It will be a bittersweet season for Cocalico. The Eagles are coming off a high-flying Section 2 championship, and have plenty of returning pieces to make another go at a section crown. But this will be the Eagles’ final season in Section 2 for the time being; because of realignment figures, they’re heading back to Section 3 for the 2014-15 cycle. How will they handle their Section 2 swan song? Below is Cocalico’s Countdown to Camp preview.
SCHOOL NAME: Cocalico Eagles
COACH: Dave Gingrich
VIDEO: DAVE GINGRICH INTERVIEW
LAST YEAR: 10-2 overall, 7-0 in L-L Section 2
LAST 5 YEARS: 42-18
RETURNING STARTERS: 6 on offense; 6 on defense
KEY PLAYERS: RB-DB Spencer Moser; QB-DB Jhett Janis; WR-LB Mitch Shober; TE-DE Casey Kerschner; RB-LB Dalton Kern; OG-DT John Fry; OT-DE Zach Eberly; WR-DB Mitch Deering; TE-LB Alex Buckwalter; RB-LB Brad Whittaker.
OFFENSIVE OVERVIEW: Plenty to like here, including a pair of rising senior athletes that you’ll be hearing plenty about this entire upcoming school year — fourth-year starters Spencer Moser and Jhett Janis. Moser, a scatback, rushed for 1,101 yards, averaged 10.1 per pop and scored 16 TD last fall. Janis, who lined up all over the place last fall, is now the full-time QB in Cocalico’s “Veer” scheme. He passed for 211 yards, rushed for 259 yards and had 782 yards of total offense last fall. Janis, who is also one of the top javelin throwers in the state, won’t go up top much, but he’ll have a pair of sure-handed targets in Mitch Shober and Mitch Deering on the flanks. And most definitely keep your eyes peeled on TE Casey Kerschner and OG John Fry, whom Gingrich calls the glue of the Eagles’ O and D lines. Cocalico scored a gaudy 40 points per game in the regular season last fall. If Fry and OT Zach Eberly can get some help in the trenches, the Eagles might hit that number again.
VIDEO: SPENCER MOSER INTERVIEW
VIDEO: ANOTHER JHETT JANIS INTERVIEW
DEFENSIVE OVERVIEW: Welcome back, Dalton Kern. The feisty 5-8, 185-pound LB was a heat-seeking missile last fall, piling up 123 tackles — 16 for losses — 3 ½ sacks and four forced fumbles. He should inflict plenty of more damage in the coming months in the Eagles’ “4-3” scheme. Front is in excellent hands with Kerschner (25 tackles, 3 sacks) and Eberly (8 tackles, 1 forced fumble) back at end and Fry (25 tackles, 1 forced fumble) at tackle. Meanwhile, Shober (80 tackles, 1 pick), Alex Buckwalter (44 tackles, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery) and Brad Whittaker (54 tackles, 1 fumble recovery) have experience and will flank Kern. And the secondary — speedsters Moser, Janis and Deering — should be one of the best in Section 2.
BIGGEST GAME: October 4 vs. Manheim Central. Last go-round for this game for a while. Too bad; Eagles and Barons have developed a nice little rivalry here lately. Winner here could have inside track to Section 2 title.
MORE COCALICO EAGLES: 2013 SCHEDULE
REINHART’S CRYSTAL BALL: Gingrich probably wouldn’t say it publicly, but he and his team will play with chips on their shoulders because of their impending move back down to Section 3 in 2014. It’s no secret: Cocalico isn’t exactly gaga about it. The Eagles have been in Section 2 since 2004 and have developed some terrific rivalries and have annually been in the race for the section championship — which they won last fall, pinning 48 points on Manheim Central along the way. They’re still talking about that game in Denver. And you know they’d love to repeat on their way out the door. And getting what they perceive as a boot out of the section (Gingrich wasn’t anticipating such realignment numbers, plus nobody would switch with Cocalico for a Hornberger Amendment, further irritating the Eagles) should give Cocalico plenty of motivation. There are a lot of really nice pieces here — Moser and Janis would be first-round picks in L-L fantasy drafts — and the Eagles desperately want to leave their mark on Section 2. Not picking a repeat just yet, but Cocalico will be there in the end. Book that.