Chambersburg

By Ed Gotwals

egotwals@GameTimePA.com

@EdGotwalsPO on Twitter

The Chambersburg football team has a lot of questions to answer and a lot of positions to solidify as it heads into the 2014 season.

Yet fifth-year coach Mark Saunders is excited about the team’s prospects, even though he has only five returning starters on offense and three on defense.

The reason? Saunders believes his team has a lot of talent that has yet to blossom.

“I think we have as much talent as before ... but it’s not tested yet,” Saunders said. “Every position on the team seems to have a competitive battle going on, and that’s good from a coaching standpoint. The biggest thing is our kids need to get some experience, because that will answer a lot of question marks.”

Last year’s team came in with a ton of experience and plenty of talent and produced a second straight winning season (6-5) – which has not been the norm for the Trojans – but a couple of crazy losses (35-34 to State College and 54-51 to Harrisburg) that should have been wins left a feeling of underachievement hanging around.

Saunders said, “Sometimes an experienced-laden team can be a drawback, if the experienced players get a little lackadaisical. I don’t see that so far with this team.”

In terms of the veterans Chambersburg does have, two areas are well-stocked – linebacker and offensive line.

Seniors Mitchell Hollar (5-foot-11, 224 pounds) and Colten Brookens (5-7, 214) return at linebacker, bringing back two-thirds of the so-called “Blue Nami” group. Hollar, in the middle, led the team with 101 tackles and added nine sacks, 6.5 tackles for a loss and an interception, while Brookens, the strong side backer, had 83 tackles, nine tackles for a loss and 4.5 sacks.

The third crew member will be senior Boaz Pogue (6-1, 208), who moves from safety to weakside LB. He had 37 tackles, one for a loss and an interception.

“The linebackers are a strength,” Saunders said. “Hollar is a three-year starter and he and Brookens made a lot of tackles a year ago. Pogue has gotten bigger, so he can fit right in there.”

In front of the linebackers is an untested group that could turn into a strength. Defensive ends Kelton Chastulik (6-2, 248) and Jason Reese (jr., 5-10, 194) and tackles Albert Bumbaugh (jr., 5-8, 258) and Myles Braxton (5-10, 270) project to be the starters. Only Chastulik, a sophomore, saw action last year, and had nine tackles. Braxton, who formerly lived in Chambersburg, is a sophomore transfer from Spartanburg, S.C. that Saunders is high on.

Saunders said, “We’re bigger up front than we have been and we have some quality. Hopefully, they’ll be able to help stop the run and keep the linebackers free to make the tackles. I think we can be better up front than last year.”

The secondary will be untested, and that is a concern.

“We need to try to keep big plays from happening, but that seems to be our nemesis,” said Saunders, referencing those tough losses mentioned above. “Even those third-and-long plays are crucial. Our staff tried to address that this spring.”

The cornerbacks are senior Reshaud Eckert (5-8, 160) and junior Josh Honorat (5-8, 158), while senior Jacob Melego (5-10, 181) is the strong safety and junior Sam Blevins (5-10, 160) mans the free safety role. Griffin Leedy (so., 6-0, 187) could also see time at safety.

The Trojans averaged 38 points per game two years ago and 26 last year on offense, but all of the skill players from those teams are gone. It will be up to the line to help make life easier for the new backs, and there is promise and size with the big guys.

Saunders said, “The line is so important because we have to generate a running game to help the quarterback and receivers. So we need to run the ball, without getting too conservative, and score some points. We’ve been fortunate to be able to score a lot of points the past few years, and I think we still will be able to do that this year.”

The line welcomes back three starters – senior Dakota Merritts (5-11, 203) at left tackle, senior Brody Coldsmith (6-1, 318) at center, and Chastulik at left guard. Coldsmith started as a sophomore at center, then missed most of last year with an injury. Chastulik handled the center chores as a freshman.

Joining them are Bumbaugh at right guard and junior Calvin Noel (6-3, 305) at right tackle. Braxton could make his presence known on the line, too. The projected starters average 265 pounds.

Saunders said, “The line should be a strong point with that experience, and we’ve got some size. Noel’s a big kid and Chastulik has grown up.”

Juniors Hunter Leedy (6-1, 165) and Dashawn Moore (5-6, 150), a transfer, have been battling at quarterback, and it appears that Leedy has the edge for the starting job.

The other skill players expected to start include Pogue at wide receiver (13 catches, 149 yards, 4 TDs last year), Melego at tight end (6 catches, 72 yards in his career), sophomore Zach High (5-9, 222) at fullback and juniors Darius Johnson (5-8, 162) and Carter Edmondson (5-6, 165) at halfback. Johnson, Edmondson and Leedy all got a few snaps with the varsity a year ago.

“We’ve just got to get the skill guys some experience,” Saunders said. “We’ll still run a multiple offense and try to fit in the pieces.”

As for the kicking game, Tristan Valentine is expected to be the punter and Johnson will be the main returner. Saunders said he has several candidates for the placekicker role, but none have distanced themselves yet.

Saunders said, “I’m very excited about our prospects because of the type of kids we have. I’m excited to see them play and I think they’ll do well early, which they’ll need to gain some confidence.”