How did the high school football season go overall?
“I’m very happy with the way our 2019 went. I had a great time with my guys. We made a lot of great memories. Early in the season, we battled a lot of inexperience and adversity. However, once we found our identity mid-season, everything changed. We really got things turning in the Railriders Bowl against Mid Valley at PNC Field, where we shocked everyone by becoming the first team to win it in back-to-back years after scoring 10 points in the final :60 seconds in a dramatic comeback. We carried that resilience into our rivalry game the next week against then-#1 A team in the state, the Old Forge Blue Devils. In that game, we were down 2 scores twice and battled back to lead, before coming a few yards short of winning the game as time expired. I can cite almost every game we played in as evidence, but we were truly a resilient group that wouldn’t go down without a fight after that Railriders Bowl. That’s what I’m most proud of. As for personal achievements, with help from our receiving corps, we opened up our offense and set the league on fire through the air. 7 of our receivers had over 10 catches. 4 of them had 25 or more receptions. One being Razen Reyes who helped me set the single season Lackawanna Football Conference/LIAA/Riverside passing records for yardage and touchdowns. Furthermore, I led the state in passing YPG and finished with 2952 yards and 40 TDs. Razen, himself, also set a record setting single season with touchdowns and yardage. I was very lucky to have a group that worked hard and believed in me.”
What are you trying to improve on the most as a player?
“Obviously, I still have a lot to work on as a player. On a positive side to this coronavirus, I have been able to focus a lot of my efforts on football from lifting to stretching to field work to film work. I’m trying to improve my mental understanding of the game, speed, and strength to put us in the best position to win come August. The weight room has been a huge part of that process. I’ve been in there every day this winter/spring in order to attack the weaknesses and help me enhance the things I need to accomplish my goals.”
How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“We still have a long way to go, but I am so optimistic about what’s to come. We lost a huge senior class with all of our skill players and two of our best linemen. The biggest obstacle we have to overcome is replacing those players, and for those who are returning starters, we need to improve enough to compensate for some of those losses. In order for us to be where we want to be, we definitely need to recruit some guys within our school who have never played football before. We have some great athletes focused on other sports right now, but I think that once we open their eyes to how great varsity football is, they can be great for us. I’m really optimistic that we can get some guys, but if not, we have a committed, tough group that’s ready to go to war. It’s been a decade since our school has won a district championship. I know that this is our year. I won’t go down without winning it. The pieces are coming together. We just have to finish the deal. The inexperience is going to be there, but I believe we’ll come together like last year and finish the deal. Looking forward to showing everyone what we got.”
Who do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule next season
“Dunmore is always a team that we look to as a tough game. They constantly produce great teams and have made a great run over the past ten years by dominating our district. They’ve won something like five district championships in a row, so if we’re going to win one, we have to dethrone them. It should be a really competitive bracket for us. In AA, we just added a good young Northwest Area team and back-to-back state runner ups in Lackawanna Trail. Two tough teams, but I’m looking forward to our competitive schedule.”
Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I definitely would love to play football in college. Ever since I started playing in eighth grade, I fell in love with the game. I’ve worked really hard to get where I am, so I hope it pays off in the recruiting process. I’d do anything for football, so hopefully that takes me to some great places.”
What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I’ve talked to some Ivy League schools, Patriot League schools, and PSAC schools. There are no offers yet, but I’ve been invited to Harvard’s campus, Princeton’s campus, etc. this spring. Unfortunately, those visits were cancelled given the current coronavirus situation, but I plan to visit a lot of schools this summer.”
Have you made any college trips yet?
“Last summer, I went to camps at Villanova and Penn State.”
Do you have plans for more trips soon?
“I plan to really visit as many as I can this summer so that I can explore what is the right fit for me. I’m looking forward to that.”
Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“I am a huge Penn State fan. My first game was actually Joe Paterno’s 400th win. I’ve loved them ever since. I really look up to/have looked up to a lot of their players, especially their QBs like Matt McGloin, who grew up about 10-15 minutes away from me, Christian Hackenberg, Trace McSorley, and now Sean Clifford. Our family is season ticket holders so we try to make it out to as many games as we can. Love it out there. Nothing beats a whiteout.”
