August 09, 2019 at 10:12PM
Colin Gillen knows well the situation his Cedar Cliff team faces.
The Colts were chasing the Mid-Penn Keystone title last season.
They went 10-3, and this year they're the chased.
"We were, kind of, the hunters," the coach said. "Not everybody was expecting a whole lot from us. Now, being the Keystone champs, we kind of have the bullseye on our backs."
Not the best of times to have lost a lot.
But the Colts will have to replace do-everything standout Bobby Whalen, quarterback Chris Dare, lineman Justin Resto and linebacker Donovon Ball heading into 2019.
Cedar Cliff cheerleaders during high school football media day on July 31, 2019. Sean Simmers | ssimmers@pennlive.com
That's no easy task.
Keystone coaches picked them to finish second in the division.
"Those guys (that graduated) were good mentors," fullback/linebacker Kevin Lusk said. "Those players led the way so well, and we are trying to do the same thing."
And Gillen is happy with what he's seen so far.
"I've been really pleased with where we are at," he said. "The guys we have coming back have done a really nice job.
"We have a lot of offensive linemen coming back, but, with that said, we are generally young up front," he continued. "We have some big-bodied kids who have hit the weight room hard, and we are looking good in the run game."
Gillen's formula is simple enough.
Run the ball.
Stop the run.
The key will be that offensive line and senior tailback Jaheim Morris.
Morris toted it 273 times for 1,905 yards and 23 touchdowns last season.
Gillen said he need's 1,806 yards to break the Colts' career rushing record.
And Morris said he's confident he can eclipse last season's mark.
"I can," he said. "I've just got to work with my linemen a little more, and I feel like we can get the job done."
The run game will, likely, receive more of an emphasis with the loss of Dare.
"We have really been blessed at Cedar Cliff to have some tremendous quarterbacks over the years," Gillen said.
Junior Gannon McMeans looks like the guy who'll get the next shot at continuing the trend. Gillen said he's doing his best to not put the same amount of expectations on him as Dare, and his predecessor, current Colgate quarterback Grant Breneman, might have had.
176
Gallery: The 2019 PennLive High School Football Media Day
"He doesn't have to be Grant Breneman, and he doesn't have to be Chris Dare," Gillen said. "He just has to be himself and distribute to the athletes he has.
"He's been doing a good job of that."
The Colts are confident they'll put it all together.
And they'll need to, quickly.
Cedar Cliff opens the season Aug. 23 at Governor Mifflin, which features super sophomore Nicholas Singleton, a Penn State target who ran for 1,274 yards last season.
"Governor Mifflin is a great program," Gillen said. "They're a playoff program every year. We are very much looking forward to seeing how we match up.
"We have an extremely difficult non-league slate which worked in our favor last year," he added. "If we can navigate that slate, take it one game at a time, we can set ourselves up to win the Keystone again."
And, if they can do that, they might just win more than a division title.
"We have a chip on our shoulder," Lusk said. "We want to win a district championship."
-- Follow Brian Linder on Twitter, @SportsByBLinder
Colin Gillen knows well the situation his Cedar Cliff team faces.
The Colts were chasing the Mid-Penn Keystone title last season.
They went 10-3, and this year they're the chased.
"We were, kind of, the hunters," the coach said. "Not everybody was expecting a whole lot from us. Now, being the Keystone champs, we kind of have the bullseye on our backs."
Not the best of times to have lost a lot.
But the Colts will have to replace do-everything standout Bobby Whalen, quarterback Chris Dare, lineman Justin Resto and linebacker Donovon Ball heading into 2019.
Cedar Cliff cheerleaders during high school football media day on July 31, 2019. Sean Simmers | ssimmers@pennlive.com
That's no easy task.
Keystone coaches picked them to finish second in the division.
"Those guys (that graduated) were good mentors," fullback/linebacker Kevin Lusk said. "Those players led the way so well, and we are trying to do the same thing."
And Gillen is happy with what he's seen so far.
"I've been really pleased with where we are at," he said. "The guys we have coming back have done a really nice job.
"We have a lot of offensive linemen coming back, but, with that said, we are generally young up front," he continued. "We have some big-bodied kids who have hit the weight room hard, and we are looking good in the run game."
Gillen's formula is simple enough.
Run the ball.
Stop the run.
The key will be that offensive line and senior tailback Jaheim Morris.
Morris toted it 273 times for 1,905 yards and 23 touchdowns last season.
Gillen said he need's 1,806 yards to break the Colts' career rushing record.
And Morris said he's confident he can eclipse last season's mark.
"I can," he said. "I've just got to work with my linemen a little more, and I feel like we can get the job done."
The run game will, likely, receive more of an emphasis with the loss of Dare.
"We have really been blessed at Cedar Cliff to have some tremendous quarterbacks over the years," Gillen said.
Junior Gannon McMeans looks like the guy who'll get the next shot at continuing the trend. Gillen said he's doing his best to not put the same amount of expectations on him as Dare, and his predecessor, current Colgate quarterback Grant Breneman, might have had.
176
Gallery: The 2019 PennLive High School Football Media Day
"He doesn't have to be Grant Breneman, and he doesn't have to be Chris Dare," Gillen said. "He just has to be himself and distribute to the athletes he has.
"He's been doing a good job of that."
The Colts are confident they'll put it all together.
And they'll need to, quickly.
Cedar Cliff opens the season Aug. 23 at Governor Mifflin, which features super sophomore Nicholas Singleton, a Penn State target who ran for 1,274 yards last season.
"Governor Mifflin is a great program," Gillen said. "They're a playoff program every year. We are very much looking forward to seeing how we match up.
"We have an extremely difficult non-league slate which worked in our favor last year," he added. "If we can navigate that slate, take it one game at a time, we can set ourselves up to win the Keystone again."
And, if they can do that, they might just win more than a division title.
"We have a chip on our shoulder," Lusk said. "We want to win a district championship."
-- Follow Brian Linder on Twitter, @SportsByBLinder