By Jeff Say

RIMERSBURG -- For the third year in a row, Union will have to rebuild with another new coach, as Scott Kindel takes over the Golden Knight program.

Kindel enters the season with optimism after last season’s disappointing 1-8 finish even though the Golden Knights will be going through a rebuilding process. A lot of the optimism stems from Union's hard work throughout the preseason.

"Well obviously when you’re 1-8 there’s going to be some rebuilding to do," Kindel said. "How far we go as a team depends on how hard these guys want to work. They’re willing to do whatever it takes to make this a winning program."

One of the keys to righting the program will be to not focus on last the few seasons and begin with a new attitude.

"We set a policy at the beginning of the year we don’t talk about the past," Kindel said. "We’re a new program looking to this year and to the future. We want to start the turnaround right now with this team. We’re not looking at the past or what happened. We’re looking at how we can help these young men be as successful as they can be."

Union will be trying a different look this season, as Kindel has made some position changes attempting to give the Golden Knights a more athletic offensive line and a quicker backfield.

"We've had a lot of these guys make some moves from positions they played last year to positions this year that are totally different," Kindel said. "We're please, certainly not satisfied, with the way things are going so far."

Most of the position changes have occurred on offense where the Golden Knights return four starters from last season but with new positions this year.

Garrett Conaway, Damien Pezzutti and Dennis Shay have all moved from running back to the offensive line, while Jeremy Lipps and Nate Carmichael have moved from tight end to the offensive line. Those five players join Mike Flick, who is the lone returning starter from last season's line.

"We have six guys rotating on the offensive line right now," Kindel said. "They all look good.

"Obviously the offensive line is the most important at any level of football. We’ve moved guys from the backfield to there to make this football team better. We’ve given up on our own personal goals to accomplish team goals. I couldn’t be more proud of the fact they’ve done that."

With the addition of the former running backs, the offensive line will be quicker but smaller than the past Union lines. Only three of the starters top 200 pounds with Flick being the biggest at 235 pounds.

"We’re hoping to utilize their speed in different ways," Kindel said. "Right now we’re working the basics, but later in the season we want to add a little more and utilize that speed."

Behind the line, the Golden Knights open the season with a battle for playing time at quarterback between sophomore Adam Milanovich and junior Zach Toven. The competition was so tight in the preseason that Kindel termed it "dead even." In fact the competition is so close, Union could go with both quarterbacks changing them at different times during a game.

"They're like carbon copies of each other," Kindel said. "They're both tough kids. I'm very pleased with both of them. They both run the ball well. They pass well. They're very good leaders on the field.

Lining up next to the quarterback in the backfield will be a new running back tandem since the Golden Knights lost last year's starter Seth Stewart to graduation and moved the majority of the other backs to the offensive line.

Kindel believes the backfield will have a quicker feel to it this season, as Union is attempting to capitalize on a few of its faster players.

James Myers and Devon Kriebel will see the majority of the carries from the tailback position, while Kory Hawk will also receive some carries while from the fullback spot.

"We’re hoping to utilize the speed we have," Kindel said. "We have two pretty quick guys in Kriebel and Myers, and we want to utilize that. We have some bruisers too. We’re going to use both."

The Golden Knights passing game will be helped by a strong receiving core.

Andy Paulden, Ryan Freilino, Brandon Allen and Darren Laughlin will battle for playing time at wide receiver, while Jon McKinney will start at tight end.

"McKinney gives us a 6-foot-6-inch target at tight end," Kindel said. "That’s obviously something we want to utilize."

Union will operate with the standard "I" offense this season, and the team is starting to pick up on its third straight different offensive scheme.

"This is the third offensive system in three years and it’s taken us a little longer than maybe a Keystone or a Clarion for our offense to gel because this is our third offense," Kindel said. "It’s been something different every year. These kids have been fantastic. If you’re going to come in be a first-year coach and a first-year coaching staff this is the group to do it with. My assistant coaches, Jake Weckerly, Paul Ruhlman and Jim Gezik have really helped this year as well."

Union, which will be running a 4-3 scheme, is fundamentally sound on defense and the defensive squad will be one of the strengths of the team.

"The defensive backs have played very well," Kindel said. "The line has done very well, and we’re pleased overall defensively. We’ve changed some things. We've tried to be a little more aggressive."

Last season Union showed its defensive potential when it held Clarion scoreless for a quarter in its Sept. 17 game, no small feat with Clarion’s explosive offense of a season ago.

"Defensively I think there’s potential, but I also think there is potential offensively as well," Kindel said. "These kids have picked up the system. From our scrimmage Saturday (Aug. 17), defense is going to be a high point for us. We tackled well, and we moved to the ball well."

Flick, Justin Winchester, Kriebel and Allen Fowler will anchor the interior of the defensive line while the ends will be Milanovich, McKinney or Jeremy Lipps.

"Kriebel and Fowler are little quick guys we use to disrupt the backfield," Kindel said. "Winchester goes 392-pounds and Flick goes about 235. Winchester has come in and worked so hard to get himself into shape. He didn’t have to go out a play during our first scrimmage."

Union’s defensive line will play a key role, as the lineman will have to open holes for the Golden Knights’ talented linebackers.

"Our defensive line is very important just like our offensive line," Kindel said. "You’ve got to get the guys to start the penetration defensively. That helps out our linebackers."

Dennis Shay, Darrell Shay, Pezzutti and Cory Hawk will see playing time at linebacker.

"We’re hoping that (the linebacker position) will be one of the strengths of the team," Kindel said. "Again its going to take a while to pick up the fundamentals we want them to pick up, but we’re hoping the linebackers become one of the strengths of the team."

Paulden, Jeremy Craig, Joe McGregor, Laughlin, Allen and Freilino will battle for time in the secondary.

"Those guys in the defensive backfield have done a real good job," Kindel said. "The thing I like the best about them is they’re aggressive and good tacklers."

Kindel is hoping to see an improvement in his first-year as a head coach and is hoping the parity in the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference will provide Union with a chance to move up in the conference.

"Obviously every time you start a season your goal is to be the best you can," Kindel said. "That’s obviously our goal here is to be the best we can. Our goal as a coaching staff is to get the most of these kids. We have some good ball players, and we want to utilize them the best way we can."