“I’m very happy with the way our 2019 went. I had a great time with my guys. We made a lot of great memories. Early in the season, we battled a lot of inexperience and adversity. However, once we found our identity mid-season, everything changed. We really got things turning in the Railriders Bowl against Mid Valley at PNC Field, where we shocked everyone by becoming the first team to win it in back-to-back years after scoring 10 points in the final :60 seconds in a dramatic comeback. We carried that resilience into our rivalry game the next week against then-#1 A team in the state, the Old Forge Blue Devils. In that game, we were down 2 scores twice and battled back to lead, before coming a few yards short of winning the game as time expired. I can cite almost every game we played in as evidence, but we were truly a resilient group that wouldn’t go down without a fight after that Railriders Bowl. That’s what I’m most proud of. As for personal achievements, with help from our receiving corps, we opened up our offense and set the league on fire through the air. 7 of our receivers had over 10 catches. 4 of them had 25 or more receptions. One being Razen Reyes who helped me set the single season Lackawanna Football Conference/LIAA/Riverside passing records for yardage and touchdowns. Furthermore, I led the state in passing YPG and finished with 2952 yards and 40 TDs. Razen, himself, also set a record setting single season with touchdowns and yardage. I was very lucky to have a group that worked hard and believed in me.”
What are you trying to improve on the most as a player?
“Obviously, I still have a lot to work on as a player. On a positive side to this coronavirus, I have been able to focus a lot of my efforts on football from lifting to stretching to field work to film work. I’m trying to improve my mental understanding of the game, speed, and strength to put us in the best position to win come August. The weight room has been a huge part of that process. I’ve been in there every day this winter/spring in order to attack the weaknesses and help me enhance the things I need to accomplish my goals.”
How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“We still have a long way to go, but I am so optimistic about what’s to come. We lost a huge senior class with all of our skill players and two of our best linemen. The biggest obstacle we have to overcome is replacing those players, and for those who are returning starters, we need to improve enough to compensate for some of those losses. In order for us to be where we want to be, we definitely need to recruit some guys within our school who have never played football before. We have some great athletes focused on other sports right now, but I think that once we open their eyes to how great varsity football is, they can be great for us. I’m really optimistic that we can get some guys, but if not, we have a committed, tough group that’s ready to go to war. It’s been a decade since our school has won a district championship. I know that this is our year. I won’t go down without winning it. The pieces are coming together. We just have to finish the deal. The inexperience is going to be there, but I believe we’ll come together like last year and finish the deal. Looking forward to showing everyone what we got.”
Who do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule next season
“Dunmore is always a team that we look to as a tough game. They constantly produce great teams and have made a great run over the past ten years by dominating our district. They’ve won something like five district championships in a row, so if we’re going to win one, we have to dethrone them. It should be a really competitive bracket for us. In AA, we just added a good young Northwest Area team and back-to-back state runner ups in Lackawanna Trail. Two tough teams, but I’m looking forward to our competitive schedule.”
Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I definitely would love to play football in college. Ever since I started playing in eighth grade, I fell in love with the game. I’ve worked really hard to get where I am, so I hope it pays off in the recruiting process. I’d do anything for football, so hopefully that takes me to some great places.”
What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I’ve talked to some Ivy League schools, Patriot League schools, and PSAC schools. There are no offers yet, but I’ve been invited to Harvard’s campus, Princeton’s campus, etc. this spring. Unfortunately, those visits were cancelled given the current coronavirus situation, but I plan to visit a lot of schools this summer.”
Have you made any college trips yet?
“Last summer, I went to camps at Villanova and Penn State.”
Do you have plans for more trips soon?
“I plan to really visit as many as I can this summer so that I can explore what is the right fit for me. I’m looking forward to that.”
Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“I am a huge Penn State fan. My first game was actually Joe Paterno’s 400th win. I’ve loved them ever since. I really look up to/have looked up to a lot of their players, especially their QBs like Matt McGloin, who grew up about 10-15 minutes away from me, Christian Hackenberg, Trace McSorley, and now Sean Clifford. Our family is season ticket holders so we try to make it out to as many games as we can. Love it out there. Nothing beats a whiteout.”
