While my Lehigh Valley wide threads are more analytical in nature, I recognize that I often devote way more words to my alma mater than the other (often more important and interesting) things going on in the Valley. So, this year I’m devoting a thread to park my more fan-like thoughts on the home team. They’re certainly not SJP or Pine-Richland in terms of contending for a state title. But it’s a traditionally strong program that’s undergoing a bit of an identify crisis and turbulence in the changing landscape of high school football. And while Alabama football is certainly more dominant, Tennessee is more interesting to write and surmise about. Train wrecks are kind of fun. If nothing else, this thread could be fun in a “my favorite team is killing me” sort of way. Or, it's just an exercise in pure vanity (not out of the question).
With all of that out of the way, Easton should be…something this year? Ten years ago, if you told me that Easton would have a pair of 300 pound linemen, with everybody on the offensive line 250+, a three year starter at running back, four three year starters on defense plus their all conference middle linebacker all returning, I would be waxing poetic about being the favorites in the Lehigh Valley. But, I have no idea what to expect with the new regime. As I’ve bitched about here before, last year, Easton returned 19 starters, had the best passing game in school history, and finished one game better than the year before, lost to Nazareth at home, and got outscored by a good but not great Parkland team 94-17 in their two meetings. Maybe they just weren’t very good. But expectations should have been a lot higher than what ended up being accomplished.
That said, it’s year two. Certainly, Steve Shiffert took some time to find his footing (though after a gangbusters first season where he went to the PIAA semifinals and lost 6-3 to CB West), missing district playoffs in 1994, 1996, 1997, and 1998 before going to finals seven times in the next eight years and advancing to another pair of state Final Four’s. Running a high school football program is tough, Jeff Braido is a salt of the Earth guy, and he deserves a shot at the job. My bitching will be kept to a minimum (starting…now).
I’m optimistic because I think the offensive line is going to be really good. Albert Gayle and Patrick Shupp are both three year starters, and Shupp at 6’4 315 is a Division I caliber guy. Gayle (6’0 255) is probably the better high school football player, and I think will be a really good Division II defensive lineman (he’s a stealth all state candidate on the defensive side of the ball). The other bookend is Elek Ferency, back for his second year as a starter after playing as the swing lineman as a sophomore. Ferency is 6’3 305, a state finalist in the shot put, and could really pop as a late bloomer. They’re also getting back Christian Miers at guard, a 6’5 250 junior who transferred from Easton to Notre Dame but has returned to his home school. They’ve got size to spare. If there is the physicality to match it, they’ll be able to slug it out with good football teams up front, something they’ve been lacking since the 2014 team that ran the table in the regular season. A lot of teams in the Valley return skill players and quarterbacks, but Easton has the most returning in terms of numbers and talent in the trenches.
Other observations from camp
-Nate Nimeh is going to be the guy at quarterback. He’s bulked up a bunch (5’11 185 after being listed at 160 as a junior) and will need to match the efficiency of his predecessor. This year I will be really looking for the influence of QB coach Mike Palos (who was the Valley’s first ever 2,000 yard single season passer under Bob Stem at Becahi and played quarterback at Lafayette) who did a great job with Scott Poulson last season. A lot of the gripes under the prior regime was the lack of a quarterbacks coach, and it looks like that may be remedied and then some.
-Even with Nimeh winning the job, the big talk at quarterback is freshman Peyton Cosover. He’ll be the varsity back up, and while he’s not quite ready for prime-time, he’s the most polished QB prospect Easton has had in a very long time.
-Every chance he gets, Braido has been hyping up senior running back Harold Reynolds. After a really good sophomore year (786 yards, 10 TDs), Reynolds disappeared last year as Easton abandoned the inside run game. He’s a two-year captain and clearly well respected by everybody in and around the program. He also could be a clock controlling back running behind that huge offensive front.
-Braido also seems high on the replacements at receiver. Mike Dunlap and Damion Smith are replacing 94 catches, 1,700 yards, and 21 touchdowns from Jake Herres and Eddie Olsen, but are both big (6’4 185 and 6’3 190) receivers who have the athleticism (particularly Dunlap, who also ran a 4.5 at the Blue/Gray combine in Philly last month) to cause problems on the outside. I actually don’t expect as much drop off as anticipated, though I wonder if gameplans will shift and they won’t throw the ball.
-The other talk of camp has been Derek Frinzi. The 6’3 230 pound sophomore has really turned heads and is going to start at defensive end as a pass rusher and is going to be in the mix to start at guard. He might be the best college prospect on the roster. He hit a big growth spurt in the offseason (bulking up from 185 to 230 – puberty is a hell of a drug) and has the explosiveness and physicality to be an every down defensive lineman in high school.
-They’ve moved three year starter Danny Hynes from strong safety to outside linebacker, which is a reflection of how you have to defend modern offenses. Hynes is a hitter, but has the speed and fluidity to cover slot receivers and make plays sideline to sideline. It also moves Damion Smith from cornerback to strong safety, which is probably a better use of his size and skillset. It does mean that the two cornerback spots are open, with sophomore Nahjee Adams and seniors Makhi DeSilva and Xavier Apgar competing to get on the field.
