EPC North
1. Pleasant Valley*: 6-5 (6-2)
Last Season: Started the season off by getting blown out by Easton, Bethlehem Catholic, and Whitehall, then put up a six game winning streak to qualify for subregional playoffs as the 8 seed. Came within seconds of shocking undefeated Stroudsburg in the regular season finale, which would have forced a 3 way tie for first in the EPC North. Dropped a 46-0 rematch with Easton in the first round of playoffs.
Standouts: Running back Austyn Borre (5’10 195) enters his senior year Pleasant Valley’s all time leader in every rushing category. He burst onto the scene as a freshman, rushing for 1,233 yards and followed that up with 1,146 yards as a sophomore. Injuries limited him to just seven games last season, but when healthy he is the guy at PV. He’s being recruited by Syracuse, Akron, Villanova, Bucknell, and Penn. Senior tight end/linebacker Brendan Kearns (6’2 225) was an All EPC North selection on defense last season and will be the main pass catching threat in Broadheadsville. Senior offensive/defensive lineman Matt Burke (6’2 195) was an All EPC North offensive tackle.
Question Marks: Pleasant Valley has been one of the better teams in the Pocono region of D11, but that has not translated into playoff success. There’s talent on this squad, but can they get over the hump and start beating teams from the Lehigh Valley?
Coaching: Pleasant Valley took a huge hit when Jim Terwilliger’s teaching position was furloughed, forcing him to resign as the football coach. In his short time at PV, he went 34-21 and made District playoffs three times in his four years. Terwilliger was replaced by Dave Pacchioni last season, who was promoted from defensive coordinator. Pacchioni did a good job rallying the troops after the 0-3 start and was certainly a successful assistant before taking over the program.
Expectations: Pleasant Valley and Stroudsburg will battle for the #2 spot in the EPC North behind Bethlehem Catholic. A full healthy season out of Borre will go a long way to PV reaching their goals.
2. Stroudsburg*: 10-1 (8-0)
Last Season: Stroudsburg pulled one of the bigger upsets in D11 when they knocked off Bethlehem Catholic in week 9 to win the inaugural EPC North crown. A 10-0 regular season earned them the #2 seed in the District 11/2/4 tournament, which came with a brutal darw of 7th seeded Parkland, who rather easily handled the Mounties. Running back Gerald Douglas led Pennsylvania’s 4A classification in rushing during the regular season with 1,856 yards and tallied 25 touchdowns on his way to being named EPC North Player of the Year.
Standouts: Quarterback Jake Jakobson (6’3 185) became the unexpected starter when Mike Nikorak chose to not play football his senior year and concentrate on his baseball career (Nikorak was drafted 27th overall by the Colorado Rockies, so good call). Jakobson threw for 1,173 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, in an offense that relied heavily on play action off of Douglas’s running ability. Jakobson will be asked to do more as a senior, but should be up to the challenge. Jakobson is also nationally ranked as a 182 pound wrestler and has committed to Lehigh. Wide receiver/safety Marcello Riccardi (6’0 180) was an all EPC North selection on defense last year. His touchdown catch between two defenders clinched their division title last season over Becahi. He will be Jakobson’s primary target this season. Junior offensive tackle Jack Williamson (6’4 255) was the primary road grader for Douglas last season. Stroudsburg likes to run right behind him out of their one back sets.
Question Marks: How well can they transition to life after Gerald Douglas? Douglas put up over 4,000 yards and scored 54 touchdowns in his career. That leaves a hole in any program. Stroudsburg wants to be run heavy, but may have to lean on their experience under center and at wide receiver until the picture becomes clearer in the backfield.
Coaching: Jim Miller is 19-4 in his first two seasons as the head coach at Stroudsburg.
Expectations: Stroudsburg expects nothing less than a repeat division title and another shot at the teams from the Lehigh Valley come playoff time. Of course, they’d love to avoid a first round match up with Parkland for the third straight year.
3. East Stroudsburg South: 4-7 (4-4)
Last Season: An uncharacteristically bad season for the Cavaliers. Suffered heavy graduation losses from the 2013 squad that went 10-0 in the regular season. Started 1-5, with a win over Pocono Mountain East being their only win around losses to Freedom, Easton, Stroudsburg, Bethlehem Catholic, and Pleasant Valley. Season ended on a sour note as well with a rivalry loss to East Stroudsburg North and a first round exit form the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Standouts: Junior quarterback Jeff Cirillo showed promise as a freshman in 2013, and was going to be the focal point of the offense last season. However, he battled injuries all season long, which submarined the Cavaliers season. Still, he managed to throw for 1,220 yards and 14 touchdowns, which he can build on with a healthy year. His major target will be senior wide receiver Gage Scott (5’11 175). Scott caught 23 balls for 276 yards and 3 touchdowns as ESS’s third receiver. On defense, senior linebacker Nick Delcorso (6’2 185) is their leading returning tackler after averaging 5.5 stops per game in 2014.
Question Marks: ESS has some huge bodies slated to see time up front, particularly junior Zach Timko (6’4 275) and freshman Josh Pustay (6’2 305). If there is some athleticism to go with that size up front, ESS may rebound quicker than anticipated.
Coaching: The dean of District 11 football coaches, Ed Christian has been the head coach at East Stroudsburg South (formerly just East Stroudsburg) for the past 34 seasons and he has been at the school for the past 47 seasons. Christian earned his 250th win last season and is one of only three active coaches with a District 11 4A title.
Expectations: ESS was 35-10 in MVC play from 2008 to 2013. They one of the two non EPC South school to win a D11 title in the 27 years of the tournament. 4-4 division records are not what they are used to up there. The goal is to knock of Stroudsburg and Pleasant Valley and challenge Bethlehem Catholic for the EPC North crown.
