York County Tech

By Brett Keener

For GameTimePA.com

There was a long era of York County Tech football in which merely being competitive was a challenge.

That wasn’t so much an issue for last season’s Spartan squad, which nabbed three victories and was in the hunt in nearly every other game.

The trouble instead was getting second-half stops: Five times the Spartans entered the third quarter trailing by one score, and five times they watched their opponent pull away. With competitive football now standard, Tech is at the point where the only thing that counts as a victory is, well, a victory.

“Our kids are working their tails off, and we’re hoping at some point that’s going to pay dividends,” head coach Matt Glennon said. “It already has in our level of play. We were in every game last year. But if you score 28 points per game, you should win more than three football games. That’s our focus now.”

Offense

Quarterback >> Multiyear starter Dalmar Dickson has graduated, leaving Tech with a camp competition to determine who directs the Spartans’ triple-option attack. Junior Damarius Wiggins and sophomore Kahleik Savery are in the running.

Running back >> The Spartans lost record-breaking fullback Calvin Savary and big-play halfback Stephuan Montouth to graduation, but Tech believes it has a plug-and-play offensive system. Senior Nashid Bones will step into the feature fullback role after two seasons at A-back. Brandon Montouth, Maurice James and Jibri Bones will provide the change of pace at halfback.

Receivers >> The Spartans’ system means this group will occupy more of a blocking role than a receiving one. David Porter, Luis DeLeon and Isaiah Colon could see time at split end.

Offensive line >> Tech is led by third-year starter and Division III all-star center Mason Carl. He’ll be joined up front by Luis Rivera and Cedric Baldwin, who each have starting experience. Kyle Snyder makes the rare move from split end to tackle, and Paris McDermott and Tyler Shoop also will be in the mix.

Defense

Defensive line >> This group is much the same as the offensive line: Carl is joined by McDermott, Snyder and Rivera. Sophomores J.D. Miles and Jordan Black can give Tech some depth against the division’s run-happy heavyweights.

Linebackers >> Matt Rossi, Josh Matias, Snyder and Shoop could see time at the inside linebacker spots, while the Bones brothers and Colon will provide some closing speed as outside backers.

Secondary >> There are a bunch of athletes, although most of them will be learning on the job. Savery and Wiggins play safety, while Montouth, DeLeon, Maurice James and David Porter give the Spartans options and depth at corner.

Special teams

Special teams have been a give-and-take proposition for the Spartans, with big plays mixed liberally with momentum-killing mistakes; keeping things clean is a priority. The Bones brothers and Montouth bring some gamebreaking ability to the return game. Tech will likely again forgo extra-point kicks in favor of two-point conversion attempts.

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Save the date >> Tech is likely among those grateful for YAIAA realignment, as their three non-division dates give the Spartans’ newbies a chance to get up to speed before division play hits. Tech needs some success against Pequea Valley, Eastern York and Kennard-Dale.

Bottom line >> The Spartans have proven they can score, and the staff has confidence that a new group of skill-position guys can produce. But it remains to be seen if Tech can get stops on defense, especially in the second half of games.