive squad, Daube and Yanik return as the ends, and a healthy Bernosky at tackle should help solidify the unit. Either Pugh and Wengen will be the other tackle. Jackson has seven linebackers with whom he feels comfort- able, making the position one of the deepest. Harris, Kocher, Onzik and Sam Perry will man the inside, with Lambert, Zapoticky and Matt Brokenshire reliable on the outside. The defensive backfield hand- cuffed nearly every opponent last season, allowing just 37 percent of passes to be complet- ed and two touchdowns during the regular season. A similar performance could be expected with Samanas back at one corner and Kelly return- ing at safety. Race and Schw- erdtman are the candidates for the other corner spot. Few can argue that Dallas is the elite team of Class 2A in the WVC. Anything less than a Dis- trict 2 playoff berth would seem like a huge disappointment. If the Mountaineers want a district title, they’ll need to tighten up the run defense since Lackawanna Conference 2A foes Dunmore and Valley View are run-first teams. — by John Erzar OCONOIBAWN — 2004 Dallas Mountaineers Name Ht. Wt. Pos. Yr Rob Lehman 6-3 170 QB Jr. Jim Schwerdtman 6-1 170 WR Sr. Matt Kelly 5-8 170 QB Sr Doug Harris 6-1 190 RB Sr Mike Race 6-1 180 WR Jr. Rob Santillana 5-11 175 QB Jr. Chris Parrish 6-0 165 QB Jr. Brian Kerpovich 6-0 170 QB So. Nick Samanas 5-9 185 WB Jr Kyle Lewis 6-0 160 WR Jr Brad Fagula 6-2 170 WR So Dave Caruso 5-7 165 WR So Dave Henry 5-9 160 WR So. Buddy Kocher 5-10 i: 235 FB Sr, Mike Gergel 6-0 175 WB So Nick Major 6-0 170 TB Sr. Matt Brokenshire 6-1 185 FB Sr. Joe Lambert 6-2 200 TB Jr... Robert Hayes 5-10 160 FB So. Joe Kapral 5-10 170 WB So Rob Tomko 5-10 175 WB Jr. Nick Onzik 5-11 210 FB Jr. Giryes Nijmeh 5-11 230 T Jr. Josh Perry 5-5 165 C So. Bruce Redmond 5-11 200 : 8 So. John Yanik 6-1 230 G Sr. Sam Perry 5-10. 225 T Jr. Steve Wengen 6-2 230 G Sr. Casey Husted 6-0 240 IT Jr. Adam Tamanini 6-0 195 G So. Curt Montz 5-11 215 C Sr. Alan Pugh 6-1 225 T Sr. John Kopcho 6-1 205 G So. Andy Hiller 5-11 215 T Jr. D.J. Anderson 6-3 260 T So. Chris Larson 5-11 215 T So. Anthony Oliveri 5-8 175 C So. Matt Daube 6-5 290 T Sr. Matt Lanyon 5-11 175 5 J So. Larry Harris 510: 175 WR So Greg Jerzak 5-10 - “165 WR So Robert Monk 6-3 245 IE So Jake Devlin 5-10 175 WR Jr Dan Considine 5-11 175 WR Jr Jeff Bernosky 6-3 220 TE Sr Kyle Zapoticky 6-2 200: == FE Sr
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