BROCKWAY AIMING FOR D9 TITLE

By Bill Logue

BROCKWAY – Last season Brockway advanced to the District 9 Class AA title game for the second straight year only to once again run in to the juggernaut known as Karns City.

This season the Rovers are looking to take the next step and win the District 9 title.

"We’ve been there the last two years, but Karns City has been very solid," head coach Ray Reckner, who is beginning his 30^th year with the team, said. "They (Karns City) have been ranked high in the state, and we would have had to have had a very good day to beat team. But with some of our kids having been there both times, they don’t want to be there a third time and not be successful."

The stars might be aligned right for the Rovers, as they lost only seven seniors from last year’s team that went 7-4. But those seniors included two key running backs, Trenton Marnati (105 rushes, 420 yards, 7 touchdowns; team leading 66 points) and Benji Martini (3 rushes, 5 yards), as well as much of the offensive line.

"We lost seven seniors, but among them were four player who were All-Conference," Reckner said. "Some player will have to step up this year. Hopefully the offensive line will. If they do, we’ll be ok."

Only 31 players are on the roster this season, but that doesn’t mean the team is not abounding with talent.

Looking to start on the line will be Kyle Smith and Matt Grieneisen at guard, Ryan Benson and a player to be determined at tackle and Garth McGee at center.

Tom Bussard (51 rushes, 269 yards, 5 touchdowns) and Rick Kolash (41 catches, 215 yards, 1 touchdown) will be the ends with Jeremy Sickeri (161 rushes, 673 yards, 4 touchdowns, 34 points) and Jon Cantafio (135 rushes, 595 yards, 6 touchdowns, 46 points) in the backfield. Junior John Himes (30-for-79, 456 yards, 5 touchdowns, 13 interceptions) is locked in as the starting signal caller.

"We’re blessed with a lot of talent coming back," Reckner said. "All of those guys have to play well if we are going to reach where we want to be this year."

While the returning players are important to the Rovers success, Reckner believes all 31 players will need to contribute for Brockway to have a good season.

"Hopefully they will get together as a team," Reckner said. "We don’t want to be a team that relies on one aspect. Hopefully we’re like interchangeable parts. I can’t see where we’ll have to rely on any one player."

To no one’s surprise, the Rovers plan on keeping the ball on the ground again in 2002/

"We are a run-oriented offense, we always have been," Reckner said. "One thing we’ve noticed in the AML is that there are more teams that are run-oriented. That’s our type of football."

On defense, Brockway will run a 4-3 scheme.

"We like to attack the offense," defensive coordinator John DeSantis said. "We don’t like the offense to dictate to us. We want to dictate the offense. We use both the size up front and the speed behind to do it."

Reckner has set a series of both short-term and long-term goals for his team,

The short-term goals are the practices and scrimmages. Some long-term goals are reaching the AML title game, reaching the district championship and winning both titles.

When asked about key games, coach Reckner pointed out that all are key.

"When you are playing against someone in your division, they are all key," Reckner said. "We’ve developed some key rivalries here in the league. Ridgway is right up the road. Johnsonburg is always a key game. Curwensville because we haven’t beaten them in three years, but all were close ball games."

In an attempt to form team unity, the Rovers, for the second-year in a row, had a week long live-in at the school during the first week of practice.

"We tried it last year as an experiment," Reckner said. "It worked out well, so we’re doing it again. "We come to camp Sunday night and stay until Friday at 3 p.m. The kids watch a movie each night, the cheerleaders and parents bring snacks and dinner and the kids go to be at 11 p.m. What is really does is bring team unity. It has worked real well this year, but it couldn’t be done without the help of the community."

Brockway starts its season at 1 p.m. Aug. 31 at Sheffield.