TOM LAUNER TAKES OVER AT J-BURG; HOPES TO PROPEL RAMS INTO PLAYOFFS

JOHNSONBURG – Johnsonburg has another new head coach this season with Tom Launer replacing Kevin Carter, who went 2-7 last year.

"We’re trying to get into the D9 playoffs, Launer told the Tri-County Sunday in DuBois. "We definitely want a winning record. The seniors on this team want to win. They have only won four games in their varsity career, and they’re working hard. I think as the season goes on, we’ll have a good football team."

Launer will have his work cut out trying to turn the Rams around after Johnsonburg lost its top five leading receiver, Eric Iorfido (33 catches, 581 yards, 7 TDs – ranked 6^th in D9 in receiving), Greg Wonderly (10 catches, 134 yards, 1 TD), Kevin DeStephano (12 catches, 128 yards, 1 TD), Lincoln Shreffler (13 catches, 125 yards) and Ted Cherry (9 catches, 104 yards, 1 TD) and its leading rusher, Cherry (121 carries, 570 yards, 5 TDs), as well as eight other players from last season’s team.

Leading the way for the Rams will be its senior class, which consists of 13 players including the bulk of the offensive line including Bill Boylan, Dan Carnovale, T.J. Costanzo and Zach Weber.

"Our senior class, mostly our line, has been up her lifting weights all summer long," Launer told the TCS. "We had a week of conditioning, and the seniors showed up and worked really hard. They are a bunch of unselfish kids.

While little experience returns, the Rams have one huge piece of the puzzle in place for this season in junior quarterback Anthony Imbrogno, the D9Sports.com District 9 Rookie of the Year last season.

Imbrogno, who took over from Greg Wonderly as quarterback in Week Two making his first start in Week Three, went 70-for-150 passing for 1,026 yards, 10 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a QB rating of 111.46. He ranked seventh in D9 in passing, tied for sixth in TD passes and 10^th in QB rating.

Joining Imbrogno in the backfield will be Tom Launer and Josh Feronti.

Launer was the second leading rusher a year ago with 16 carries for 72 yards and a touchdown, while Feronti added three carries for four yards.