Lebanon

By Pat Huggins

phuggins@GameTimePA.com

@phuggsports on Twitter

No more Mark Pyles and his dynamic quarterback play and tackling-machine ways at linebacker.

No more Jeremy De La Cruz and his big plays at wide receiver and on defense.

The catalysts, not to mention emotional leaders, for the Lebanon High football team’s stirring run to the District Three playoffs last season have graduated and moved on to the collegiate ranks — Pyles to Bucknell, De La Cruz up the road to Lebanon Valley.

So, given all that the two brought to the table last season, it’s only natural to assume that the Cedars’ hopes of another successful fall campaign have moved on with them.

Maybe, maybe not.

While the Cedars simply cannot replace their two stars from a season ago, they do bring back a good deal more talent and experience than one might realize. A total of 17 starters from a season ago, to be exact.

“That’s the general theme, right,” Lebanon coach Gerry Yonchiuk asked rhetorically, of the perception that his squad won’t be able to make up for the loss of Pyles and De La Cruz. “But we’ve got 17 starters back, so I’m very excited about our chances of having a solid nucleus. Mark and Jeremy were the offense in terms of the two key guys, and the same thing on defense. But everybody else is back.

“(Going into) last year, we felt like we were a year away and obviously we surprised people, and we had to. But this was the year we were kinda looking at with these guys.”

Yonchiuk’s optimism does not appear to be unfounded. There is still plenty of skill-position talent in big-play senior wideout Nick Negron, and fellow pass catchers senior Xavier Baez, junior Omel Francois and senior Luke Eisenhour, who shifts over from running back to join the receiving corps.

And there is speed in the backfield in the person of senior Khaleem Newkirk and juniors Daniel Caricabeur and Malik Hunter, who was also a terror at outside linebacker during the stretch drive last season.

The matter of replacing Pyles is still a significant issue, with promising sophomore Cody Kissinger appearing to have the inside track in a battle with senior Justin Martin and Francois. But whoever ends up taking the snaps from center will have the luxury of being protected by a stout offensive line led by senior Connor Cummins and junior Lucas Imm.

In fact, given all that, Lebanon may be gearing down its vaunted Air Raid attack in favor of a more balanced offensive style.

“The quarterback now is not gonna have to have as much on his plate, as if he had a young team,” Yonchiuk said. “We have four of the five linemen back up front, and to us that’s a strength of our football team even though a lot of our skill kids are back, too. And we will probably be more of a run team, which is a little different. We have a lot of speed with the running backs, so it would be foolish not to, especially with breaking in a new quarterback.”

There is also a good deal of talent and experience returning on defense, including Imm (DE), Baez (LB), Hunter (LB), Eisenhour (LB) and Kissinger, a starter at free safety as a freshman last season.

That’s the good news, and quite a bit of it.

The bad news is Lebanon will need all the contributions it can get to stay afloat in an absolutely loaded Section Two race.

Not only will usual suspects Manheim Central, Cocalico and Lampeter-Strasburg have to dealt with, but league realignment brings two more perennial powers, Lancaster Catholic and Garden Spot, into the crowded section mix this fall.

“Wow,” was Yonchuik’s initial response when the talk turned to the Section Two field. “You take one of the best teams in Section Three (Garden Spot) and one of the best teams in Section One (Lancaster Catholic) and bring them down. I think it’s gonna be a blast to cover those games. It’s gonna be a battle every week. I don’t know how it couldn’t be, because of the talent level that’s out there. It’s gotta be one of the better leagues in District Three.”

A league that Lebanon feels it can be competitive in, the loss of its two stars notwithstanding.