1. Pleasant Valley*: 6-5 (6-2)
Last Season: Started the season off by getting blown out by Easton, Bethlehem Catholic, and Whitehall, then put up a six game winning streak to qualify for subregional playoffs as the 8 seed. Came within seconds of shocking undefeated Stroudsburg in the regular season finale, which would have forced a 3 way tie for first in the EPC North. Dropped a 46-0 rematch with Easton in the first round of playoffs.
Standouts: Running back Austyn Borre (5’10 195) enters his senior year Pleasant Valley’s all time leader in every rushing category. He burst onto the scene as a freshman, rushing for 1,233 yards and followed that up with 1,146 yards as a sophomore. Injuries limited him to just seven games last season, but when healthy he is the guy at PV. He’s being recruited by Syracuse, Akron, Villanova, Bucknell, and Penn. Senior tight end/linebacker Brendan Kearns (6’2 225) was an All EPC North selection on defense last season and will be the main pass catching threat in Broadheadsville. Senior offensive/defensive lineman Matt Burke (6’2 195) was an All EPC North offensive tackle.
Question Marks: Pleasant Valley has been one of the better teams in the Pocono region of D11, but that has not translated into playoff success. There’s talent on this squad, but can they get over the hump and start beating teams from the Lehigh Valley?
Coaching: Pleasant Valley took a huge hit when Jim Terwilliger’s teaching position was furloughed, forcing him to resign as the football coach. In his short time at PV, he went 34-21 and made District playoffs three times in his four years. Terwilliger was replaced by Dave Pacchioni last season, who was promoted from defensive coordinator. Pacchioni did a good job rallying the troops after the 0-3 start and was certainly a successful assistant before taking over the program.
Expectations: Pleasant Valley and Stroudsburg will battle for the #2 spot in the EPC North behind Bethlehem Catholic. A full healthy season out of Borre will go a long way to PV reaching their goals.
2. Stroudsburg*: 10-1 (8-0)
Last Season: Stroudsburg pulled one of the bigger upsets in D11 when they knocked off Bethlehem Catholic in week 9 to win the inaugural EPC North crown. A 10-0 regular season earned them the #2 seed in the District 11/2/4 tournament, which came with a brutal darw of 7th seeded Parkland, who rather easily handled the Mounties. Running back Gerald Douglas led Pennsylvania’s 4A classification in rushing during the regular season with 1,856 yards and tallied 25 touchdowns on his way to being named EPC North Player of the Year.
Standouts: Quarterback Jake Jakobson (6’3 185) became the unexpected starter when Mike Nikorak chose to not play football his senior year and concentrate on his baseball career (Nikorak was drafted 27th overall by the Colorado Rockies, so good call). Jakobson threw for 1,173 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, in an offense that relied heavily on play action off of Douglas’s running ability. Jakobson will be asked to do more as a senior, but should be up to the challenge. Jakobson is also nationally ranked as a 182 pound wrestler and has committed to Lehigh. Wide receiver/safety Marcello Riccardi (6’0 180) was an all EPC North selection on defense last year. His touchdown catch between two defenders clinched their division title last season over Becahi. He will be Jakobson’s primary target this season. Junior offensive tackle Jack Williamson (6’4 255) was the primary road grader for Douglas last season. Stroudsburg likes to run right behind him out of their one back sets.
Question Marks: How well can they transition to life after Gerald Douglas? Douglas put up over 4,000 yards and scored 54 touchdowns in his career. That leaves a hole in any program. Stroudsburg wants to be run heavy, but may have to lean on their experience under center and at wide receiver until the picture becomes clearer in the backfield.
Coaching: Jim Miller is 19-4 in his first two seasons as the head coach at Stroudsburg.
Expectations: Stroudsburg expects nothing less than a repeat division title and another shot at the teams from the Lehigh Valley come playoff time. Of course, they’d love to avoid a first round match up with Parkland for the third straight year.
3. East Stroudsburg South: 4-7 (4-4)
Last Season: An uncharacteristically bad season for the Cavaliers. Suffered heavy graduation losses from the 2013 squad that went 10-0 in the regular season. Started 1-5, with a win over Pocono Mountain East being their only win around losses to Freedom, Easton, Stroudsburg, Bethlehem Catholic, and Pleasant Valley. Season ended on a sour note as well with a rivalry loss to East Stroudsburg North and a first round exit form the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Standouts: Junior quarterback Jeff Cirillo showed promise as a freshman in 2013, and was going to be the focal point of the offense last season. However, he battled injuries all season long, which submarined the Cavaliers season. Still, he managed to throw for 1,220 yards and 14 touchdowns, which he can build on with a healthy year. His major target will be senior wide receiver Gage Scott (5’11 175). Scott caught 23 balls for 276 yards and 3 touchdowns as ESS’s third receiver. On defense, senior linebacker Nick Delcorso (6’2 185) is their leading returning tackler after averaging 5.5 stops per game in 2014.
Question Marks: ESS has some huge bodies slated to see time up front, particularly junior Zach Timko (6’4 275) and freshman Josh Pustay (6’2 305). If there is some athleticism to go with that size up front, ESS may rebound quicker than anticipated.
Coaching: The dean of District 11 football coaches, Ed Christian has been the head coach at East Stroudsburg South (formerly just East Stroudsburg) for the past 34 seasons and he has been at the school for the past 47 seasons. Christian earned his 250th win last season and is one of only three active coaches with a District 11 4A title.
Expectations: ESS was 35-10 in MVC play from 2008 to 2013. They one of the two non EPC South school to win a D11 title in the 27 years of the tournament. 4-4 division records are not what they are used to up there. The goal is to knock of Stroudsburg and Pleasant Valley and challenge Bethlehem Catholic for the EPC North crown.