-The other sleeper to be an impact guy is defensive tackle D’Sean Cham. The senior is huge (6’3 290) and if his conditioning level lets him be an every down 3-technique, the Rovers could have the best interior defense in the conference.
I’m planning to go see them scrimmage at Coatesville this weekend and will have more. I don’t anticipate them “beating” the Red Raiders, but I will like to see how the defense, which has the pieces to be pretty good, match up against one of the three best offenses in the state.
With all of that out of the way, Easton should be…something this year? Ten years ago, if you told me that Easton would have a pair of 300 pound linemen, with everybody on the offensive line 250+, a three year starter at running back, four three year starters on defense plus their all conference middle linebacker all returning, I would be waxing poetic about being the favorites in the Lehigh Valley. But, I have no idea what to expect with the new regime. As I’ve bitched about here before, last year, Easton returned 19 starters, had the best passing game in school history, and finished one game better than the year before, lost to Nazareth at home, and got outscored by a good but not great Parkland team 94-17 in their two meetings. Maybe they just weren’t very good. But expectations should have been a lot higher than what ended up being accomplished.
That said, it’s year two. Certainly, Steve Shiffert took some time to find his footing (though after a gangbusters first season where he went to the PIAA semifinals and lost 6-3 to CB West), missing district playoffs in 1994, 1996, 1997, and 1998 before going to finals seven times in the next eight years and advancing to another pair of state Final Four’s. Running a high school football program is tough, Jeff Braido is a salt of the Earth guy, and he deserves a shot at the job. My bitching will be kept to a minimum (starting…now).
I’m optimistic because I think the offensive line is going to be really good. Albert Gayle and Patrick Shupp are both three year starters, and Shupp at 6’4 315 is a Division I caliber guy. Gayle (6’0 255) is probably the better high school football player, and I think will be a really good Division II defensive lineman (he’s a stealth all state candidate on the defensive side of the ball). The other bookend is Elek Ferency, back for his second year as a starter after playing as the swing lineman as a sophomore. Ferency is 6’3 305, a state finalist in the shot put, and could really pop as a late bloomer. They’re also getting back Christian Miers at guard, a 6’5 250 junior who transferred from Easton to Notre Dame but has returned to his home school. They’ve got size to spare. If there is the physicality to match it, they’ll be able to slug it out with good football teams up front, something they’ve been lacking since the 2014 team that ran the table in the regular season. A lot of teams in the Valley return skill players and quarterbacks, but Easton has the most returning in terms of numbers and talent in the trenches.
Other observations from camp
-Nate Nimeh is going to be the guy at quarterback. He’s bulked up a bunch (5’11 185 after being listed at 160 as a junior) and will need to match the efficiency of his predecessor. This year I will be really looking for the influence of QB coach Mike Palos (who was the Valley’s first ever 2,000 yard single season passer under Bob Stem at Becahi and played quarterback at Lafayette) who did a great job with Scott Poulson last season. A lot of the gripes under the prior regime was the lack of a quarterbacks coach, and it looks like that may be remedied and then some.
-Even with Nimeh winning the job, the big talk at quarterback is freshman Peyton Cosover. He’ll be the varsity back up, and while he’s not quite ready for prime-time, he’s the most polished QB prospect Easton has had in a very long time.
-Every chance he gets, Braido has been hyping up senior running back Harold Reynolds. After a really good sophomore year (786 yards, 10 TDs), Reynolds disappeared last year as Easton abandoned the inside run game. He’s a two-year captain and clearly well respected by everybody in and around the program. He also could be a clock controlling back running behind that huge offensive front.
-Braido also seems high on the replacements at receiver. Mike Dunlap and Damion Smith are replacing 94 catches, 1,700 yards, and 21 touchdowns from Jake Herres and Eddie Olsen, but are both big (6’4 185 and 6’3 190) receivers who have the athleticism (particularly Dunlap, who also ran a 4.5 at the Blue/Gray combine in Philly last month) to cause problems on the outside. I actually don’t expect as much drop off as anticipated, though I wonder if gameplans will shift and they won’t throw the ball.
-The other talk of camp has been Derek Frinzi. The 6’3 230 pound sophomore has really turned heads and is going to start at defensive end as a pass rusher and is going to be in the mix to start at guard. He might be the best college prospect on the roster. He hit a big growth spurt in the offseason (bulking up from 185 to 230 – puberty is a hell of a drug) and has the explosiveness and physicality to be an every down defensive lineman in high school.
-They’ve moved three year starter Danny Hynes from strong safety to outside linebacker, which is a reflection of how you have to defend modern offenses. Hynes is a hitter, but has the speed and fluidity to cover slot receivers and make plays sideline to sideline. It also moves Damion Smith from cornerback to strong safety, which is probably a better use of his size and skillset. It does mean that the two cornerback spots are open, with sophomore Nahjee Adams and seniors Makhi DeSilva and Xavier Apgar competing to get on the field.
-The other sleeper to be an impact guy is defensive tackle D’Sean Cham. The senior is huge (6’3 290) and if his conditioning level lets him be an every down 3-technique, the Rovers could have the best interior defense in the conference.
I’m planning to go see them scrimmage at Coatesville this weekend and will have more. I don’t anticipate them “beating” the Red Raiders, but I will like to see how the defense, which has the pieces to be pretty good, match up against one of the three best offenses in the state.
