Interboro

By MATT SMITH

msmith@delcotimes.com

GLENOLDEN — Steve Lennox exits his office from inside the South Avenue Athletic Complex locker room. His players are enjoying some rest and relaxation before they have to take the field again to work on special teams drills.

Without warning, Lennox let’s everyone know that time is up: “Let’s go! On the field, now!”

The Interboro coach hasn’t slowed one bit. Camp Lennox is in session every year, and he wouldn’t do it any other way. There’s a reason why he keeps coming back.

“After all these years, it’s still fun,” said Lennox, who begins his 22nd season at Interboro. “And it’s because of the kids. They make it fun for me.”

Lennox has faith in his young men, too. For instance, he views team captains Sean Menold (quarterback), Mike O’Chuida (linebacker), Jason Miksit (offensive line) and Jeremiah Dellipriscoli (offensive line) as the four players expected to set a good example for the underclassmen and lead the Bucs to the top of the Del Val League and to a second District One Class AAA title in three years.

The team captains believe the Bucs have a lot to prove. Last year was unacceptable, they said. Surprising in some respects, considering the Bucs dominated rival Ridley, 12-0, on the road to close out the year on an inspiring note and finish with a winning record.

But that wasn’t enough.

“What really motivates us is going 6-5 when we had such high hopes,” said O’Chuida, also a running back.

The Bucs realize it’s a long journey and they are focused on reaching their goals, one at a time.

“It’s going to take a lot of hard work,” Miksit said. “We don’t want to be playing against Ridley again on Thanksgiving. We want to go far in the playoffs and have a good season. We have a good core and practice has been going really well. ”

O’Chuida mentioned how the players were developing camaraderie in camp.

“We stay together and really believe in each other,” he said. “I think last year we fought amongst ourselves sometimes and that hurt us during games. This year, a lot of us are friends and we do things off the field, as a team. We’re all being good teammates.”

“Last year,” Miksit added, “people on the team just expected to have success and didn’t want to put in the time and effort. With this camp, we’re putting in the time and effort because we have to earn the ‘Buc Pride’ and the respect that this program had, but maybe lost a little over the last year or so. We’re determined to earn it back.”

Before every new season, Lennox likes to point out the obvious about Interboro football players: They’re a bunch of tough kids. Maybe not the biggest or most athletically gifted, but they uphold their reputation of being physical players.

“It’s a source of pride,” Menold said.

That’s not going to change in 2014.

“It’s true,” Lennox said. “It’s our mantra and what we hang our hat on. It’s still fun to me because the kids give me everything they got. As a coach, that’s all you can ask for. Some years you’ll have a little more talent and a little more speed... but it just seems like a constant for us has been the physical play of our kids. We, as coaches, expect it of them every year, too.”

Menold gets his first crack as the Bucs’ starting quarterback, replacing last year’s starter, Pat Cashin. The QB position often has been reserved for seniors in Lennox’s system, and it’s Menold’s turn to showcase his talent.

“I’ve tried to get out with the guys as much as I could, on off days and stuff, to get our rhythm together,” Menold said. “It’s important to get those extra reps together and make sure we get down the simple stuff. It’s like second nature once you find the rhythm.”

Menold has plenty of targets in the passing game including senior receivers Naim Bey and Mark Everton, who returned to Interboro after spending the summer with Cardinal O’Hara before returning. The running back positions will be occupied by senior Paul Bilardo, and juniors Shaun Douglas, Lamar Shaw and Chris Hummel, among others. One of Interboro’s biggest strengths every year is its ground game, and they usually seek out contributions from multiple rushers.

Dellipriscoli and Miksit, both of whom are guards, anchor the offensive line along with senior center Christian Brady. Sean Patterson is penciled in at tight end, while Danny Mea and O’Chuida are the team’s top returning linebackers.

“We lost a lot of guys from last year and some great players,” O’Chuida said. “We have new kids coming up and they’re stepping up big time for us. They’re really bringing it in camp and there’s a lot of confidence building.”