Ephrata

By John Buffone

jbuffone@gametimepa.com

The Mounts had a rough go of it in 2013, going winless while yielding over 40 points per game and scoring an average of just 10.7.

Ephrata may have made a break for themselves this year however after they agreed to “hornberger” with Cocalico so the Eagles would remain in Section Two and the Mounts would drop down to Section Three.

“It was a very hard decision to make. It’s a decision where your ego can get the best of you. We also want the kids to be successful and let them know that hard work can bring success,” head coach Scott Shelley said. “We basically came up with a five-year play called ‘Regroup, rebuild and return’ (to Section Two).”

In their new section, the Mounts will be returning junior Gyree Durante who led the team is passing last year with 249 yards and three touchdowns. Durante also rushed for 131 yards on 69 carries. Another Mount that should see an increased role is sophomore RJ Barrett who rushed 59 times for 188 yards and three touchdowns as a freshman in 2013.

“The morale has been up the past couple months in the weight room,” Barrett said. “We’re seeing more guys coming out and people wanting to get onto the field. You can tell that people want to turn the program around.”

While they won’t be favored to win Section Three in 2014, look for the Mounts to lay a solid foundation for which they can build upon in the future.

“It’d be nice to get some wins. Getting some wins translates into getting some more players out because kids want to play for a winner,” Shelley said. “On the other hand, winning isn’t everything. Through these two years, our kids learned how to deal with adversity it doesn’t win if we’re 13-0 or 0-10, we still have great kids who work hard.”